can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear



can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear

Be unable to turn something ugly or inferior into something attractive or of value, as in No matter how expensive his clothes, he still looks sloppy-you can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear . This expression was already a proverb in the mid-1500s.
See also: ear, make, of, out, purse, silk

Common Names:

NameGenderPronouncedUsage
Chanel[ʃa:'nel]
Sophus-Ancient Greek (Latinized)
ValentÍNbah-len-TEEN (Spanish)Spanish, Slovak
Esaias-Biblical Greek, Biblical Latin
Young-Giyung-geeKorean
Nyah-Eastern African, Swahili