• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer
Zippy Facts Logo

Zippy Facts

Interesting Random Facts

  • Animals
  • Culture
  • Firsts
  • Food
  • Geography
  • Health
  • History
  • Inventions
  • Language
  • Mythology
  • Odds
  • People
  • Religion
  • Science
  • Space
  • Universe
  • World
You are here: Home / Language / Where does the expression “casting pearls before swine” come from and What does it mean?

Where does the expression “casting pearls before swine” come from and What does it mean?

April 20, 2020 by Karen Hill

“Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you.”

That is the sixth verse of the seventh chapter of Matthew.

Of the passage John Wyclif wrote in 1380: “Dus (Thus) comaundeth crist bat men schullen not yeve (give) holy bingis to hondis (hounds) & putten precious perles to hoggis.”

That is, grandmother, don’t bequeath the most revered among your treasured antiques to a daughter or daughter-in-law who cares only for modernistic decor, and, granddad, no matter how generous your instincts, you are merely casting pearls before swine in giving your six-year-old grandson a set of ivory chessmen at Christmas, rather than lead Indians.

Related Facts

  • How Do You Tell Real Pearls From Imitation Pearls By Rubbing Them On Your Teeth?
  • How does a jewel thief know whether a string of pearls is real and worth stealing?
  • Where Does Ivory Come From?
  • Why Is The Ivory Coast The Richest Country in West Africa?
  • Top 25 Inventions That Changed the World
  • What was the European Age of Exploration?

Filed Under: Language

About Karen Hill

Karen Hill is a freelance writer, editor, and columnist. Born in New York, her work has appeared in the Examiner, Yahoo News, Buzzfeed, among others.

Previous Post: « Where does the phrase “snake in the grass” originate and What does snake in the grass mean?
Next Post: Where does the phrase “to toe the mark” come from and What does it mean? »

Footer

Follow

  • Facebook
  • Flickr
  • GitHub
  • Google+
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Medium
  • Pinterest
  • StumbleUpon
  • Tumblr
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Categories

Accomplishments Animals Culture Firsts Food Geography Health History Inventions Language Mythology Odds People Religion Science Space Universe World Your Body

About

Zippy Facts empowers the world by serving educational content that is accessible to everyone.

A tribute to growing up, zippyfacts.com showcases interesting and unusual facts about the world.

Our mission is to use technology to facilitate knowledge transfer and sharing.

Copyright © 2020 Zippy Facts

  • About Us
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy