proverb · Words worth keeping
Wine is the master's, but the goodness is the drawer's.
Wine is the master's, but the goodness is the drawer's.
Historical period not yet established
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
The saying separates ownership of wine from the quality credited to the person serving it. Possessing a resource is distinguished from the skill involved in presenting it.
What the words are saying
Master and drawer receive different kinds of credit. Here drawer is read in its older sense of a person serving drink, supported by the dictionary context. A wider analogy can recognise work that an owner’s title alone does not perform. The verse does not verify that service determines every part of a drink’s quality.
Everyday example
A host acknowledges the worker’s careful service rather than taking all credit simply because the supplies belong to the host.
When to use it
Use it to distinguish ownership from skilled contribution.
What it does not mean
The quality claim is not universal, and no originating episode is established.
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 1794 · Wine
A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.
- Culture
- English