Home › Idioms

not look a gift horse in the mouth

Meaning: To find fault with a gift or to refuse a gift, usually because one is suspicious of the giver's motives.

Language: English

Literally: (Already vivid in English)

Category: Animals

Origin: Don't look a gift horse in the mouth is often used to tell someone that he is being overly suspicious of the giver's motives or overly critical of the gift. The expression originates from the practice of checking the age of a horse by inspecting its teeth. If a person received a horse as a gift and then checked its teeth to see how old it was, this would be seen by the giver as greedy and ungrateful.

More idioms — Animals

  • look like the cat that swallowed the canary — To have a knowing and self-satisfied smile on one's face; to be pleased with oneself, oft…
  • lucky dog — A lucky person.
  • monkey around — To play like a monkey, i.e., climb on or examine things with curiosity.
  • monkey business — Suspicious activity (sentence 1) or mischievous activity (sentence 2).
  • there's more than one way to skin a cat — There are different ways to accomplish the same thing; there are different possible solut…
  • pass the buck — To redirect the blame or responsibility for something (usually a decision) to someone els…

More English idioms

  • put the cart before the horse — To reverse the necessary or expected order of two things; to put a later step first.
  • sacred cow — An idea or thing that cannot be altered.
  • something to crow about — An exceptional accomplishment; an achievement that is worth bragging about.
  • take the bull by the horns — To take action in a difficult or unpleasant situation.
  • talk turkey — To talk seriously, usually about a business deal.
  • white elephant — An item that no one wants to buy or that is difficult to get rid of; a costly but useless…

← Back to Idioms

Loading the full interactive collection…