If there is one day of the week that we enjoy more than the other six, today never seems to be that day.
The proverb is a quotation from Through the Looking-Glass by Lewis Carroll. The White Queen wants Alice to be her lady’s-maid and offers her two pence a week and jam every other day.
Alice couldn’t help laughing, as she said ‘I don’t want you to hire me – and I don’t care for jam.’
‘It’s very good jam,’ said the Queen.
‘Well, I don’t want any today, at any rate.’
‘You couldn’t have it if you did want it,’ the Queen said. ‘The rule is, jam tomorrow and am yesterday – but never jam today.’
‘It must come sometimes to “jam today”,’ Alice objected.
‘No, it can’t,’ said the Queen. ‘It’s jam every other day: today isn’t any other day, you know.’