proverb · Words worth keeping
Fancy may bolt bran and think it flour.
Fancy may bolt bran and think it flour.
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
A strong preference can make something seem better than it is. Imagining bran as flour pictures wishful judgement, without proving that every hope or favourable opinion is mistaken.
Example
A collector loves a catalogue photograph but checks the object’s measurements before assuming it will fit the intended display.
Deeper explanation and when to use it
The proverb gives fancy the power to mistake one result for another. Figuratively, someone may be so attracted to an idea that they overlook a difference relevant to its purpose. The useful response brings the claim back to what can be examined: what is offered, what is needed and which details connect the two. Enthusiasm need not be abandoned, but it should leave room for an unwelcome finding. This is not a judgement that taste is always wrong or that imagination has no value. Its concern is preference taking the place of an accurate description when a real distinction matters.
When to use it
Use it when wanting a result is influencing how the evidence is described.
Keep in mind
Preference and imagination can be useful; test the particular claim rather than dismissing enthusiasm itself.
An interpretation of the words, not a claim about their 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
- Date unknown
- Culture
- English