early bird catches the worm

Idioms  

1. Also, early bird gets the worm. One who arrives first has the best chance for success, as in She's always the first one in line and does well at these auctions—the early bird catches the worm! This proverbial saying, first recorded in English in 1605, is so familiar that it is often shortened to early bird, a term also used in the sense of “early riser”, as in You can call me at seven—I'm an early bird, as well as “early diner” (This restaurant has early-bird specials at lower prices).

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Example Sentences

In the Florida case, which happened May 27, the 911 dispatcher told Burton to ask Weimann to smile, raise both arms in front of him and repeat the phrase, "the early bird catches the worm."

From Fox News • Sep. 24, 2021

Hoping to prove that the early bird catches the worm, he did so all the way back in July 2017.

From The Guardian • Jan. 13, 2019

Always remember that the early bird catches the worm.

From Time Magazine Archive

When I was late for school, my mother liked to say the early bird catches the worm.

From Time Magazine Archive

Another of these nature proverbs, and one which has exasperated many a late riser, is, "The early bird catches the worm."

From Stories That Words Tell Us by O'Neill, Elizabeth (Elizabeth Speakman)