cast pearls before swine

English

Etymology

From the Bible "Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you." – KJV, Matthew 7:6.

Pronunciation

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Verb

cast pearls before swine (third-person singular simple present casts pearls before swine, present participle casting pearls before swine, simple past and past participle cast pearls before swine)

1. (idiomatic) To give things of value to those who will not understand or appreciate them.
   • 1947, Tennessee Williams, A Streetcar Named Desire, Scene 10:

     Blanche: ...Physical beauty is passing. A transitory possession. But beauty of the mind and richness of the spirit and tenderness of the heart—and I have all of those things—aren't taken away, but grow! Increase with the years! How strange that I should be called a destitute woman! When I have all of these treasures locked in my heart. [A choked sob comes from her] I think of myself as a very, very rich woman! But I have been foolish—casting my pearls before swine!

Synonyms

• preach to deaf ears

Derived terms

• pearls before swine

Translations

to cast pearls before swine — see also pearls before swine

• Aramaic:

  Syriac: ^{(please verify)} ܬܪܡܐ ܡܪܓܢܝܬܐ ܩܕܡ ܚܙܝܪܐ (tarme’ margānyātā’ qdām ħzīre’)

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 明珠暗投 (zh) (míngzhūàntóu)

• Czech: házet perly sviním (cs)
• Danish: kaste perler for svin
• Dutch: parels voor de zwijnen, paarlen voor de zwijnen werpen
• Esperanto: ĵeti perlojn antaŭ la porkojn
• Finnish: heittää helmiä sioille
• French: jeter des perles aux pourceaux (fr), donner de la confiture à des cochons (fr) (literally “to give jam to pigs”)
• German: Perlen vor die Säue werfen (de)
• Greek: μαργαρίτας τοις κυσίν (margarítas tois kysín)
• Hebrew: נזם זהב באף חזיר (he) (nezem zahav be'af hazeer)
• Icelandic: kasta perlum fyrir svín
• Italian: gettare perle ai porci
• Japanese: 豚に真珠 (ja) (buta ni shinju), 猫に小判 (ja) (neko ni koban, literally “gold coins to cats”)
• Latin: mittere margaritas ante porcos
• Malay: kera diberi bunga (literally “to give flowers to a monkey”)
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: kaste perler for svin (no)

  Nynorsk: kaste perler for svin

• Polish: rzucać perły przed wieprze (pl)
• Portuguese: dar pérolas a porcos (pt), jogar pérolas aos porcos (pt) (other verbs used: atirar, lançar)
• Russian: мета́ть би́сер пе́ред сви́ньями (ru) (metátʹ bíser péred svínʹjami)
• Serbo-Croatian: bacati bisere pred svinje
• Spanish: echar perlas a los cerdos, dar margaritas a los cerdos (literally “to give daisies to pigs”), echar margaritas a los cerdos (literally “to throw daisies to pigs”), no se hizo la miel para la boca del asno, Dios da pan a quien no tiene dientes
• Swedish: kasta pärlor för svin (sv), kasta pärlor för svinen

See also

• caviar to the general
• talk over somebody's head