proverb · Words worth keeping
Sweet meat must have some sauce.
Sweet meat must have some sauce.
Historical period not yet established
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
The saying pairs sweet food with sauce. As an explicit analogy, something pleasant or desirable may come with a contrasting accompaniment.
What the words are saying
Must gives the addition the force of necessity, but does not specify the sauce or whether it improves the experience. A careful figurative application can consider what accompanies a benefit: work, expense, responsibility or a needed complement. The wording alone does not establish that every pleasure brings trouble or that the accompaniment is always unwelcome.
Everyday example
Someone accepts an enjoyable new role while recognising the preparation and responsibilities that come with it.
When to use it
Use it as a qualified analogy about a benefit and its accompaniment.
What it does not mean
The exact accompaniment and tone remain unspecified; the broad analogy is editorial.
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 1389 · Sauce
A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.
- Culture
- English