proverb · Words worth keeping
Don't throw the baby out with the bath-water.
Don't throw the baby out with the bath-water.
Historical period not yet established
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
The saying warns against discarding a baby with bath-water. As an analogy, it asks a change to preserve what is valuable while removing what is unwanted.
What the words are saying
The two things share a setting but have different value in the image. A useful application can distinguish a flawed part from the whole arrangement. It does not imply that every existing element should be saved or offer literal child-care instructions.
Everyday example
A team replaces a confusing procedure while retaining the useful information it previously collected.
When to use it
Use it to separate what needs removal from what deserves preservation.
What it does not mean
The image is not literal guidance or proof that every old element is useful.
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
- Contributor-provided proverb reference
Supplied reference A; unit 173; PDF page 29
A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.