Did you ever say or hear, “The proof is in the pudding”?

Okay. So what in the Hell does that mean? To me, the expression is completely nonsensical.

Being a person who spends a good deal of his time working with the language, this expression always bothered me. And then one day, I had a revelation; that is not the correct expression. That is what the original expression has morphed into.

The correct and complete expression, which dates back to at least the 17^th Century, is, “The proof of the pudding’s in the eating.” That means that you can prove if the pudding is good or not by tasting it.  By extension, the proverb means that you have to investigate things thoroughly before you draw conclusions.

Another expression that has always made me wonder is “Piping hot”. What, exactly does THAT mean? To me, “piping” is that different-colored thread that accents along the borders on clothing.

Some folks believe the expression has to do with musical instruments (pipes). So, how are musical pipes hot? And why would a person use a musical reference to emphasize how hot the soup is?

In actuality, the term has nothing to do with music, since it can be traced back at least to the year 1390, before such musical instruments existed.

Chaucer used the phrase in the Canterbury Tales in The Miller's Tale in 1390:

“He sente hir pyment meeth and spiced ale
And wafres pipyng hoot out of the glede.”

When you translate the Middle English into modern English, the lines become:

 “He sent her sweetened wine and well-spiced ale
And waffles piping hot out of the fire”

 The term comes from the sizzling or whistling sound that steam makes as it escapes from hot food.

Class dismissed.