Meaning
Waiting anxiously for something slows its seeming progress.
Origin
From 18th-century Britain, tied to kitchen lore; watching water feels eternal, proverb by 1783 in Franklin's letters. A 1848 Brontë novel uses it for a stalled lover.
Variants
- Pot never boils
- Watched pot
Usage Examples
- A watched pot never boils; stop checking the mail!
- She learned a watched pot never boils waiting for news.
- A watched pot never boils-relax, it'll ring soon.