
ProverbMorality
English origin
Many a good cow hath had a bad calf.
Meaning: Good parentage cannot guarantee virtuous offspring; heredity alone does not determine character.
Origin: Recorded in A Dictionary of English Proverbs and Proverbial Phrases, an undated collection published in London by Whittaker & Co. around 1880 and credited to Thomas Preston. Its earlier history hasn't been traced.
Explore another collection: Idioms
Colorful expressions from dozens of languages, with their word-for-word translations.
- go overboard To exceed reasonable limits; to do something to an excessive, unrestrained, or reckless d…
- straight from the horse's mouth Information received directly from the original source, without intermediaries.
- thin the herd To reduce the size of a group by removing members, typically the weakest or least product…
Keep exploring