Meanings
alternative rare the proof is in the eating · alternative the proof is in the pudding · alternative proof of the pudding
- One can only claim that something is a success after it has been tried out or used.
I know you didn't think it was a very good product, but just look at the fantastic sales figures. That's the proof of the pudding.
5 more examples
Mrs. Atkins—Say what you've a mind to, Kate, the proof of the puddin's in the eatin'; and you can't deny that things have been goin' from bad to worse ever since your husband died two years back.
1920, Eugene O'Neill, Beyond the Horizon: A Play in Three Acts, New York: Boni and Liveright, pages 68–9This is an armchair criticism, and the proof of the pudding will be in the eating.
1951 April, Stirling Everard, “A Matter of Pedigree”, in Railway Magazine, number 600, page 274CHAPTER XXI Meeting at Geneva The proof of the pudding is in the eating. -Traditional aphorism
1963, Dwight Eisenhower, Mandate for Change 1953-1956, Garden City, New York: Doubleday & Company, →LCCN, →OCLC, →OL, page 503Indeed, the proof of the pudding is in the eating.
2011, “Flying Guillotine” (11:30 from the start), in MythBusters, episode 175, spoken by Narrator (Robert Lee)It begs the question: will this be a costly mistake? I think not, but the proof of the pudding is in a RAIL train test - so armed with stopwatch, measuring tape and notepad, it was time to head north to track one down and test it!
2019 October 23, Pip Dunn, “The next king of Scotland”, in RAIL, page 50
Origin
First attested in William Camden's Remaines of a Greater Worke, Concerning Britaine (1605) as “All the proofe of a pudding, is in the eating.”
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Chinese Mandarin 百聞不如一見 /百闻不如一见
- 百聞不如一見 /百闻不如一见 (bǎi wén bùrú yī jiàn)the only real test of something is as what it is intended to be used for
Dutch de praktijk zal het leren
- de praktijk zal het lerenthe only real test of something is as what it is intended to be used for
Finnish käytäntö sen vasta osoittaa
- käytäntö sen vasta osoittaathe only real test of something is as what it is intended to be used for
French il faut juger sur pièces, la qualité se révèle à l’usage
- il faut juger sur piècesthe only real test of something is as what it is intended to be used for
- la qualité se révèle à l’usagethe only real test of something is as what it is intended to be used for
German Probieren geht über Studieren, die Praxis wird es zeigen
- Probieren geht über Studierenthe only real test of something is as what it is intended to be used for
- die Praxis wird es zeigenthe only real test of something is as what it is intended to be used for
Hungarian a puding próbája az evés
- a puding próbája az evésthe only real test of something is as what it is intended to be used for
Japanese 論より証拠
- 論より証拠the only real test of something is as what it is intended to be used for
Korean 백문이 불여일견
- 백문이 불여일견 (baengmuni buryeoilgyeon)the only real test of something is as what it is intended to be used for
Polish nie przekonasz się, dopóki nie spróbujesz
- nie przekonasz się, dopóki nie spróbujeszthe only real test of something is as what it is intended to be used for
Portuguese ao frigir dos ovos
- ao frigir dos ovosthe only real test of something is as what it is intended to be used for
Russian не попробуешь, не узнаешь
- не попробуешь, не узнаешь (ne poprobuješʹ, ne uznaješʹ)the only real test of something is as what it is intended to be used for
Spanish el algodón no engaña, en la cancha se ven los pingos
- el algodón no engañathe only real test of something is as what it is intended to be used for
- en la cancha se ven los pingosthe only real test of something is as what it is intended to be used for
- no sabes la calidad de algo hasta que lo has experimentadothe only real test of something is as what it is intended to be used for
- al freír de los huevos lo veráthe only real test of something is as what it is intended to be used for
Swedish puddingen bevisas i ätandet
- puddingen bevisas i ätandetthe only real test of something is as what it is intended to be used for
Cite this entry
the proof of the pudding is in the eating. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/the%20proof%20of%20the%20pudding%20is%20in%20the%20eating
“the proof of the pudding is in the eating.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/the%20proof%20of%20the%20pudding%20is%20in%20the%20eating. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “the proof of the pudding is in the eating,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/the%20proof%20of%20the%20pudding%20is%20in%20the%20eating.
Source: the proof of the pudding is in the eating on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.