# make a silk purse of a sow's ear

idiom

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/make-a-silk-purse-of-a-sows-ear
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

To produce something refined, admirable, or valuable from something which is unrefined, unpleasant, or of little or no value.

## Examples

- You cannot make a silk purse of a sow's ear with these cheap materials.
- You cannot make a silk purse of a sow's ear using this low-quality data.
- The chef tries to make a silk purse of a sow's ear with spoiled fruit.
- The designer tried to renovate the old, broken shed, but she soon realized she could not make a silk purse of a sow's ear.
- The director hoped a famous actor would save the terrible script, but even a star cannot make a silk purse of a sow's ear.
- My brother thinks he can turn that rusty car into a luxury vehicle, but you really cannot make a silk purse of a sow's ear.
- Despite the architect's brilliant vision for the crumbling ruins, he eventually admitted that one cannot make a silk purse of a sow's ear when the foundation is entirely rotten.

## Origin

The expression was coined by Stephen Gosson in 1579. It appears on page 62v of his work, The Ephemerides of Phialo: Deuided Into Three Bookes.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.