Why fix it if it aint broke

The Internet has changed the way that new coinages spread and these days a datable record of a new phrase will be apparent within a day or two. Even in the days of newsprint, 50 years is hard to swallow. Here is an barchart of the hits that a search for 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it' finds in an very large archive of 20th century newspapers:. I would suggest that the notion and possibly a variant of the phrase may well have been around for some time before the s, but that the present-day wording of the phrase began then.

George Bernard Shaw's 'two countries divided by a common language' comes into play here. The phrase has to be American. In England things don't get broke, they get broken. Edit Profile. Sign Out View Profile. Over 2 million developers have joined DZone.

Like 1. Join the DZone community and get the full member experience. Join For Free. Thinking about it though, there is a fair bit of wisdom in the saying. Researching its origins turns up a surprisingly recent to me anyway provenance. Apparently one T. Accessed 11 Nov. Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Log in Sign Up. Save Word. Definition of if it ain't broke, don't fix it. Learn More About if it ain't broke, don't fix it. Share if it ain't broke, don't fix it Post the Definition of if it ain't broke, don't fix it to Facebook Share the Definition of if it ain't broke, don't fix it on Twitter. Dictionary Entries Near if it ain't broke, don't fix it if it's the last thing someone ever does if it ain't broke, don't fix it if it comes to that See More Nearby Entries.