you can take the boy out of the country, but you can't take the country out of the boy
Meaning: People keep the habits and character of where they grew up.
Language: English
Literally: (Already vivid in English)
Example: “He lives in a Manhattan penthouse but still wakes at five to feed nonexistent chickens. You can take the boy out of the country, but you can't take the country out of the boy.”
Category: Daily Life
Origin: An American saying of the 20th century, now used with endless substitutions ("the girl out of Brooklyn" and so on). Its first use has not been traced.
Equivalents in other languages
- French: La caque sent toujours le hareng — literally: The barrel always smells of herring
More idioms — Daily Life
- go to Canossa — To humble oneself and submit to an opponent.
- a captain of industry — A powerful business leader who runs a major company.
- the bigger they are, the harder they fall — The more powerful someone is, the worse their downfall.
- a day late and a dollar short — Too late and not enough to be useful.
- a whipping boy — Someone who is blamed or punished for the faults of others.
- the life of the party — A lively, fun person who makes a gathering enjoyable.
More English idioms
- kick against the pricks — To resist authority or fate in a way that only hurts oneself.
- hell for leather — As fast as possible.
- buy a pig in a poke — To buy something without examining it first.
- not a soul — Absolutely nobody.
- a Trojan horse — Something that seems harmless but hides a threat inside.
- the dogs bark, but the caravan moves on — Let critics complain; one carries on regardless.
From our proverbs
- A small pack suits a small pedlar. — Limited resources naturally fit those with modest circumstances or ambitions.
- Let every pedlar carry his own pack. — Everyone should bear responsibility for their own burdens rather than expecting others to…
- Pen and ink are a wit's plough. — Writing tools transform intellectual potential into tangible ideas, making thought produc…