Cast pearls before swine
Suggest a CorrectionMeaning
Offer something valuable to people who cannot or will not appreciate it. Often sounds judgmental because it likens unappreciative people to swine. Use with care. Regional use: Biblical English; now widespread but literary.
Origin
The saying comes from Matthew 7:6. The late Middle English Wycliffe version tells readers not to cast their margarites before swine; margarites meant pearls. William Tyndale's 1526 New Testament supplied the familiar English noun pearls, so the biblical image has firm medieval English evidence while the exact modern wording is early Tudor. It is a metaphor about failed appreciation, not a claim about the worth of any social group.
Research Sources
Variants
- Throw pearls before swine
Usage Examples
- Explaining the rare binding to that careless buyer felt like casting pearls before swine.
- Do not cast pearls before swine by sharing the full research with people who will not read it.
- Opening the vintage bottle for guests who refused to taste it felt like casting pearls before swine.