look a gift horse in the mouth

Idioms

Be critical or suspicious of something received at no cost. For example, Dad's old car is full of dents, but we shouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth. This term, generally expressed as a cautionary proverb (Don't look a gift horse in the mouth), has been traced to the writings of the 4th-century cleric, St. Jerome, and has appeared in English since about 1500. It alludes to determining the age of a horse by looking at its teeth.

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Customers won’t look a gift horse in the mouth, but it smacks of the expensive land grab that worries some U.S. tech investors.

From The Wall Street Journal

He told the Daily Telegraph in 2009, after criticism of the deal: "It's not my business, the second the price is paid. If that is the offer, I'm not going to look a gift horse in the mouth and suggest they have overpaid me."

From BBC

Never look a gift horse in the mouth, goes the old saying.

From Barron's

Trumble pointed to the famous expression "don't look a gift horse in the mouth" as proof that people have always suspected a connection between health and examining an animal's teeth.

From Salon

“You can’t look a gift horse in the mouth,” said Morrow, a retired teacher.

From Seattle Times

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023