
ProverbWisdom
English origin
Rub your sore eye with your elbow.
Meaning: Attempting the impossible wastes effort; some problems lack practical solutions.
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.
Equivalents in Spanish
Spanish: El ojo, límpialo con el codo (literally: The eye, wipe it with your elbow)
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