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

Verb

cast pearls before swine

1. (idiomatic) To give things of value to those who will not understand or appreciate it.

Synonyms

• preach to deaf ears

Translations

cast pearls before swine

• Aramaic:

  Syriac: ܬܪܡܐ ܡܪܓܢܝܬܐ ܩܕܡ ܚܙܝܪܐ (tarme’ margānyātā’ qdām ħzīre’)

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 對牛彈琴 (cmn), 对牛弹琴 (cmn) (duìniútánqín) (literally, "to play the lute to cattle")

• Czech: házet perly sviním (cs)
• Danish: kaste perler for svin (da)
• Dutch: parels voor de zwijnen (nl)
• Finnish: heittää helmiä sikojen eteen (fi), helmiä sioille (fi)
• French: jeter des perles aux pourceaux (fr), donner de la confiture aux cochons (fr) (literally, “to give jam to pigs”)
• German: Perlen vor die Säue werfen (de)
• Icelandic: kasta perlum fyrir svín (is)

• Italian: gettare perle ai porci (it)
• Japanese: 豚に真珠 (ja) (ぶたにしんじゅ, buta-ni shinju), 猫に小判 (ja) (ねこにこばん, neko-ni koban) (literally, “gold coins to cats”)
• Latin: mittere margaritas ante porcos (la)
• Malay: kera diberi bunga (ms) (literally, "to give flowers to a monkey")
• Polish: rzucać perły przed wieprze (pl)
• Portuguese: dar pérolas a porcos (pt), jogar pérolas aos porcos (pt) (other verbs used: atirar, lançar)
• Russian: метать бисер перед свиньями (ru) (metát' bíser péred svín'jami)
• Serbo-Croatian: bacati bisere pred svinje (sh)
• Spanish: echar perlas a los cerdos (es), dar margaritas a los cerdos (es) (literally, "to give daisies to pigs"), echar margaritas a los cerdos (es) ("to throw daisies to pigs")
• Swedish: kasta pärlor för svin (sv), kasta pärlor för svinen (sv)

See also

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