you can't make a silk purse

См. также в других словарях:

• you can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear — you cannot improve the quality of junk; cannot make gold from iron    When Hal put a Mercedes star on his Ford, I said, You can t make a silk purse out of a sow s ear …   English idioms

• you can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear — If something isn t very good to start with, you can t do much to improve it …   The small dictionary of idiomes

• you can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear — ► you can t make a silk purse out of a sow s ear proverb you can t create a fine product from inferior materials. Main Entry: ↑sow …   English terms dictionary

• you can’t make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear — 1518 A. BARCLAY Eclogues (EETS) v. 360 None can..make goodly silke of a gotes flece. 1579 S. GOSSON Ephemerides of Phialo 62v Seekinge..too make a silke purse of a Sowes eare, that when it shoulde close, will not come togeather. 1672 W. WALKER… …   Proverbs new dictionary

• You can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear. — old fashioned something that you say which means you cannot make a good quality product using bad quality materials. To make chairs that ll last you need good strong pieces of wood. You can t make a silk purse out of a sow s ear …   New idioms dictionary

• You can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear —   If something isn t very good to start with, you can t do much to improve it …   Dictionary of English idioms

• make a silk purse... — See you can t make a silk purse out of a sow s ear …   English idioms

• make — see make hay while the sun shines as you make your bed, so you must lie upon it you cannot make bricks without straw clothes make the man make haste slowly if you don’t make mistakes you don’t make anything …   Proverbs new dictionary

• silk — see you can’t make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear an ape’s an ape, a varlet’s a varlet, though they be clad in silk or scarlet …   Proverbs new dictionary

• purse — see you can’t make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear …   Proverbs new dictionary

• make — make1 W1S1 [meık] v past tense and past participle made [meıd] ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ 1¦(produce)¦ 2¦(do)¦ 3¦(cook)¦ 4¦(cause)¦ 5¦(force)¦ 6¦(mark/hole etc)¦ 7 make it 8 make the meeting/the party/Tuesday etc 9¦(achieve something)¦ …   Dictionary of contemporary English