1600s

The real worth or truth of something can only be judged by putting it to use or experiencing its results, not by appearances or promises. In modern usage the phrase is simply a call to look at results as the final test.

To exhaust yourself by doing too much, especially by staying up late and rising early, or by pushing your energy and resources beyond what can last.

To admit you were wrong and apologise, often after being proved wrong in a way that stings.

Accusing someone of a fault that you are guilty of yourself; hypocritical criticism in which the accuser shares the very flaw being condemned.

A light remark made when a person who has just been mentioned unexpectedly appears or gets in touch. It marks a coincidence with mock surprise, and no longer carries any serious sense of alarm.

To work or study late into the night.

Thirteen of something rather than twelve, the extra item given as a small measure of good faith or generosity.

To be at loggerheads is to be locked in a stubborn dispute, unable to reach agreement with the other side.

A rough, practical method or principle based on experience and approximation rather than exact measurement or strict theory.

To turn a blind eye is to deliberately ignore something you know to be wrong, pretending not to notice it.