I noticed the guitar wasn't made of real wood, but I didn't say anything because you shouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth.
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Merriam-Webster unabridgedDon’t look a gift horse in the mouth is a proverb, which is a well-known saying that expresses a universally accepted truth. We will explore the meaning of the proverb Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth, its origins and some examples of its use in sentences.
Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth is an admonishment to be grateful when receiving a present and not to find fault with that present. A horse’s teeth change as it ages, and looking in its mouth is a good way to judge the health and value of a horse. To question the value of a gift is an insult. The oldest example of this proverb in English dates back to the mid-1500s, where the equine in question is called a given horse. However, St. Jerome sent a Letter to the Ephesians in the year 400, with the admonishment “Noli equi dentes inspicere donati” which translates as “Never inspect the teeth of a given horse”. It is astonishing to consider how old this proverb truly is.
Examples
“We didn’t look a gift horse in the mouth, we took what was offered for free,” John Marini, the city’s corporation counsel, said. [The Valley Independent Sentinel]
“Like they say, don’t look a gift horse in the mouth,” Lucas said in a phone interview Thursday. [The Rockdale Citizen]
Never look a gift horse in the mouth says Taunton Fire Chief Timothy Bradshaw – especially when it provides free money to pay the salaries of seven new firefighters over the course of two years. [The Taunton Gazette]
Containing some of the most outrageous rhymes linked to the names of Shakespeare’s plays this is, as it has always been throughout the years, a real show stopper and Joseph and John were certainly not going to look such a gift horse in the mouth. [The Bristol Post]
Meaning of never look a gift horse in the mouth in English never look a gift horse in the mouth
idiom sayingsaid to advise someone not to refuse something good that is being offered
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[Definition of never look a gift horse in the mouth from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press]
Learn the words you need to communicate with confidence.Translations of never look a gift horse in the mouth
in Chinese [Traditional]
不要拒絕別人的好意。…
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in Chinese [Simplified]
不要拒绝别人的好意。…
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What does it mean when you say don t look a gift horse in the mouth?
idiom. : to look in a critical way at something that has been given to one. I noticed the guitar wasn't made of real wood, but I didn't say anything because you shouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth.Where does the phrase looking a gift horse in the mouth come from?
The phrase, “don't look a gift horse in the mouth” originates in St. Jerome's commentary [400 AD] on Paul's letter to the Ephesians. In Latin the proverb is “Noli equi dentes inspicere donati” [never inspect the teeth of a given horse].