Don't look a gift horse in the mouth
Whether you're a student of etymology or you don't even know what that word means, tell us how you think this animal expression originated. We'll post the most accurate as well as the most inventive. Email your answer to when_pigs@discovery.com.
Comes from long ago when you bought a horse and the seller would tell you the age of the horse. You can tell how old a horse is by the grooves on its teeth.
—CRLampier
In Wisconsin, Marty Loham recieved a stubborn horse for his 42nd Birthday. One night the horse broke into the house, destroying most of his wife's valuables. The animal began chewing on something, so Marty stuck his head close to it's mouth to see what it was. The horse then bit Marty, causing him to lose a major chunk of skin from his nose. Now Marty travels across the country preaching to all 4-H studants everywhere: "Don't look a gift horse in the mouth."
Long ago in a far away land there lived a knight. His birthday was comming up and a friend decided to give him one of his best horses to commemorate the occasion. When the day arrived the knight accepted his gift, but instead of just saying thank you, he started to inspect the horse to make sure of it's quality. He ran his hands over the flanks and down the legs checking the horse's muscle tone. He then looked in the ears and the eyes to check for infection. As he started to open the mouth to check the horses teeth and gums, the horse reared up and knocked the knight to the ground breaking the knights leg. While in bed recovering from the unfortunate accident the knight thought about how rude he had been to inspect the gift of his friend in front of all who were presant at his party. A few days had passed and the knights friend came by to check up on him. The knight appologized and told his friend that he had learned his lesson — don't look a gift horse in the mouth.
—battygirlrachel
Comes from the Trojan horse legend.
—emaillst
