proverb · Words worth keeping
As good twenty as nineteen.
As good twenty as nineteen.
Historical period not yet established
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
The saying regards twenty as no worse than nineteen. It suggests that a small additional amount may make little difference in a situation already being considered.
What the words are saying
The neighbouring numbers make the increment seem negligible. A careful reading asks whether the difference really is small in the actual context; a single addition can matter where there is a limit. The phrase does not identify what is being counted or establish permission to ignore a rule. Its useful point is to examine the significance of the marginal change.
Everyday example
A group checks whether one extra item changes the workload before treating it as effectively the same quantity.
When to use it
Use it to discuss a small increase with the context made explicit.
What it does not mean
The unspecified count does not establish that every extra item is harmless.
Agent-assisted editorial interpretation. This explains the words; it does not by itself verify their author or earliest origin.
Attribution & collection notes
- Author or tradition
- Traditional
Attribution: traditional - Country attributed
- Not established
A country attribution does not establish the earliest origin. - Historical period
- Historical period not yet established
No sufficiently supported historical placement has been established. Import and download dates are not treated as composition dates. - Recorded source
- A Dictionary of English Proverbs and Proverbial Phrases
Entry 1681 · Twenty
A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.
- Culture
- English