A caballo regalado...

Today we'll be learning an international saying: "Don't look a gift horse in the mouth". It's pretty much the same in Spanish, French, Italian, Portuguese as well as other languages.

The Spanish version goes "A caballo regalado no le mires el dentado". Other ways to say it are: "A caballo regalado no se le miran los dientes" and "A caballo regalado no se le busca colmillo".

This saying means "Don't be too choosy or ungrateful when you receive a gift". It also means don't measure the value of something that you have received for free. As with most proverbs the origin is ancient and unknown. However, we do know that the saying comes from the fact that by looking at a horse's teeth one can find out the horse's age and health.