I believe I'm saying this old saying correctly. I always hear people using this old saying and I still haven't learned the meaning of it?
2007-06-19 01:47:09 · 8 answers · asked by Big Sam D 4 in Education & Reference ➔ Words & Wordplay
If you were to buy a horse, one of the things you do to check if it's OK is to look at its teeth--to see if they are in good condition and to see the age and health of the horse. If you were to be lucky enough to be given a horse, it would be very bad form to look at its teeth to see if it was ok. You would assume it was sound. So, metaphorically, if some wonderful piece of good fortune ' a gift horse' were to come your way, don't ruin it by looking for flaws, looking it in the mouth.
2007-06-19 01:57:47 · answer #1 · answered by darestobelieve 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋
With horses people would look into the mouth to see if it was healthy. If you're getting a horse for free, (as a gift) then you would just accept it and not worry about it, I mean, it's free, right? It means that if you get something for nothing, you shouldn't ask why it's not as good as it could be. Or if your boss is away from work for the day, don't ask "why?".
2007-06-19 01:56:28 · answer #2 · answered by FlowerChild 5 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Horses were often judged by their teeth. An older horse would have bad teeth. Horse dentists weren't common in the old west. Horse toothpaste was practically unheard of. And nobody ever mentioned horse tooth floss.
To look a gift horse in the mouth would mean that you were critically examining a gift.
2007-06-19 01:54:43 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋
When buying horses, people would look at the teeth to see if it was a good healthy horse. When you get a gift, you don't check it out, you just take it and say thank you...then check it out later. :)
2007-06-19 01:53:06 · answer #4 · answered by Mathlady 6 · 2⤊ 1⤋
'Don't look a gift horse in the mouth' means to accept what you have been given, and to be grateful for it.
2007-06-19 01:53:42 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 1⤋
Yeah that's right buddy!
When someone is kind enough to offer you something for free (i.e. a gift), accept it without question!
2007-06-19 02:53:58 · answer #6 · answered by Lolita 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
When someone gives you a gift, accept it graciously. Don't expect it to be perfect, but accept it in the spirit in which it was given.
2007-06-19 01:51:07 · answer #7 · answered by Elaine P...is for Poetry 7 · 2⤊ 1⤋
It means if you get something for free be greatful.
2007-06-19 01:58:51 · answer #8 · answered by dymond 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋