better an egg today than a hen tomorrow en · X
Etymology
Calque of Latin ad praesens ova cras pullis sunt meliora, from Gargantua and Pantagruel by Rabelais.
Meanings
- It is better to have a sure thing now than a possibility of more later.
Relateds
sell one's birthright for a mess of pottage
Synonyms
take the cash and let the credit go · a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush