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Glite Dictionary
waste not, want not

waste not, want not

1 6.5
Use things carefully so you do not run out later
  • idiom
translation icon : quien no desperdicia, no carece
  • The company adopted a waste not, want not approach to reduce expenses and conserve resources.

Examples

  • If you live by the principle of waste not, want not, you'll rarely find yourself in need.

  • Don't waste not, want not!

  • My grandmother always reminded us, waste not, want not, every time we finished a meal.

  • Remember, waste not, want not!

  • My grandmother always said, 'If you waste not, want not,' when teaching us to save leftovers.

  • The families in our community illustrate the saying 'waste not, want not' by using every part of their harvest.

  • Adopting the mindset of 'waste not, want not' can help you save money and resources throughout the year.

Surface Forms

waste not, want not main

Morphology

waste + not, + want + not

The proverb's meaning ('if you do not waste, you will not be in need') is directly and compositionally derived from the constituent words 'waste', 'not', and 'want' — the negative correlate is explicit. Although the archaic inverted form ('waste not, want not') omits function words, a B1 learner who knows the constituents can readily infer the conditional relationship, so it is transparent.

Etymology

The old saying waste not, want not gives a simple picture: if you do not waste things, you will not want. In other words, careful use today means you will 'not be in need' later.