proverb · Words worth keeping
No sport, no pie.
No sport, no pie.
Historical period not yet established
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
The saying makes pie depend on sport. It puts an activity before a reward or provision, without defining the kind of sport intended.
What the words are saying
No and no compress the link into a strict condition. A qualified reading can discuss an undertaking that supplies something later enjoyed, but the text does not establish a hunting custom or identify a particular game. Nor should it become a rule that essential food must be withheld until someone performs. Its useful question is what actually produces the desired result.
Everyday example
A group identifies the work needed for a shared celebration rather than assuming the result will arrive without preparation.
When to use it
Use it as a qualified analogy about an activity and its hoped-for reward.
What it does not mean
The activity is unspecified; the phrase does not justify denying necessities.
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 1510 · Sport
A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.
- Culture
- English