• 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 saying “to look a gift horse in the mouth” come from and What does it mean?

Where does the saying “to look a gift horse in the mouth” come from and What does it mean?

February 27, 2020 by Karen Hill

The expression or proverb “to look a gift horse in the mouth” is so old that its origin cannot be determined.

It has been traced to the writings of St. Jerome, one of the Latin Fathers of the fourth century, who then labeled it a common proverb.

The expression, or a variant proverb, occurs in French, Italian, Spanish, and other languages of Europe. The reference is, of course, to the bad manners displayed by one who receives a gift if he examines it for defects.

Up to a certain age, the age of a horse can be determined by looking at its teeth; though it may appear to be young and frisky, the number or condition of the teeth may show it to be almost fit for nothing but the glue-works.

Related Facts

  • What Does the Expression "Never Look a Gift Horse in the Mouth" Mean and How Did the Idiom Originate?
  • Where does the saying "blood, toil, tears, and sweat" come from and What does it mean?
  • What Does the Saying Started At Pudding and Ended At Pie Mean and Where Did the Expression Come From?
  • Where Does the Expression "To Beard the Lion In His Den" Come From and What Does the Saying Mean?
  • Where does the saying "not dry behind the ears" come from and What does it mean?
  • Where does the saying "to show the white feather" come from and What does it mean?

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 expression “Black Mario” come from and What does it mean?
Next Post: What does the expression “to take time by the forelock” mean and Where does it come from? »

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 © 2021 Zippy Facts

  • About Us
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy