it's a cracked pitcher that goes oftenest to the well
Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.
Meaning · English
Those with most experience or most in need often take the most risks
Literally: a damaged pitcher frequently goes to the well
Examples
It's a cracked pitcher that goes oftenest to the well, which is why he's always getting into debt
AI-drafted example auto-approved by rule (illustrative, not a corpus attestation)
Sources & notes
Listed on English Wikiquote “English proverbs” (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-31). Definition drafted by AI (@cf/meta/llama-3.3-70b-instruct-fp8-fast) and auto-approved by rule on 2026-07-31; pending editor spot-check.
Common questions
What does “it's a cracked pitcher that goes oftenest to the well” mean?
Those with most experience or most in need often take the most risks Literally: a damaged pitcher frequently goes to the well
Is “it's a cracked pitcher that goes oftenest to the well” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.