pudding

To be pregnant. Primarily heard in UK, Australia. Yes, it's true—I'm in the pudding club and about three months along! A: "Is it true that Stan's daughter is in the pudding club?" B: "Yes, she's due at the end of the summer." I never expected to be in the pudding club so soon after getting married, but I'm thrilled!

euphemism Pregnant. This is my sister's first time in the club, and she's pretty nervous about the whole thing. But mom and I went through it enough times that she'll have no shortage of advice. Social media has been inundated with rumors that the pop star is in the pudding club following the emergence of some revealing paparazzi pictures online.

To get something wrong or make something worse by doing too much of something or trying too hard to improve a situation. Primarily heard in UK. I think we've over-egged the pudding with the amount of technology we've crammed into our daily lives—no one knows how to have a quiet moment anymore. The latest budget over-eggs the pudding yet again, spreading resources across too many sectors without enough funds to actually fix any of them.

obsolete A childish rhyme used as a response when asked one's name. Part of a larger call and response: A: "What's your name?" B: "Pudding and tame. Ask me again and I'll tell you the same." A: "What's your name, child?" B: "Pudding and tame!" A: "Son, I asked you a question. You give me a smart-alec response like that again and I'll box your ears!"

slang Facial hair that encircles the mouth and covers the chin; a goatee. I wish you would shave that damn pudding ring—you look ridiculous. I had a pudding ring for a couple of years before I grew a proper beard.

slang A foolish, stupid, or idiotic person (i.e., someone with pudding for brains). It's no surprise to me that the country's economy is tanking with that puddinghead in charge. How can you be such a puddinghead about this?

slang Foolish; stupid; idiotic. It's no surprise to me that the country's economy is tanking with that puddingheaded dolt in charge. How can you be so puddingheaded about this?

The final results of something are the only way to judge its quality or veracity. Our analysts think that the marketing campaign will reinvigorate our sales, but the proof is in the pudding, so let's see how our figures look at the end of the year. OK, if I did everything right, the engine should work right, but the proof will be in the pudding.

The final results, which are the only way to judge something's quality or veracity. Our analysts think that the marketing campaign will reinvigorate our sales, but the proof of the pudding will be in our year-end figures.

proverb The final results are the only way to judge something's quality or veracity. Our analysts think that the marketing campaign will reinvigorate our sales, but the proof of the pudding is in the eating, so let's see how our figures look at the end of the year. OK, if I did everything right, the engine should work right, but the proof of the pudding will be in the eating.

humorous Nothing. Used as a response to a question about what one had to eat or what is being prepared for a meal. A: "Mom, what are we having for dinner?" B: "Wind pudding and air dip. I don't know, I haven't gone to the grocery store yet!"

Prov. You cannot be sure that you have succeeded until you have examined the result of your efforts. Jill: I think we've done a good job of fixing the lawn mower. Jane: Well, the proof is in the pudding. We haven't tried to mow the lawn with it yet.

Prov. You don't know the quality of something until you have tried it or experienced it. Theory says that this material will produce a superior widget, but the proof of the pudding is in the eating.

Results are what count, as in Let's see if this ad actually helps sales-the proof of the pudding, you know. The full expression of this proverb, dating from about 1600, is The proof of the pudding is in the eating, but it has become so well known that it is often abbreviated.

People say the proof of the pudding is in the eating to mean that something can only be judged to be good or bad after it has been tried or used. Such therapies should not be dismissed out of hand, particularly when the proof of the pudding is in the eating. Note: People often vary this expression, for example by just talking about the proof of the pudding. The proof of the pudding, so to speak, will be if sales of English cheese go up. Note: In this expression, `proof' means the testing of something rather than establishing that it is true. The idea is that the best way to test the quality of a pudding is to taste it rather than admire its appearance.

If someone over-eggs the pudding, they spoil something by trying too hard to improve it. You can buy all sorts of extras for the car, but it's very easy to over-egg the pudding. Note: Other nouns are sometimes used instead of pudding. The band certainly knew how to over-egg the cake, with no song being complete unless it had three tempo changes and a loud finale.

Performance is the only valid test. This proverbial expression of quality control dates from about 1600, appearing in print in William Camden’s Remains Concerning Britain (1605). It has been repeated many times over the centuries, particularly by British writers (including George Bernard Shaw and W. Somerset Maugham), for whom pudding is more of a basic dish than it is to Americans (it originally meant a kind of sausage, and later any food inside a crust); the Economist entitled a survey of the advertising industry “Proof of the Pudding” (June 1990). The term, generally shortened to “proof of the pudding,” survives on this side of the Atlantic as well.