Don't look a gift horse in the mouth

http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/dont-look-a-gift-horse-in-the-mouth.html

Meaning

Don't be ungrateful when you receive a gift.

Origin

This comes into the category of phrases called proverbs, that is, 'short and expressive sayings, in common use, which are recognized as conveying some accepted truth or useful advice'. The phrase is often expressed as 'never look a gift horse in the mouth'.

As horses age their teeth begin to project further forward each year and so their age can be estimated by checking how prominent the teeth are. This incidentally is also the source of another teeth/age related phrase - long in the tooth.

The advice given in the 'don't look...' proverb is: when given a present, be grateful for your good fortune and don't look for more by examining it to assess its value.

As with most proverbs the origin is ancient and unknown. We have some clues with this one however. The phrase was originally "don't look a given horse in the mouth" and first appears in print in 1546 in John Heywood's A dialogue conteinyng the nomber in effect of all the prouerbes in the Englishe tongue, where he gives it as:

"No man ought to looke a geuen hors in the mouth."

Heywood is an interesting character in the development of English. He was employed at the courts of Henry VIII and Mary I as a singer, musician, and playwright. His Proverbs is a comprehensive collection of those known at the time and includes many that are still with us:

- Many hands make light work.
- Rome wasn't built in a day.
- A good beginning makes a good ending.

and so on. These were expressed in the literary language of the day, as in "would yee both eat your cake, and have your cake?", but the modern versions are their obvious descendents.

We can't attribute these to Heywood himself, he collected them from the literary works of the day and from common parlance. He can certainly be given the credit for introducing many proverbs to a wide and continuing audience and that includes one that Shakespeare later borrowed - All's well that ends well.

See also - straight from the horse's mouth.

See other - phrases and sayings from Shakespeare.

See also: the List of Proverbs.

6 hours

It takes only 6 hours to read 80 pages of Newsweek magazine. For the last two evenings, I read Newsweek for about two hours each time at a nearby library and I am at page 60 now, this including all the word checking time using the iPhone. With two more hours today evening, I will be probably done with reading it all. Just investing 6 hours a week can make me feel less sorry.

Sister Mina's family in Korea

Sister Mina's family came to visit us in Korea. We watched the World Cup soccer match between Korea and Uruguay together at my home in Daegu. They'll depart for Japan on Friday as the last leg of their trip before going back to Michigan. I don't know how long it will be until I can see them again. Maybe when I get to go visit them in America. No one knows.

Regards,

Jongho Kim

The common touch

A politician needs the common touch. (출처:옥스포드 예문)

정치가는 서민적인 데가 있어야 한다.

1

Regards,

Jongho Kim

 

Exercise

Will start exercising from tomorrow morning at Gwangmyeong Gym.

Regards,
Jongho Kim

Daegu World Cup Stadium Park

It's good because it's green all around.

Saw Miss Saigon last night

It made me think musical can be interesting.

Regards,
Jongho Kim