The Proof is in the Pudding (and other misspoken bits)

Minor diversion: Matt, thank god there is someone other than me who knows the proper expression. I swear I am going to commit homicide next time I hear someone say “the proof is in the pudding” It doesnt even make sense!!
/diversion.
Sue, don't get me started... "baited breath", and all that. AARGH!
 
I never had an issue with the abbreviated "the proof is in the pudding"....obviously one needs to eat it to be certain. But whether it is eaten or not, the proof is still in there....right?

I think the original expression probably referred to “proving” as in cooking. anything baked with flour is often “proved” prior to cooking. That is, left in a bowl to rise or rest or do whatever it is that its supposed to, before being placed in the oven. If not proved, the eating would likely be unpleasant. However, there is still no proof in a pudding, no matter what the thinking is. So in answer to your question, I would say no, and the correct expression should be used. THERE IS NO PROOF IN A DAMN PUDDING!
 
My Mum had her very own saying which I use on occasion. Never fails to baffle. "I understood what I thought you said, but what you said wasn't what I thought you meant"

:D My equivalent is: "Let's use the Sword of Damocles to cleave the Gordian Knot and get to the thin end of the white elephant."
...it gets the same sort of reaction.

I had a meeting brought forward by an hour the other day. The organiser informed me, without a trace of irony, that it had been "preponed"...
 
I used to use it in meetings if someone came out with some meaningless & generic management drivel The silence was palpable for a second, then someone would politely cough and it would carry on as though nothing had happened.

I friend gave me a thing called BS Bingo (except it wasn't abbreviated), a game for use in meetings. It was a sheet of paper like a bingo sheet, and each square had one of those phrases that management just loves -- forward thinking, customer centric, best practices, optimization, and so forth. As each one is used, you cross it off the card. When you get a full card, you stand up in the meeting and yell BS! (Cleaning out your desk may be optional, or compulsory . . . it depends.)

Cheers, Jock
 
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