Horn
2nd June 2013, 10:07 AM
As most proverbs are, many are really unsure about the origins of "Don't look a gift horse in the mouth", but there are many reasonable guesses as to how to this proverb became popular. One such story is that in 400 A.D. St. Jerome was the first to utter the phrase, "Don't look a gift horse in the mouth." A common proverb nowadays, "Don't look a gift horse in the mouth" has a long history and deep roots. Because St. Jerome never asked to be paid for his writings, he responded to critics by saying, "Don't look a gift horse in the mouth."
Others say that "Don't look a gift horse in the mouth" can only be traced back to the first time it was written. This was only in 1546 in John Heywood's A dialogue conteinying the number ineffect of all the prouerbes in the Englishe tongue. In this book, the phrase was written as, "No man ought to looke a geuen hors in the mouth." Of course, the phrase as been translated into modern English and is now said as, "Don't look a gift horse in the mouth." In fact, John Heywood first wrote down many other common expressions of today in this book, but many of the proverbs are not attributed to him because it is thought he just pulled them from common language of the day.
The actual phrase, "Don't look a gift horse in the mouth" has roots in the way that a horse's value is determined. A horse's age can be found by checking the prominence of their teeth, and a horse's value is based on their age. When you're saying this phrase, you're condemning the act of judging a gift of a horse by the horse's age.
Ultimately, the proverb, "Don't look a gift horse in the mouth" means that you should appreciate a gift that has thought and feeling behind it - don't judge a gift by the value of the item or the money put into it. If you're given a cheap gift that someone put a lot of thought and work into, you should be just as appreciative as if the person gave you a $5,000 diamond ring. Remember - it's the thought that counts!
Source: http://voices.yahoo.com/meaning-origin-dont-look-gift-horse-the-5439541.html
Others say that "Don't look a gift horse in the mouth" can only be traced back to the first time it was written. This was only in 1546 in John Heywood's A dialogue conteinying the number ineffect of all the prouerbes in the Englishe tongue. In this book, the phrase was written as, "No man ought to looke a geuen hors in the mouth." Of course, the phrase as been translated into modern English and is now said as, "Don't look a gift horse in the mouth." In fact, John Heywood first wrote down many other common expressions of today in this book, but many of the proverbs are not attributed to him because it is thought he just pulled them from common language of the day.
The actual phrase, "Don't look a gift horse in the mouth" has roots in the way that a horse's value is determined. A horse's age can be found by checking the prominence of their teeth, and a horse's value is based on their age. When you're saying this phrase, you're condemning the act of judging a gift of a horse by the horse's age.
Ultimately, the proverb, "Don't look a gift horse in the mouth" means that you should appreciate a gift that has thought and feeling behind it - don't judge a gift by the value of the item or the money put into it. If you're given a cheap gift that someone put a lot of thought and work into, you should be just as appreciative as if the person gave you a $5,000 diamond ring. Remember - it's the thought that counts!
Source: http://voices.yahoo.com/meaning-origin-dont-look-gift-horse-the-5439541.html