pearl of wisdom

English

Pronunciation

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Noun

pearl of wisdom (plural pearls of wisdom)

1. (idiomatic, often sarcastic) A succinct, insightful saying, piece of advice, or moral precept.
   • 1908, W. Somerset Maugham, chapter 3, in The Magician:

     "I am desolated to lose the pearls of wisdom that habitually fall from your cultivated lips," returned Haddo.

   • 2008 June 8, Ivan Speck, “Meet Raymond Domenech, the maddest coach at Euro 2008”, in Daily Mail Online, UK, retrieved 23 June 2008:

     How about this pearl of wisdom after France lost to Scotland again, this time in Paris? He said: "You always lose when your opponents score and you don't."

Usage notes

• Often used in the plural form.

Translations

succinct, insightful saying, piece of advice, or moral precept

• Danish: perle af visdom
• Dutch: parel van wijsheid f
• French: perle de sagesse, sage parole f
• German: Perle der Weisheit f
• Icelandic: gullkorn n
• Italian: perla di saggezza f
• Polish: perły mądrości
• Portuguese: pérola de sabedoria f
• Spanish: perla de sabiduría f
• Swedish: pärla av visdom

See also

• aphorism
• tip