Horses' gums recede as they age making their teeth appear longer, hence the term, "long in the tooth”. Inspecting the teeth of a horse given as a gift was therefore considered ungrateful. It would mean that recipient is trying to see if the horse is old and therefore undesirable, or young and more desirable. Hence the meaning of the phrase, “never look a gift horse in the mouth” is not to question a gift too closely. I wonder whether this old English proverb is pertinent to the current stock market…
‘Market volatility and the proverbial gift horse’
17 Apr 2014
Posted by Barry Norris