proverb · Source-linked selection
Till St. James's day be come and gone, You may have hops, or you may have none.
Till St. James's day be come and gone, You may have hops, or you may have none.
Historical period not yet established
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
The saying withholds certainty about a hop yield until a named calendar point has passed. It emphasises waiting before deciding whether the hoped-for provision exists.
What the words are saying
You may have or may have none keeps both outcomes open. The date makes the uncertainty memorable, but the explanation does not establish that it is the decisive point for every crop or place. A useful broader reading asks what stage must be reached before a result can reasonably be assessed, without turning waiting itself into proof of success.
Everyday example
A group leaves a result unconfirmed until the relevant work has been checked rather than announcing it from an early expectation.
When to use it
Use it to reflect on uncertainty before an outcome can be assessed.
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What it does not mean
The named observance is not verified crop-timing advice or a universal deadline.
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 803 · Hops
A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.
- Culture
- English