slow

The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable | 2006 | 486 words | Copyright

slow slow and steady wins the race recorded from the mid 18th century, sometimes merged with the earlier slow but sure.
slow but sure proverbial saying, late 17th century; sure here means ‘sure-footed, deliberate’. Like the related slow and steady wins the race, likely to be used in reference to Aesop's fable of The Tortoise and the Hare, in which the slow and steady tortoise won its race with the swift-footed but easily distracted hare.

See also be slow off the mark.

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ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "slow." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

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ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "slow." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-slow.html

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