Idiom meaning, usage examples, facts
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LOOK A GIFT HORSE IN THE MOUTH, NOT
to find fault with a gift or to refuse a gift, usually because one is suspicious of the giver’s motives
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1. You are too suspicious of Greg’s motives. If I were you, I would accept his gift graciously. Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth.
2. Johanna said that she appreciated their thoughtfulness in giving her a new car, and that she didn’t want to look a gift horse in the mouth, but she really would prefer a model with a few more extra features like air-conditioning and a CD player. Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth is often used to tell someone that he is being overly suspicious of the giver’s motives or overly critical of the gift. The expression originates from the practice of checking the age of a horse by inspecting its teeth. If a person received a horse as a gift and then checked its teeth to see how old it was, this would be seen by the giver as greedy and ungrateful. |
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