a stitch in time (saves nine)
proverb A prompt, decisive action taken now will prevent problems later. You should consider getting your car repaired now before you're left stranded on the side of the road—a stitch in time saves nine. I know it's a month away, but I already started preparing for the big dinner party. A stitch in time, you know. A: "I can't believe you always start your Christmas shopping over the summer." B: "You should try it—a stitch in time saves nine!"
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
stitch in time saves nine
Prov. If you fix a small problem right away, it will not become a bigger problem later. Let's patch the roof before that hole gets bigger. A stitch in time saves nine.
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
stitch in time saves nine, a
Solving a difficulty while it is small may save a great deal of trouble in the end. The analogy to mending a small rip versus sewing an entire new seam was a proverb by the eighteenth century, appearing in Thomas Fuller’s 1732 collection. It has been repeated dozens of times since; Ogden Nash played with it in the title of a verse collection, A Stitch Too Late Is My Fate (1938).
The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer Copyright © 2013 by Christine Ammer