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
Leela-Indian, Hindi, Telugu, Kannada, Tamil, Malayalam
Abubakar-Western African
Edytha-English (Rare)
Antonietta-Italian
Katayun-Persian
ToŠETO-sheMacedonian