early [OE] The word early, like late, is from Old English, and is found in many idioms and proverbs. The early bird gets the worm is first recorded in 1636, and early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise goes as far back as 1496. Early doors, meaning early on in a game or contest, has become a cliché of sports reporting, but originally referred to admission to a music hall some time before the start of the performance, which was more expensive but gave you a wider choice of seating. The first record of its use is from 1883. The practice died out in the 1950s but the phrase was resurrected in footballing circles in the 1970s in its current sense, with the legendary English football manager Brian Clough (1935–2004) providing the first recorded example.