Don't look a gift horse in the mouth

By Hilary Duff

導讀:我們都經歷過這種事。你高興地打開一件禮物，想要知道里面是什么，然后你看到后非常失望。其實禮物只是友誼的象征，當你把它轉為物質需求時，友誼也就變質了。

Holidays are a wonderful time of the year!They are a time when people slow down and take a break from their daily lives.

While holidays are celebrated in different ways,many have something in common—gift-giving!

And who doesn’t like to get a present.Covered in pretty paper,maybe tied with a bow or ribbon,a wrapped gift is a surprise.It could be anything!

“Oh,you really shouldn’t have! ” It is a common response when someone hands you a gift.We say this even when we are thinking to ourselves,“Yay!I got a present!”

Sometimes the gift is perfect.

“It’s just what I have always wanted! ” you might say.

Sometimes it’s not.

We have all been there.You happily tear open a gift,wondering what is inside.But then you see it and you are disappointed.But you must not show it.And you absolutely must not criticize the gift and make comments about why you don’t like it.

In other words,“don’t look a gift horse in the mouth”.

This idiom is really old.

Way back in 1546,a man named John Heywood supposedly used this phrase in some Middle English text.(“No man ought to look a gift horse in the mouth.” )

However,some word experts say the idiom is much older than that.However old it is,people must have used it when gifting a horse was a common thing.

To understand this idiom,we must understand a bit about horse’s teeth.They grow over time.So,checking the length of the teeth is a way of knowing the horse’s age.Although I have never given or received a horse,I’m guessing a young horse makes a better gift than an old one.

However,checking the horse’s mouth would be a sign of mistrust towards the gift giver.This would be bad manners.And it might make the giver feel embarrassed or even angry!

The polite thing to do is simply to say “thank you” and accept the gift horse graciously.

These days,horses are not common gifts.But we commonly use this idiom.

Today “don’t(or never)look a gift horse in the mouth”means don’t find fault with something that has been received as a gift or favor.Don’t be ungrateful when you receive a present,even if it’s not exactly what you wanted.If you complain about a gift someone has given you or a favor someone has done for you,you could be accused of looking a gift horse in the mouth.

Besides gifts,you can use this idiom for other things,such as a favor.

Let’s say you ask a friend to help cook a dish for a party you are throwing for a group of senior citizens in your neighborhood.

She comes to the dinner,smiling from ear to ear,and hands you the dish she has cooked.It is very burnt and it smells odd.But you don’t want to look a gift horse in the mouth.You thank her for her dish and the time she took to make it.Then you put it on the table...in the back...where people hopefully won’t see it.

So,next time you get a gift that is less than perfect,remember that it is not nice to look a gift horse in the mouth.After all,it’s the thought that counts.This means that it’s the thought of gift-giving and not the gift itself that is important.

And don’t worry.If you get something as a gift that you really don’t like,you can always pass it along to someone else who may actually like it.

In other words,you can always re-gift it!

節日是一年中最美好的時光。這是人們放慢腳步從日常生活中解脫出來小憩片刻的時候。

雖然節日有著不同的慶祝方式，但是都有一個共同點，那就是贈送禮物。

誰會不喜歡收到禮物呢？用精美的紙張包好，也許再用蝴蝶結或絲帶綁好，包好的禮物就是個驚喜。里面可能裝的是任何東西。

“哦，你太客氣了！”這是有人送給你禮物時你會做出的常見回應，即使當時我們想的是：“耶！我收到禮物了！”

有時候禮物很完美。

你可能會說：“這正是我一直想要的。”

有時候就不是這樣。

我們都經歷過這種事。你高興地打開一件禮物，想要知道里面是什么，然后你看到后非常失望。但是你不能把這種情緒表現出來，而且你絕對不能批評這件禮物，并說出你為什么不喜歡它。

換句話說，“不要檢查禮物馬的嘴巴”（不要對禮物挑三揀四）。

這句習語真的非常古老。

早在1546年，一位名為約翰·海伍德的男子在一些中世紀英語文章中用到了這句話。

然而，一些詞匯專家表示，這句習語比這還要更加古老。不管有多古老，人們肯定是在把送馬當常事時使用這個習語。

為了理解這句習語，我們必須了解一下馬的牙齒，它們隨著年紀增長而生長。所以，檢查牙齒長度是了解馬的年齡的一種辦法。雖然我從沒送過也沒收到過馬，但我猜小馬比老馬更適合當禮物。

然而，檢查馬的嘴巴對送禮者是一種不信任的表現，這太不禮貌了，會讓送禮者感到尷尬甚至生氣。

有禮貌的做法就只要說出“謝謝你”并且優雅地接受這件禮物。

現如今，馬不再是一種常見的禮物，但是我們經常會用到這句習語。

今天，這句話的意思是不要對收到的禮物或恩惠挑毛病。收到禮物時別不領情，即使它不是你想要的。如果你抱怨別人送給你的禮物或是對你的恩惠，你可能會被指責“對禮物挑三揀四”。

除了禮物，你也可以使用這個習語表達其他東西，例如某種恩惠。

假設在你給附近老人舉辦的一場聚會上，你邀請一位朋友幫忙做一點飯菜。

她笑得合不攏嘴地來到晚宴上，然后把做好的飯菜遞給你。飯菜燒焦了味道很難聞。但是你不想對禮物挑三揀四，你感謝她帶來的飯菜以及為此付出的時間。然后你把它放在桌子上，但是放在人們可能會看不到的桌子后面。

所以，下次當你收到不那么完美的禮物，請記住，對禮物挑三揀四不好。畢竟，心意最重要，意思是送禮的心意比禮物本身更重要。

別擔心，如果你收到確實不喜歡的禮物，你可以隨時把它轉送給其他可能真正喜歡它的人。

換句話說，你可以隨時把它轉送出去。