Doing It Properly
“Measure twice, cut once”, “Haste makes waste”, “A bad workman blames his tools”: proverbs about craft are the bluntest in the language, because they were made by people whose mistakes cost material. They are still the most quotable ones at work, and two of them — “the proof of the pudding” and “jack of all trades” — are now more often misquoted than said correctly.
Practice this set for free — no account needed. Loads 12 flashcards into the learner. The learner asks it the other way round: meaning first, phrase second.
Practice in the free learnerHow to study this set
Watch the two on this level whose usual modern form is wrong: the pudding one is not “the proof is in the pudding”, and “jack of all trades” originally had no flattering ending. Learning the full version is what makes them usable in writing.
All 12 flashcards
Swap question and answerMeasure twice, cut once.
Check carefully before doing the irreversible part.
“Read the migration script again before you run it — measure twice, cut once.”
Haste makes waste.
Rushing creates errors that cost more than the time saved.
“We shipped it in a night and spent a fortnight on the bugs. Haste makes waste.”
More haste, less speed.
The more you hurry, the slower you actually get there.
“You’ve typed the address wrong twice now — more haste, less speed.”
A bad workman blames his tools.
Poor work gets excused by faulting the equipment.
“He says the keyboard made him miss the deadline. A bad workman blames his tools.”
If a job is worth doing, it is worth doing well.
Anything worth starting deserves proper effort.
“We could bodge the fence, but if a job’s worth doing, it’s worth doing well.”
The proof of the pudding is in the eating.
You judge something by how it performs, not how it looks.
“The slides promise a lot, but the proof of the pudding is in the eating.”
Meaning, origin and more examples →Too many cooks spoil the broth.
Too many people involved ruins the result.
“Four people are editing the same paragraph — too many cooks spoil the broth.”
Many hands make light work.
Shared effort makes a task quick and easy.
“With the whole team packing, it took an hour. Many hands make light work.”
Do not bite off more than you can chew.
Do not take on more than you can manage.
“Three modules alongside a full-time job? Don’t bite off more than you can chew.”
Actions speak louder than words.
What someone does counts for more than what they say.
“He apologised again, then did nothing. Actions speak louder than words.”
Practise what you preach.
Live by the standard you demand of others.
“She asks us to log off at six and emails at midnight — practise what you preach.”
A jack of all trades is a master of none.
Spreading yourself across everything means mastering nothing.
“He dabbles in five languages and ships in none — a jack of all trades is a master of none.”
Meaning, origin and more examples →What to learn next
Next: what English proverbs say about reading other people.