ProverbWisdomEnglish 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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