Meanings
nounpearls before swine pl (plural only)
- idiomaticpluralplural onlySomething of value, beauty, refinement, or wisdom left to people who will not appreciate it.
Your lecture deserved a much better reception than it got. Pearls before swine!
Synonyms: caviar to the general
Synonyms & antonyms
nounSomething of value, beauty, refinement, or wisdom left to people who will not appreciate it.
Similar
Origin
Translations
Finnish helmiä sioille
- helmiä sioillesomething valuable left to unappreciating people
Hebrew נזם זהב באף חזיר
- נזם זהב באף חזיר (nezem zahav be'af ħazīr)something valuable left to unappreciating people
Hungarian disznók elé szórt/vetett/dobott gyöngy
- disznók elé szórt/vetett/dobott gyöngysomething valuable left to unappreciating people
Japanese 猫に小判, 豚に真珠
- 猫に小判 (neko ni koban)something valuable left to unappreciating people
- 豚に真珠 (buta ni shinju)something valuable left to unappreciating people
Polish perły przed wieprze
- perły przed wieprzesomething valuable left to unappreciating people
Thai ไก่ได้พลอย
- ไก่ได้พลอย (gài-dâai-plɔɔi)something valuable left to unappreciating people
Cite this entry
APA
pearls before swine. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pearls%20before%20swine
MLA
“pearls before swine.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pearls%20before%20swine. Accessed November 5, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “pearls before swine,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pearls%20before%20swine.
Source: pearls before swine on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.