"cast pearls before swine" meaning in English

See cast pearls before swine in All languages combined, or Wiktionary

Verb

Audio: en-au-cast pearls before swine.ogg [Australia] Forms: casts pearls before swine [present, singular, third-person], casting pearls before swine [participle, present], cast pearls before swine [participle, past], cast pearls before swine [past]
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. Etymology templates: {{m|en|Bible}} Bible, {{l|en|KJV}} KJV Head templates: {{en-verb|cast<,,cast> pearls before swine}} cast pearls before swine (third-person singular simple present casts pearls before swine, present participle casting pearls before swine, simple past and past participle cast pearls before swine)
  1. (idiomatic) To give things of value to those who will not understand or appreciate them. Wikipedia link: pearls before swine Tags: idiomatic Synonyms: preach to deaf ears Derived forms: pearls before swine Related terms: caviar to the general, talk over somebody's head Translations: 明珠暗投 (míngzhūàntóu) (Chinese Mandarin), házet perly sviním (Czech), kaste perler for svin (Danish), parels voor de zwijnen (Dutch), paarlen voor de zwijnen werpen (Dutch), ĵeti perlojn antaŭ la porkojn (Esperanto), heittää helmiä sioille (Finnish), jeter des perles aux pourceaux (French), donner de la confiture à des cochons (French), Perlen vor die Säue werfen (German), μαργαρίτας τοις κυσίν (margarítas tois kysín) (Greek), נזם זהב באף חזיר (nezem zahav be'af hazeer) (Hebrew), kasta perlum fyrir svín (Icelandic), gettare perle ai porci (Italian), 豚に真珠 (buta ni shinju) (Japanese), mittere margaritas ante porcos (Latin), kera diberi bunga (Malay), kaste perler for svin (Norwegian Bokmål), kaste perler for svin (Norwegian Nynorsk), rzucać perły przed wieprze (Polish), dar pérolas a porcos (Portuguese), jogar pérolas aos porcos (other verbs used: atirar, lançar) (Portuguese), мета́ть би́сер пе́ред сви́ньями (metátʹ bíser péred svínʹjami) (Russian), bacati bisere pred svinje (Serbo-Croatian), echar perlas a los cerdos (Spanish), dar margaritas a los cerdos (Spanish), echar margaritas a los cerdos (Spanish), no se hizo la miel para la boca del asno (Spanish), Dios da pan a quien no tiene dientes (Spanish), kasta pärlor för svin (Swedish), kasta pärlor för svinen (Swedish)

Inflected forms

Download JSON data for cast pearls before swine meaning in English (6.0kB)

{
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "Bible"
      },
      "expansion": "Bible",
      "name": "m"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "KJV"
      },
      "expansion": "KJV",
      "name": "l"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "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.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "casts pearls before swine",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "casting pearls before swine",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "cast pearls before swine",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "cast pearls before swine",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
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  ],
  "head_templates": [
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      "args": {
        "1": "cast<,,cast> pearls before swine"
      },
      "expansion": "cast pearls before swine (third-person singular simple present casts pearls before swine, present participle casting pearls before swine, simple past and past participle cast pearls before swine)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
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        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
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        }
      ],
      "derived": [
        {
          "word": "pearls before swine"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1947, Tennessee Williams, A Streetcar Named Desire, Scene 10",
          "text": "Blanche: ...Physical beauty is passing. A transitory possession. But beauty of the mind and richness of the spirit and tenderness of the heart—and I have all of those things—aren't taken away, but grow! Increase with the years! How strange that I should be called a destitute woman! When I have all of these treasures locked in my heart. [A choked sob comes from her] I think of myself as a very, very rich woman! But I have been foolish—casting my pearls before swine!",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To give things of value to those who will not understand or appreciate them."
      ],
      "id": "en-cast_pearls_before_swine-en-verb-OwRWcLcI",
      "links": [
        [
          "give",
          "give"
        ],
        [
          "thing",
          "thing"
        ],
        [
          "value",
          "value"
        ],
        [
          "those",
          "those"
        ],
        [
          "understand",
          "understand"
        ],
        [
          "appreciate",
          "appreciate"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(idiomatic) To give things of value to those who will not understand or appreciate them."
      ],
      "related": [
        {
          "word": "caviar to the general"
        },
        {
          "word": "talk over somebody's head"
        }
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "preach to deaf ears"
        }
      ],
      "tags": [
        "idiomatic"
      ],
      "translations": [
        {
          "code": "cmn",
          "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
          "roman": "míngzhūàntóu",
          "word": "明珠暗投"
        },
        {
          "code": "cs",
          "lang": "Czech",
          "word": "házet perly sviním"
        },
        {
          "code": "da",
          "lang": "Danish",
          "word": "kaste perler for svin"
        },
        {
          "code": "nl",
          "lang": "Dutch",
          "word": "parels voor de zwijnen"
        },
        {
          "code": "nl",
          "lang": "Dutch",
          "word": "paarlen voor de zwijnen werpen"
        },
        {
          "code": "eo",
          "lang": "Esperanto",
          "word": "ĵeti perlojn antaŭ la porkojn"
        },
        {
          "code": "fi",
          "lang": "Finnish",
          "word": "heittää helmiä sioille"
        },
        {
          "code": "fr",
          "lang": "French",
          "word": "jeter des perles aux pourceaux"
        },
        {
          "code": "fr",
          "lang": "French",
          "word": "donner de la confiture à des cochons"
        },
        {
          "code": "de",
          "lang": "German",
          "word": "Perlen vor die Säue werfen"
        },
        {
          "code": "el",
          "lang": "Greek",
          "roman": "margarítas tois kysín",
          "word": "μαργαρίτας τοις κυσίν"
        },
        {
          "code": "he",
          "lang": "Hebrew",
          "roman": "nezem zahav be'af hazeer",
          "word": "נזם זהב באף חזיר"
        },
        {
          "code": "is",
          "lang": "Icelandic",
          "word": "kasta perlum fyrir svín"
        },
        {
          "code": "it",
          "lang": "Italian",
          "word": "gettare perle ai porci"
        },
        {
          "code": "ja",
          "lang": "Japanese",
          "roman": "buta ni shinju",
          "word": "豚に真珠"
        },
        {
          "code": "ja",
          "lang": "Japanese",
          "note": "猫に小判 (neko ni koban, literally “gold coins to cats”)"
        },
        {
          "code": "la",
          "lang": "Latin",
          "word": "mittere margaritas ante porcos"
        },
        {
          "code": "ms",
          "lang": "Malay",
          "word": "kera diberi bunga"
        },
        {
          "code": "nb",
          "lang": "Norwegian Bokmål",
          "word": "kaste perler for svin"
        },
        {
          "code": "nn",
          "lang": "Norwegian Nynorsk",
          "word": "kaste perler for svin"
        },
        {
          "code": "pl",
          "lang": "Polish",
          "word": "rzucać perły przed wieprze"
        },
        {
          "code": "pt",
          "lang": "Portuguese",
          "word": "dar pérolas a porcos"
        },
        {
          "code": "pt",
          "lang": "Portuguese",
          "word": "jogar pérolas aos porcos (other verbs used: atirar, lançar)"
        },
        {
          "code": "ru",
          "lang": "Russian",
          "roman": "metátʹ bíser péred svínʹjami",
          "word": "мета́ть би́сер пе́ред сви́ньями"
        },
        {
          "code": "sh",
          "lang": "Serbo-Croatian",
          "word": "bacati bisere pred svinje"
        },
        {
          "code": "es",
          "lang": "Spanish",
          "word": "echar perlas a los cerdos"
        },
        {
          "code": "es",
          "lang": "Spanish",
          "word": "dar margaritas a los cerdos"
        },
        {
          "code": "es",
          "lang": "Spanish",
          "word": "echar margaritas a los cerdos"
        },
        {
          "code": "es",
          "lang": "Spanish",
          "word": "no se hizo la miel para la boca del asno"
        },
        {
          "code": "es",
          "lang": "Spanish",
          "word": "Dios da pan a quien no tiene dientes"
        },
        {
          "code": "sv",
          "lang": "Swedish",
          "word": "kasta pärlor för svin"
        },
        {
          "code": "sv",
          "lang": "Swedish",
          "word": "kasta pärlor för svinen"
        }
      ],
      "wikipedia": [
        "pearls before swine"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "audio": "en-au-cast pearls before swine.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/9/93/En-au-cast_pearls_before_swine.ogg/En-au-cast_pearls_before_swine.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/93/En-au-cast_pearls_before_swine.ogg",
      "tags": [
        "Australia"
      ],
      "text": "Audio (AU)"
    }
  ],
  "word": "cast pearls before swine"
}
{
  "derived": [
    {
      "word": "pearls before swine"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "Bible"
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      "name": "m"
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        "1": "en",
        "2": "KJV"
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  ],
  "etymology_text": "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.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "casts pearls before swine",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "casting pearls before swine",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "cast pearls before swine",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "cast pearls before swine",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "cast<,,cast> pearls before swine"
      },
      "expansion": "cast pearls before swine (third-person singular simple present casts pearls before swine, present participle casting pearls before swine, simple past and past participle cast pearls before swine)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "related": [
    {
      "word": "caviar to the general"
    },
    {
      "word": "talk over somebody's head"
    }
  ],
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "English entries with incorrect language header",
        "English entries with language name categories using raw markup",
        "English idioms",
        "English lemmas",
        "English multiword terms",
        "English predicates",
        "English terms derived from the Bible",
        "English terms with audio links",
        "English terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys",
        "English terms with quotations",
        "English verbs",
        "Mandarin terms with non-redundant manual transliterations"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1947, Tennessee Williams, A Streetcar Named Desire, Scene 10",
          "text": "Blanche: ...Physical beauty is passing. A transitory possession. But beauty of the mind and richness of the spirit and tenderness of the heart—and I have all of those things—aren't taken away, but grow! Increase with the years! How strange that I should be called a destitute woman! When I have all of these treasures locked in my heart. [A choked sob comes from her] I think of myself as a very, very rich woman! But I have been foolish—casting my pearls before swine!",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To give things of value to those who will not understand or appreciate them."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "give",
          "give"
        ],
        [
          "thing",
          "thing"
        ],
        [
          "value",
          "value"
        ],
        [
          "those",
          "those"
        ],
        [
          "understand",
          "understand"
        ],
        [
          "appreciate",
          "appreciate"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(idiomatic) To give things of value to those who will not understand or appreciate them."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "idiomatic"
      ],
      "wikipedia": [
        "pearls before swine"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "audio": "en-au-cast pearls before swine.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/9/93/En-au-cast_pearls_before_swine.ogg/En-au-cast_pearls_before_swine.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/93/En-au-cast_pearls_before_swine.ogg",
      "tags": [
        "Australia"
      ],
      "text": "Audio (AU)"
    }
  ],
  "synonyms": [
    {
      "word": "preach to deaf ears"
    }
  ],
  "translations": [
    {
      "code": "cmn",
      "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
      "roman": "míngzhūàntóu",
      "word": "明珠暗投"
    },
    {
      "code": "cs",
      "lang": "Czech",
      "word": "házet perly sviním"
    },
    {
      "code": "da",
      "lang": "Danish",
      "word": "kaste perler for svin"
    },
    {
      "code": "nl",
      "lang": "Dutch",
      "word": "parels voor de zwijnen"
    },
    {
      "code": "nl",
      "lang": "Dutch",
      "word": "paarlen voor de zwijnen werpen"
    },
    {
      "code": "eo",
      "lang": "Esperanto",
      "word": "ĵeti perlojn antaŭ la porkojn"
    },
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "word": "heittää helmiä sioille"
    },
    {
      "code": "fr",
      "lang": "French",
      "word": "jeter des perles aux pourceaux"
    },
    {
      "code": "fr",
      "lang": "French",
      "word": "donner de la confiture à des cochons"
    },
    {
      "code": "de",
      "lang": "German",
      "word": "Perlen vor die Säue werfen"
    },
    {
      "code": "el",
      "lang": "Greek",
      "roman": "margarítas tois kysín",
      "word": "μαργαρίτας τοις κυσίν"
    },
    {
      "code": "he",
      "lang": "Hebrew",
      "roman": "nezem zahav be'af hazeer",
      "word": "נזם זהב באף חזיר"
    },
    {
      "code": "is",
      "lang": "Icelandic",
      "word": "kasta perlum fyrir svín"
    },
    {
      "code": "it",
      "lang": "Italian",
      "word": "gettare perle ai porci"
    },
    {
      "code": "ja",
      "lang": "Japanese",
      "roman": "buta ni shinju",
      "word": "豚に真珠"
    },
    {
      "code": "ja",
      "lang": "Japanese",
      "note": "猫に小判 (neko ni koban, literally “gold coins to cats”)"
    },
    {
      "code": "la",
      "lang": "Latin",
      "word": "mittere margaritas ante porcos"
    },
    {
      "code": "ms",
      "lang": "Malay",
      "word": "kera diberi bunga"
    },
    {
      "code": "nb",
      "lang": "Norwegian Bokmål",
      "word": "kaste perler for svin"
    },
    {
      "code": "nn",
      "lang": "Norwegian Nynorsk",
      "word": "kaste perler for svin"
    },
    {
      "code": "pl",
      "lang": "Polish",
      "word": "rzucać perły przed wieprze"
    },
    {
      "code": "pt",
      "lang": "Portuguese",
      "word": "dar pérolas a porcos"
    },
    {
      "code": "pt",
      "lang": "Portuguese",
      "word": "jogar pérolas aos porcos (other verbs used: atirar, lançar)"
    },
    {
      "code": "ru",
      "lang": "Russian",
      "roman": "metátʹ bíser péred svínʹjami",
      "word": "мета́ть би́сер пе́ред сви́ньями"
    },
    {
      "code": "sh",
      "lang": "Serbo-Croatian",
      "word": "bacati bisere pred svinje"
    },
    {
      "code": "es",
      "lang": "Spanish",
      "word": "echar perlas a los cerdos"
    },
    {
      "code": "es",
      "lang": "Spanish",
      "word": "dar margaritas a los cerdos"
    },
    {
      "code": "es",
      "lang": "Spanish",
      "word": "echar margaritas a los cerdos"
    },
    {
      "code": "es",
      "lang": "Spanish",
      "word": "no se hizo la miel para la boca del asno"
    },
    {
      "code": "es",
      "lang": "Spanish",
      "word": "Dios da pan a quien no tiene dientes"
    },
    {
      "code": "sv",
      "lang": "Swedish",
      "word": "kasta pärlor för svin"
    },
    {
      "code": "sv",
      "lang": "Swedish",
      "word": "kasta pärlor för svinen"
    }
  ],
  "word": "cast pearls before swine"
}
{
  "called_from": "translations/611",
  "msg": "suspicious translation with ': ': {'lang': 'Portuguese', 'code': 'pt', 'word': 'jogar pérolas aos porcos (other verbs used: atirar, lançar)'}",
  "path": [
    "cast pearls before swine"
  ],
  "section": "English",
  "subsection": "verb",
  "title": "cast pearls before swine",
  "trace": ""
}

{
  "called_from": "page/2517",
  "msg": "UNIMPLEMENTED parse_translation_template: trans-top-see {1: 'to cast pearls before swine', 2: 'pearls before swine'}",
  "path": [
    "cast pearls before swine",
    "trans-top-see"
  ],
  "section": "English",
  "subsection": "verb",
  "title": "cast pearls before swine",
  "trace": ""
}

This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2024-05-01 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2024-04-21 using wiktextract (f4fd8c9 and c9440ce). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

If you use this data in academic research, please cite Tatu Ylonen: Wiktextract: Wiktionary as Machine-Readable Structured Data, Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC), pp. 1317-1325, Marseille, 20-25 June 2022. Linking to the relevant page(s) under https://kaikki.org would also be greatly appreciated.