1460: proof is in the pudding Dec 10, 2018

The phrase 'the proof is in the pudding' doesn't make a lot of intuitive sense. Even considering how 'proof' has historically meant 'evidence' and that pudding has a variety of meanings, the phrase cannot be understood only semantically because the phrase that is used is not the full phrase. As with "the last straw", only the first half of the phrase "the proof of the pudding...is in the eating" is used. The full phrase has been used in many varieties for nearly 700 years, but has always had the meaning of "the only way to know if something is suitable is to test it".

Check out the Patreon-exclusive video from yesterday here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/origin-of-word-23236976