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 as shown here: phrase first, meaning 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 answerCheck carefully before doing the irreversible part.
Measure twice, cut once.
“Read the migration script again before you run it — measure twice, cut once.”
Rushing creates errors that cost more than the time saved.
Haste makes waste.
“We shipped it in a night and spent a fortnight on the bugs. Haste makes waste.”
The more you hurry, the slower you actually get there.
More haste, less speed.
“You’ve typed the address wrong twice now — more haste, less speed.”
Poor work gets excused by faulting the equipment.
A bad workman blames his tools.
“He says the keyboard made him miss the deadline. A bad workman blames his tools.”
Anything worth starting deserves proper effort.
If a job is worth doing, it is worth doing well.
“We could bodge the fence, but if a job’s worth doing, it’s worth doing well.”
You judge something by how it performs, not how it looks.
The proof of the pudding is in the eating.
“The slides promise a lot, but the proof of the pudding is in the eating.”
Meaning, origin and more examples →Too many people involved ruins the result.
Too many cooks spoil the broth.
“Four people are editing the same paragraph — too many cooks spoil the broth.”
Shared effort makes a task quick and easy.
Many hands make light work.
“With the whole team packing, it took an hour. Many hands make light work.”
Do not take on more than you can manage.
Do not bite off more than you can chew.
“Three modules alongside a full-time job? Don’t bite off more than you can chew.”
What someone does counts for more than what they say.
Actions speak louder than words.
“He apologised again, then did nothing. Actions speak louder than words.”
Live by the standard you demand of others.
Practise what you preach.
“She asks us to log off at six and emails at midnight — practise what you preach.”
Spreading yourself across everything means mastering nothing.
A jack of all trades is a master of none.
“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.