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Wei asks: Please explain the meaning of the English proverb “never look a gift horse” in the mouth. My comments: Thanks, Wei, for raising a good question, one that sent yours truly flurrying to fresh research. And a good proverb it is, too. A gift horse is a horse someone gives you as a gift. For free. Don’t therefore, look the horse up in the mouth. Horse owners, you see, look their horses in the mouth to check their teeth. If their teeth look young, smooth, strong and healthy, then the horses are strong and healthy. If the teeth are old and worn, the horses are old and useless. Hence the saying: Never look a gift horse in the mouth. Lest you be accused of being ungrateful. I mean, you are an ingrate. Gifts are given for free and out of good will. They’re often not handed out for their physical or material value. Therefore, they should be appreciated accordingly, for the generosity and good spirit behind the good gesture. This proverb, by the way, is not English in origin. Saint Jerome (c. 347 – 30 September 420), who is best known for translating the Bible into Latin, first said it. This, according to Trivia-Library.com: St. Jerome, who never accepted payment for his writings, first used the phrase in reply to his literary critics. His exact words: “Never inspect the teeth of a gift horse.” | 
