The early bird gets the worm, but ...

Robin feeding young.  Taken in July 2013 at UBC research forest.

Of course, you know of the idiom, "The early bird gets the worm."  It has nothing to do with birds or worms but is a means of expressing the idea that getting an early start on something produces success.  The funny thing about this old proverb (its origin dates back to the 1600s) though is that it is only ever looked at from the bird's perspective.  What about the perspective of the worm?

Could one not conclude that the statement is really all about safety?  Imagine an employee trying to "keep his head down" to prevent being singled out.  Or the soldier on a battlefield wanting to not venture out for fear of becoming a target.  The idiom, in this case, would refer to keeping safe by not exposing oneself to a threat.  

Certainly, the early bird gets the worm, but the late worm is much more likely to see tomorrow in whatever capacity you care to express.  Of course, it could be pointed out that such idioms, proverbs if you will, are designed to convey a particular idea and should not be looked at too critically.  

If you want to look at a list of common idioms, click here.  I think any of them could be used to express an alternate meaning if so desired, but they are popular because their base meaning is readily understood.  Still though, it could be fun to play with them.

If you should come across one that can be looked at from a different point of view, feel free to comment on this blog (below) or through Facebook.

Thanks for reading.

Eric Svendsen     www.ericspix.com