born with a silver spoon in (one's) mouth

Born into a wealthy family. We may both be wealthy now, but I was not born with a silver spoon in my mouth. I had nothing when I was young, and all of my fortune is down to my own hard work. Everyone who attends that university was born with a silver spoon in their mouth, so I just don't think it's the right place for me.

Fig. born into wealth and privilege. James doesn't know anything about working for a living; he was born with a silver spoon in his mouth. Most of the students at the exclusive private college were born with silver spoons in their mouths.

If you say that someone was born with a silver spoon in their mouth, you mean that their parents were very rich. He's wealthy now but he certainly wasn't born with a silver spoon in his mouth. Note: You can use silver-spoon before a noun to describe a person like this or their lifestyle. Hers was no silver-spoon upbringing. Note: You often use this expression to show disapproval. Note: This expression goes back to the 17th century. The reference is to babies from wealthy families being fed using silver spoons.

Financial and social advantages from family connections. It was traditional when a child was christened for the godparents to give a silver spoon as a gift or as soon afterwards as they could afford one (if they ever could). However, a child born into a wealthy family always received one at the ceremony. Such infants so privileged were said, often enviously, to have been “born with a silver spoon in their mouth,” and the image followed them throughout their lives.