you can't make a silk purse (out) of a sow's ear

proverb You cannot fashion something beautiful or valuable out of poor materials. What do you want me to do with this tacky fabric? You can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear!

You cannot make a silk purse out of a sow's ear.

Prov. You cannot make someone more refined than he or she is by nature. I've given up trying to get my cousin to appreciate classical music. You can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear.

See also: cannot, ear, make, of, out, purse, silk

McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.

you can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear

If you say you can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear, you mean that it is impossible to make something very successful or of high quality out of something which is unsuccessful or of poor quality. He did his best to coach the team but you can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear. Note: People often vary this expression. It takes more than a good swimming pool and an indoor tennis court or two to make a sow's ear of a resort into a silk purse. Afterwards, Kendall made no attempt to describe this sow's ear as a silk purse. Note: A sow is a female pig, and the ears of a pig are regarded as the least useful body parts when the animal is slaughtered.

See also: ear, make, of, out, purse, silk

Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed.

you can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear

You cannot turn something inferior or bad into something of value. This proverbial warning was issued in various forms from the sixteenth century on. It clearly had no literal basis; indeed, the absurdity of trying to turn pig’s ears into silk (or velvet or satin, as some variants have it) no doubt helped the saying survive.

See also: ear, make, of, out, purse, silk

The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer

See also:

teach a man to fish
it takes a village
village
best-laid plans go astray, the
the best-laid plans
the best-laid plans go astray
the best-laid plans of mice and men
a little knowledge is a dangerous thing
a little learning is a dangerous thing
appearances can be deceiving

词组	you can't make a silk purse (out) of a sow's ear
释义	you can't make a silk purse (out) of a sow's ear you can't make a silk purse (out) of a sow's ear proverb You cannot fashion something beautiful or valuable out of poor materials. What do you want me to do with this tacky fabric? You can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear! See also: ear, make, of, purse, silk Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. You cannot make a silk purse out of a sow's ear. Prov. You cannot make someone more refined than he or she is by nature. I've given up trying to get my cousin to appreciate classical music. You can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear. See also: cannot, ear, make, of, out, purse, silk McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. you can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear If you say you can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear, you mean that it is impossible to make something very successful or of high quality out of something which is unsuccessful or of poor quality. He did his best to coach the team but you can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear. Note: People often vary this expression. It takes more than a good swimming pool and an indoor tennis court or two to make a sow's ear of a resort into a silk purse. Afterwards, Kendall made no attempt to describe this sow's ear as a silk purse. Note: A sow is a female pig, and the ears of a pig are regarded as the least useful body parts when the animal is slaughtered. See also: ear, make, of, out, purse, silk Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed. you can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear You cannot turn something inferior or bad into something of value. This proverbial warning was issued in various forms from the sixteenth century on. It clearly had no literal basis; indeed, the absurdity of trying to turn pig’s ears into silk (or velvet or satin, as some variants have it) no doubt helped the saying survive. See also: ear, make, of, out, purse, silk The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer See also: teach a man to fish it takes a village village best-laid plans go astray, the the best-laid plans the best-laid plans go astray the best-laid plans of mice and men a little knowledge is a dangerous thing a little learning is a dangerous thing appearances can be deceiving
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