Dictionary

make a silk purse of a sow's ear en · VERB

Etymology

Coined by Stephen Gosson in 1579 in the book The Ephemerides of Phialo: Deuided Into Three Bookes p62v

Meanings

1. (idiomatic) To produce something refined, admirable, or valuable from something which is unrefined, unpleasant, or of little or no value.
   • PR people can make a silk purse of a sow's ear. 1997 May 23, Joanna Biddolph, “Mandelson has become PR’s new role model”, in PRWeek, UK, retrieved 16 Dec 2009:
   • A smart development can make a silk purse of a sow's ear, and the effect on older properties can be quite dramatic. 2001 January 6, Penny Jackson, “House & Home: On your marks. Get set. Sell!”, in Independent, UK, retrieved 16 Dec 2009:
   • "He always was an unmannerly cub," said Master Headley, as he read the letter. "Well, I've done my best to make a silk purse of a sow's ear!" 1884, Charlotte M. Yonge, chapter 22, in The Armourer's Prentices:

Forms

Relateds

polish a turd · put lipstick on a pig

Translations (8)

es aunque la mona se vista de seda, mona se queda (to produce something refined, from something which is unrefined) · ru сде́лать из дерьма́ конфе́тку (to produce something refined, from something which is unrefined) · de aus Scheiße Geld machen (to produce something refined, from something which is unrefined) · it cavare sangue da una rapa (to produce something refined, from something which is unrefined) · it cavar sangue da una rapa (to produce something refined, from something which is unrefined) · fi tehdä jotain hyödyllistä (to produce something refined, from something which is unrefined) · pl z gówna bata nie ukręcisz (to produce something refined, from something which is unrefined) · cmn 化腐朽為神奇 /化腐朽为神奇 (to produce something refined, from something which is unrefined)

wikipedia: Stephen Gosson