first catch your hare

first catch your hare
Commonly thought to originate in the recipe for hare soup in Mrs Glasse’s Art of Cookery (1747) or in Mrs Beeton’s Book of Household Management (1851), but not found there (see quot. 1896). Similar in sentiment to CATCHING’S before hanging. Cf. c 1300 BRACTON De Legibus Angliae IV. xxi. vulgariter dicitur, quod primo opportet cervum capere, & postea cum captus fuerit illum excoriare, it is commonly said that one must first catch the deer, and afterwards, when he has been caught, skin him.

1801 Spirit of Farmers’ Museum 55 How to dress a dolphin, first catch a dolphin.

1855 THACKERAY Rose & Ring xiv. ‘To seize wherever I should light upon him—’ ‘First catch your hare!’.. exclaimed his Royal Highness.

1896 Daily News 20 July 8 The familiar words, ‘First catch your hare,’ were never to be found in Mrs. Glasse’s famous volume. What she really said was, ‘Take your hare when it is cased [skinned].’

1984 ‘C. AIRD’ Harm’s Way iii. Sloan took his reply straight from the pages of an early cookery book... ‘First, catch your hare.’


Proverbs new dictionary.

Игры ⚽ Нужно решить контрольную?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • first catch your hare — Make sure you have a thing first before you think what to do with it (from a direction in Mrs Glasse s cookery book, where catch was a misprint for case meaning to skin) • • • Main Entry: ↑hare …   Useful english dictionary

  • first catch your hare then cook him — first things first, first concentrate on priorities, concentrate on one s immediate goal …   English contemporary dictionary

  • Hare — Jackrabbit and Jack rabbit redirect here. For other uses, see Jackrabbit (disambiguation). Lepus redirects here. For other uses, see Lepus (disambiguation). For other uses, see Hare (disambiguation). Hares European Hare (Le …   Wikipedia

  • hare — see first catch your hare if you run after two hares you will catch neither you cannot run with the hare and hunt with the hounds …   Proverbs new dictionary

  • catch — see you cannot catch old birds with chaff it doesn’t matter if a cat is black or white, as long as it catches mice a cat in gloves catches no mice a drowning man will clutch at a straw eagles don’t catch flies …   Proverbs new dictionary

  • first — see first catch your hare first come, first served the first duty of a soldier is obedience first impressions are the most lasting on the first of March, the crows begin to search it is the first step that is difficult …   Proverbs new dictionary

  • Oxford Dictionary of Proverbs, Thematic Index — absence absence makes the heart grow fonder he who is absent is always in the wrong the best of friends must part blue are the hills that are far away distance lends enchantment to the view out of sight, out of mind …   Proverbs new dictionary

  • Deadliest Catch — Season 7 title card Format Documentary Reality Created by Thom Beers …   Wikipedia

  • Mrs Beeton's Book of Household Management —   Front cover …   Wikipedia

  • Jugging — In cooking, jugging is the process of stewing meat (usually whole animals, mainly game, or fish) for a long time in a tightly covered container, such as a casserole or an earthenware jug. Sometimes the cooking liquid includes some of the animal s …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
… Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”