Never look a gift horse in the mouth?

Question

Where on earth did this expression come from? Its such a bizarre thing to say but used so often. I would love to know its origins if anyone has any ideas

Answer 1

In olden times, it was a way of saying don't inspect the teeth of a horse (the olden time way to do a quick check of a horse's health and age) when someone has given it to you as a gift. That would bespeak ingratitude of a sort.

Answer 2

What is this olden and old days stuff about horses given by those answering.

It was and still is one of the first things you do when looking for a horse to buy. Check the teeth and jaw to determine near the age and how the horse has been handled. The teeth wear as the horse eats and the older the horse the more wear. Also many times you can tell what kind of bit has been used on the horse. A heavy curved bit indicates the horse either was a lot stubborn or the handler was very ignorant. A straight bit would indicate that the horse obeyed com ands well and did not need to be forced. the mouth will show marks in many cases of what bit was used. Straight bits leave no marks.

If you are given a horse then do not look at its mouth because it was a gift and not one you bought.

If someone gives you something freely with no strings attached then do not condemn or run down the gift and accept it as it is.

Answer 3

It comes either from the old west or from the world of horse-racing.
In the old west, the purchaser of a horse would check its teeth to see if they were rotten. If they were then the horse was no good. So if you were given a horse as a gift and you checked the teeth, you were very overtly implying that the giver was giving you a horse that was no good or that you thought the giver was the kind of person who would do that.
In the world horse-racing, horses are tatooed (like cows are branded) under their upper lip. So looking a horse in the mouth means you're checking its tatoo to see if it's been stolen. Again, by checking a horse given as a gift in the mouth, you're overtly implying that the horse is stolen or that the giver is the kind of person who would do that.

Answer 4

In olden days till now, the age of a horse is known by counting the number of teeth in it's mouth. So it is said that one must not look a gift horse in it's mouth.

Answer 5

I believe (and I could be wrong) that it came from a fable concerning a farmer who was given a horse as a wedding gift. The horse was wonderful and worked hard until one day he looked into its mouth and say how awful and rotted the teeth were. The horse had to be put down. All was fine till he looked in its mouth......(again I had heard this as a kid and I could be way off)

Answer 6

It is a common practice when buying a horse to check it's teeth. You can accurately determine a horse's age this way. To look a "gift" horse, or a horse being given to you, would be considered rude. Kinda like getting a diamond ring and having it appraised before you accept it.
Contrary to the above answers, checking a horse's teeth is NOT an ancient by-gone practice, it still the best way to determine a horse's age and general health.

Answer 7

Here ya go:
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Today's Idiom = "Looking A Gift Horse In The Mouth"
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You are looking a gift horse in the mouth when you receive a gift and then you question the value of that gift. Example: "This shirt you gave me is not my favorite brand." Reply: "Don't look a gift horse in the mouth! That was the best they had."

You are like a person who has been given a horse as a gift (a gift-horse) and you are looking into the horse's mouth to see if it is in good health. Example: "Here is your drink." Reply: "Oh, I hate this kind." Answer: "Don't look a gift horse in the mouth."

You should be thankful when you receive a gift, and not wish for something better. Don't look a gift horse in the mouth means don't measure the value of something that you have received for free. Example: "Great interception!" Reply: "Yes, but I almost scored a touchdown." Reply: "Don't look a gift horse in the mouth."

Answer 8

In times gone by, it was common for rich people to give horses as gifts. As it was a gift, it would have been rude to ask or find out it's age which can only accurately be done by counting it's teeth.

Answer 9

It's a idiom ... the meaning of that saying is ... you should be thankful when you receive a gift, and not wish for something better. "Don't look a gift horse in the mouth" means don't measure the value of something that you have received for free.

Answer 10

Children grow and the women produce'
And the men go work'
And some go stealin'
Everyone's got to make a living"

Rap Verse 1
L.O.X...yeah
J.Lo...yeah
Geah, geah, yo, yo..
We off the block this year
Went from a low to a lot this year
Everybody mad at the rocks that I wear
I know where I'm goin' and I know where I'm from, you hear..
LOX in the air..
Geah, we're at the airport out Dblock
From the block where everybody air-forced-out
With a new white T.U.fresh
Nothin' phony with us
Make the money, get the mansion, bring the homies with us

Chorus & Part 1
Don't be fooled
By the rocks that I got
I'm still (I'm still)
Jenny from the block
Used to have a little (Now I Have a lot)
No matter where I go (I know where I came from)
(Jenny from the Bronx)

Part 1
Don't be fooled by the rocks that I got
I'm still (I'm still)
Jenny from the block
Used to have a little (Now I Have a lot)
No matter where I go (I know where I came from)
(Jenny from the Bronx)

Verse 1