Wanted man puts on fake glasses, nose and mustache so as not to be recognized by a pursuing cop and it works. A presentation of the Just For Laughs Gags. The funny hidden camera pranks show for the whole family. Juste pour rire les gags, l’émission de caméra caché la plus comique de la télé!
To offer something valuable or good to someone who does not know its value:
I’m afraid you’re casting pearls before swine with your good advice – he won’t listen.
Cambridge Dictionary
Page Description
Discover ‘Cast Pearls Before Swine,’ a page that explores the meaning and implications of offering something valuable to those who may not appreciate it.
Cast Pearls Before Swine
English
Dutch
English
The phrase “casting pearls before swine” indeed captures a powerful concept about the nature of human interaction and the subjective value we place on things. It’s a cautionary tale about recognizing who is truly receptive to what we have to offer—be it wisdom, kindness, or beauty—and acknowledging that not everyone is in a place to appreciate it. The persistence in offering pearls, despite the likelihood of them being ignored or rejected, often stems from a desire to share, teach, or elevate others, driven by optimism or idealism.
At the same time, there’s a deeper layer to this metaphor that challenges us to reflect on what value really means. Is it intrinsic, based on the inherent qualities of what’s being offered, or does it depend entirely on the receiver’s perception? The act of “casting pearls” can also be seen as an attempt to test boundaries or push against indifference, revealing something about human nature—our need to connect, to give, and, ultimately, to be understood.
This age-old adage invites us to examine how we define worth, how perception shapes our interactions, and how we might rethink what it means to offer something valuable. How do we balance persistence with wisdom in choosing where and how to invest our time, energy, and resources? What can we learn about ourselves through these encounters?
Dutch
De uitdrukking “parels voor de zwijnen werpen” komt uit de oude wijsheid en waarschuwt tegen het aanbieden van iets waardevols aan degenen die niet in staat zijn om het te waarderen of te begrijpen. Het is een tijdloze metafoor die spreekt over de nutteloosheid van het proberen te delen van wijsheid, vriendelijkheid of schoonheid met mensen die niet bereid of in staat zijn de waarde ervan te erkennen. In deze ruimte onderzoeken we momenten waarop pogingen om anderen te verheffen, verlichten of verrijken worden ontvangen met onwetendheid, minachting of erger, onverschilligheid. Waarom blijven we parels aanbieden? En wat kunnen we leren over de aard van waarde, perceptie en menselijk gedrag door middel van dit oude adagium?
Het persisteren in het aanbieden van parels, ondanks de waarschijnlijkheid dat ze genegeerd of verworpen worden, komt vaak voort uit de wens om te delen, te onderwijzen of anderen te verheffen, gedreven door optimisme of idealisme.
Tegelijkertijd is er een dieper niveau in deze metafoor dat ons uitdaagt om na te denken over wat waarde echt betekent. Is het intrinsiek, gebaseerd op de inherente kwaliteiten van wat wordt aangeboden, of is het volledig afhankelijk van de perceptie van de ontvanger? Het act van “parels werpen” kan ook worden gezien als een poging om grenzen te testen of tegen onverschilligheid te duwen, wat iets onthult over de menselijke natuur—onze behoefte om te verbinden, te geven en uiteindelijk begrepen te worden.
Dit oude adagium nodigt ons uit om na te denken over hoe we waarde definiëren, hoe perceptie onze interacties vormt en hoe we misschien opnieuw kunnen nadenken over wat het betekent om iets waardevols aan te bieden. Hoe balanceren we volharding met wijsheid in het kiezen waar en hoe we onze tijd, energie en middelen investeren? Wat kunnen we over onszelf leren door deze ontmoetingen?
- The idiom “cast pearls before swine” is a metaphorical expression that means to offer something valuable or refined to someone who is incapable of appreciating its worth.
- It suggests giving something valuable to someone who lacks the understanding or sophistication to recognize its true value.
- The phrase originates from a biblical reference found in the Gospel of Matthew (7:6), where it advises not to cast pearls before swine, emphasizing the idea of not presenting valuable things to those who won’t appreciate them.
- In a broader sense, the idiom is used to caution against wasting one’s efforts or resources on people who cannot or will not understand or value them.
Cast pearls before swine
Do something or offer something to someone who can’t appreciate it.
Giving a beautiful birthday card to the blind child is like casting pearls before swine.
The key points of the idiom “cast pearls before swine” include:
Value and Worth:
- The idiom emphasizes the concept of presenting something valuable and refined, symbolized by pearls.
Inappreciative Audience:
- It suggests offering this valuable item to individuals who are unable or unwilling to appreciate its true worth.
Wasting Resources:
- The expression conveys a caution against expending efforts, resources, or valuable things on those who are unlikely to understand or value them.
Lack of Sophistication:
- The idiom implies that the recipients lack the sophistication or discernment to recognize the value of what is being offered.
Biblical Origin:
- The phrase originates from a biblical reference in the Gospel of Matthew, adding a historical and religious context to its usage.
Futility of Explanation:
- It suggests that attempting to explain or share something valuable with those who cannot appreciate it is futile.
Metaphorical Nature:
- The idiom is metaphorical, using the image of casting pearls before swine to convey the idea of giving something precious to those who cannot understand its significance.
Wise Allocation of Resources:
- The expression encourages individuals to wisely allocate their efforts and resources, directing them toward those who can genuinely appreciate and benefit from them.
- The expression encourages individuals to wisely allocate their efforts and resources, directing them toward those who can genuinely appreciate and benefit from them.
In summary, “cast pearls before swine” warns against offering valuable things to those who cannot appreciate their worth, emphasizing the need for discernment in allocating resources and efforts.
1
– and I fear I may be casting pearls before swine once again.
2
I suppose he could have said: ‘I’m fed up with casting pearls before swine’.
3
No less a master of the simile than Wittgenstein complains that relating his ideas is like “casting pearls before swine”.
4
Glenn Hoddle might in future heed the advice of another beleaguered spiritual heretic who cautioned against casting pearls before swine.
5
The Japanese idiom neko ni koban (猫に小判, literally, “gold coins for cats”) is an equivalent for casting pearls before swine.
6
exclusivity goes back hundreds of years: Hamlet declared that a play “pleased not the million – it was caviare to the general”, the gastronomic equivalent of casting
7
It appears Mr Barrett may well have been casting pearls before swine.
8
In Matthew 7:6, Jesus warns his followers not to cast pearls before swine.
9
Why should you cast your pearls before swine?
10
They had cast their pearl before swine, and they damn near lost the farm doing it.
11
Elaborately dressed and carefully made up, he will cast his pearls before swine and his body before bulls.
12
Perhaps that’s why her segment burned brightest, that and the knock ’em dead presence of Russian guest Irina Kolesnikova, casting her pearls before swine
13
Stephen Garrett, of the independent production company Kudos, agrees that the problem is not one of young film-makers casting pearls before the swine of
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Lord Jesus warns against teaching those who are unprepared and cannot understand: “Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls
15
Pearls before swine.
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Pearls before swine, indeed!
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Pearls before swine, and what pearls they are.
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Prosperity has been abused—pearls before swine.
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Pearls Before Swine 15 Jan. 1997 15.
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We thought of ourselves as pearls before swine.
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In Asset, he threw a pearl before swine.
22
“I had a real feeling of pearls before swine.
23
“I had a distinct feeling of pearls before swine…
24
Rosewater; or Pearls Before Swine” 1965.
25
“And pearls before swine,” returned Miss Parker, sweeping magisterially ahead.
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A rare case, this dinner party, of swine before pearls.
27
What an effective maxim, ‘Don’t throw your pearls before swine,’ ” he said.
28
Poets themselves best describe the pearls-before-swine risk of populist versifying.
29
(Do we, in other words, cast Perle before swine?)
30
Today his daily strip, “Pearls Before Swine,” appears in more than 500 newspapers.
31
In a Pearls Before Swine strip, Rat, on steroids, decides he “will kick Mary Worth’s &#$*%!”
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Some Pearls Before Swine strips include appearances by the Family Circus characters or parodic Family Circus strips.
33
You have found the comics and you open it up to one of your favorite comics, Pearls Before Swine.
34
“Pearls before swine, I can tell yer.”
35
On the other hand, Peugeot could spot pearl among swine.