Make a silk purse out of a sow's ear
Suggest a CorrectionMeaning
To turn something rough into fine, often against the odds.
Origin
From 16th-century England, tied to proverbs; 'no silk from sow' by 1550s in a play for can't. A 1670s Butler poem flips it.
Usage Examples
- He made a silk purse out of a sow's ear; fixed it!
- Silk purse from a sow's ear; she's class now.
- Making a silk purse out of a sow's ear-tough!
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