Why would you look a gift horse in the mouth?
Why would you look a gift horse in the mouth?
The idiom itself probably stems from the practice of determining a horse’s age from looking at its teeth. It would be rude to receive a horse for your birthday and immediately examine its mouth in front of the person who gave it to you, as if you were trying to figure out the value of your gift.
What does don’t look a gift horse in the mouth mean?
Don’t question the value of a gift. The proverb refers to the practice of evaluating the age of a horse by looking at its teeth. This practice is also the source of the expression “long in the tooth,” meaning old.
What does horses mouth mean?
If you hear something from the horse’s mouth, you hear it from someone who knows that it is definitely true. He has got to hear it from the horse’s mouth. Then he can make a judgment as to whether his policy is correct or not.
Is straight from the horse’s mouth offensive?
Is straight from the horse’s mouth offensive? Generally, this idiom is not offensive. It’s not truly comparing someone to a horse but is referencing a longer history in which horses played a role.
What is a Native American spirit horse?
The legend of Indian spirit horses is better remembered as the legend of the ghost wind stallions. The stories of spotted horses originating from the Pacific Northwest tribes are closely associated with key Native American personalities such as Soft Wind, George Long Grass And Howling Elk.
What does looking a gift horse in the mouth mean?
look a gift horse in the mouth. To show a lack of appreciation or gratitude when receiving a gift. A Latin version of the saying is found in the writings of St. Jerome and refers to the practice of looking at a horse’s teeth to determine its age.
What is the Gift Horse in the mouth?
7 Answers. Therefore, looking a gift horse in the mouth means you are critiquing the quality of the horse given to you. A modern example: receiving an iPod as a gift, and then complaining that it doesn’t have the memory capacity you wanted, or that you wanted a Zune, instead.
What is a gift horse?
gift horse(noun) a gift (usually of inferior quality) that should be accepted uncritically. “it wasn’t much, but don’t look a gift horse in the mouth”.
