2006-09-11 10:57:27 · 5 answers · asked by john h 1 in Society & Culture ➔ Other - Society & Culture
you can check a horses age and general health by their teeth so what ever the seller says you need to go straight to the horses mouth. and dont look a gift horse in the mouth.
2006-09-11 10:59:37 · answer #1 · answered by gsschulte 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
As the phrase indicates a knowledge of accurate information that should not really be known I think it came from horse racing. When people placed bets & were asked where they got their tip from I expect that it was a standing joke to say "straight form the horses mouth".
2006-09-14 11:16:15 · answer #2 · answered by fozbert 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I guess it's from when you're buying a horse--you can look in the horse's mouth to see how old it is and what kind of condition it's in--like, what kind of diet it has. If a horse is "long in the tooth", then it's old--a horse's gums recede as it gets older.
A similar phrase is, "don't look a gift horse in the mouth"--if you're getting a horse as a gift, then if you look in its mouth, it's rude because you're looking in there to see its condition and age and everything.
2006-09-11 18:01:48 · answer #3 · answered by SlowClap 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The TV series ' Mister Ed '.
2006-09-11 17:59:10 · answer #4 · answered by vanamont7 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Ask Mr. Ed.
2006-09-11 17:59:53 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋