# teach grandma how to suck eggs

idiom

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/teach-grandma-how-to-suck-eggs
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

To tell an expert how to do things.

## Examples

- Do not try to teach grandma how to suck eggs.
- You are teaching grandma how to suck eggs by showing me how to drive.
- She stops talking because she does not want to teach grandma how to suck eggs.
- The intern tried to explain the software to the lead engineer, who felt like he was teaching grandma how to suck eggs.
- I felt embarrassed when I tried to explain baking to a professional chef, realizing I was just teaching grandma how to suck eggs.
- He knows more about gardening than anyone else, so giving him basic tips is like teaching grandma how to suck eggs.
- Given her thirty years of experience in the field, the consultant found it quite patronizing when the junior manager attempted to teach grandma how to suck eggs.

## Origin

First attested in the 18th century, the expression is a translation from the Spanish. The specific activity of extracting the contents of an egg via a small hole was a commonplace domestic skill of the era, the suggestion being that one's elder had likely mastered the technique well before the speaker was born.

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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.