The early bird catches the worm means that whoever starts before everyone else gets the best of what's available, whether it's seats, tickets or a job. Literally, the bird that's up early catches the worm. There's also the version the early bird gets the worm. The proverb has also given us early bird on its own: a person who gets up early, and booking early at a discount.
When would you say the early bird catches the worm?
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The early bird catches the worm.; the early bird gets the worm; be an early bird; early-bird + price/ticket/discount
- I got to the sale at eight and bought the last pair of boots. The early bird catches the worm!
- We booked our summer flights in January because the early bird gets the worm.
- I'm an early bird, so I do my hardest work before breakfast.
What changed
First versionLet's leave at six to get the best seats. Who gets up early, God gives to him!
RevisionLet's leave at six to get the best seats. The early bird catches the worm!
Who gets up early, God gives to him is a word-for-word translation of a proverb from another language. English has no such proverb, and the sentence sounds like a clumsy literal translation. It was replaced with the ready-made English proverb about the bird and the worm.
Early bird often appears without the rest of the proverb. An early bird is someone who likes getting up early, and the opposite is a night owl. Early-bird tickets or an early-bird discount are for people who buy in advance: Early-bird tickets are 20% cheaper until Friday.
Your turn
Tickets go on sale at nine tomorrow, and they always sell out in an hour. Set your alarm: ___!
Show the answer
the early bird catches the worm — The tickets sell out in an hour, so it's important to be first: the early bird catches the worm. Better late than never means it's better to do something late than not at all, but here being late would mean missing the tickets.
Describe a time when starting early gave you an advantage. Say what you did before everyone else and what you got.
I applied for the summer course on the first day of registration and got a place in the morning group. The early bird catches the worm.
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