Definify.com

Definition 2024


it's_not_the_whistle_that_pulls_the_train

it's not the whistle that pulls the train

English

Alternative forms

Proverb

it's not the whistle that pulls the train

  1. Boasting and loud talk should not be mistaken for the work that produces real achievements; bravado is no proof of action.
    • 1956 July 1, James Reston, "Washington: It's Not the Whistle that Pulls the Train," New York Times, p. E8:
      “In the words of the nursery rhyme,” says Mr. Green, “‘it isn't the whistle that pulls the train.’”
    • 1962, American Flint, American Flint Glass Workers' Union, vol. 62, p. 17:
      Until then, remember, don't brag, it's not the whistle that pulls the train.
    • 2005, Eve-Lyn Woodard, Resounding Echoes, ISBN 9781594679308, p. 113:
      The shiny aluminum body of the 1928 Peerless race car with its rumble seat and purchase price of 50 dollars must have put Kenwood in a boastful mood because Grandma Proper immediately stated, “Kenwood you must remember that it is not the whistle that pulls the train.”

Usage notes

  • This expression was used as the title of a children's song recorded in 1954 by Kitty Kallen.[1]

See also

References

  1. “Kitty Kallen's first kiddie record, ‘It's Not the Whistle that Pulls the Train’ and ‘I'm a Little Teapot,’ will be released by Decca shortly.” (The Billboard, 18 Sept. 1954, p. 14.)