ProverbHuman Nature
French origin
French originFaute de grives, on mange des merles
Meaning: When you can't have what you want, you make do with what's available.
Literally: For lack of thrushes, one eats blackbirds
Example: “Il n'y avait plus de places pour le concert, alors on est allés au cinéma. Faute de grives, on mange des merles.” — The concert was sold out, so we went to the movies: beggars can't be choosers.
Equivalents in English, Spanish, German, Portuguese, Russian, and 3 more languages
English: Beggars can't be choosers
Spanish: A caballo regalado no se le mira el diente (literally: Don't look at the teeth of a gifted horse)
German: In der Not frisst der Teufel Fliegen (literally: In times of need, the devil eats flies)
Portuguese: Quem não tem cão caça com gato (literally: Whoever has no dog hunts with a cat)
Russian: Не до жиру, быть бы живу (Ne do zhiru, byt' by zhivu) (literally: Never mind fat, as long as we stay alive)
Polish: Na bezrybiu i rak ryba (literally: When there are no fish, a crayfish is a fish)
Chinese: 饥不择食 (Jī bù zé shí) (literally: The hungry don't pick their food)
Turkish: Dilenciye hıyar vermişler de eğri diye beğenmemiş (literally: They gave the beggar a cucumber and he turned it down for being crooked)
Origin: Thrushes were a prized delicacy on French tables; the blackbird, a close cousin, was the second choice.
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