young see also BETTER be an old man’s darling than a young man’s slave; whom the
GODS love die young; the GOOD die young; HANG a thief when he’s young, and he’ll no’
steal when he’s old; you cannot put an OLD head on young shoulders.
YOUTH must be served1829 P. EGAN Boxiana 2nd Ser. II. 60 Tom Cannon made his appearance in the
Prize Ring rather too late in life, under the idea that ‘Youth must be served’. 1900 A.
CONAN DOYLE Green Flag 125 There were..points in his favour. ..There was age—
twenty-three against forty. There was an old ring proverb that ‘Youth will be served’.
1941 G. HEYER Envious Casca iv. You’re just an old curmudgeon, and you’re upset
because you didn’t like young Roydon’s play. .. But, my dear chap, youth must be served!
2001 Washington Times 19 Aug. B1 And why wouldn’t your clone, poor thing, have just
as much claim to your constituent organs, if not more? (Youth will be served.)
opportunity; youthIf YOUTH knew, if age couldCf. H. ESTIENNE Les Premices (1594) 173 O si la ievnesse scavoit, O si la vieillesse
povvoit; often quoted in its modern French form si jeunesse savait; si vieillesse pouvait.
1611 R. COTGRAVE Dict. French & English s.v. jeunesse If youth knew what to
doe, and age could doe what it knowes, no man would ever be poore. 1922 J. JOYCE
Ulysses 30 I know, I know. If youth but knew. But what does Shakespeare say? 2002
Times 9 July 19 The old adage, ‘If youth knew, if age but could’, has been replaced by a
scenario in which youth doesn’t know, but age still can. old age; youthYule see a GREEN Yule makes a fat churchyard.