Waste not...

Posted by ESC on May 10, 2000

In Reply to: Phrase posted by sherri novak on May 09, 2000

: Where and when and by whom did the phrase "waste not want not" start?

"Waste not, want not. The less we waste, the less we lack in the future. The proverb has been traced back to 1772, and is first cited in the United States in the 1932 'Topper Takes a Trip' by T. Smith..." From the Random House Dictionary of Popular Proverbs and Sayings by Gregory Y. Titelman (Random House, New York, 1996).

I would have guessed that this saying was older than that. If I find any more about it, I'll post a PS.

• Waste not... ESC 05/10/00