1
general::
Phrase(s): The early bird catches the worm.
Prov. If you wake up and get to work early, you will succeed. (Sometimes used to remark that someone is awake and working surprisingly early, as in the first example.) • Fred: What are you doing in the office at 7:30 a.m.? Jane: The early bird catches the worm. • I didn’t expect to see you studying at the library at this hour of the morning. The early bird catches the worm, huh?
McGrawhill's American Idioms And Phrasal Verbs
2
general::
Also, early bird gets the worm. One who arrives first has the best chance for success, as in She's always the first one in line and does well at these auctions? the early bird catches the worm! This proverbial saying, first recorded in English in 1605, is so familiar that it is often shortened to early bird, a term Also used in the sense of "early riser", as in You can call me at seven? I'm an early bird, as well as "early diner" (This restaurant has early-bird specials at lower prices).
American Heritage Idioms