Make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear

Origin of: Make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear

Make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear

Usually expressed in the negative, one cannot make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear, it is an old proverb, popular since the 1500s, and means that one cannot produce something of value from poor or inadequate raw materials. The expression derives from the allusion that pigs’ ears are probably the least sought after part of the slaughtered animal.