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look a gift horse in the mouth
Idioms and Phrases
Be critical or suspicious of something received at no cost. For example, Dad's old car is full of dents, but we shouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth . This term, generally expressed as a cautionary proverb ( Don't look a gift horse in the mouth ), has been traced to the writings of the 4th-century cleric, St. Jerome, and has appeared in English since about 1500. It alludes to determining the age of a horse by looking at its teeth.Example Sentences
Trumble pointed to the famous expression "don't look a gift horse in the mouth" as proof that people have always suspected a connection between health and examining an animal's teeth.
鈥淵ou can鈥檛 look a gift horse in the mouth,鈥 said Morrow, a retired teacher.
But whatever the reason, best to not look a gift horse in the mouth.
鈥淗oney,鈥 Dad says, looking up from the movie we鈥檇 been watching with him on the couch, 鈥渄on鈥檛 look a gift horse in the mouth.鈥
Andrew defended the sale when it became public, telling the Telegraph newspaper: 鈥淚t鈥檚 not my business the second the price is paid. If that is the offer, I鈥檓 not going to look a gift horse in the mouth and suggest they have overpaid me.鈥
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Definitions and idiom definitions from 亚洲网紅露点 Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, 漏 Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage庐 Idioms Dictionary copyright 漏 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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