Etymology Journal ยท A
A watched pot never boils
Meaning
- Time seems to move much slower when you are waiting for something to happen. The more you focus on the wait, the more frustrating it becomes.
Patient, philosophical
Used in a sentence
- Stop checking the oven every five minutes, a watched pot never boils.
- I know you are waiting for the letter, but a watched pot never boils.
- Just go do something else while the download finishes, a watched pot never boils.
The backstory
The phrase is an observation about physical reality and human perception. If you stare at a pot, your impatience makes the minutes feel like hours.
Heard in
Nationwide
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