You can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear

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You can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear. (old-fashioned)

something that you say which means you cannot make a good quality product using bad quality materials To make chairs that'll last, you need good strong pieces of wood. You can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear.

See also: ear, make, out, purse, silk

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You can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear
you can't make an omelet without breaking eggs
you can't make an omelet without breaking eggs
You can't make an omelette without breaking eggs
You can't make an omelette without breaking eggs
You can't make an omelette without breaking eggs
You can't make bricks without straw
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you can't run with the hares and hunt with the hounds
you can't run with the hares and hunt with the hounds
you can't run with the hares and hunt with the hounds
you can't run with the hares and hunt with the hounds

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