a leopard can't change its spots
a leopard can't change its spots
proverb One will stay true to one's nature, even if one pretends or claims otherwise. After our breakup, he came crawling back, trying to convince me that he'd changed, but I know that a leopard can't change its spots. You're never going to convince Tom about this—he's too stubborn, and a leopard can't change its spots. A: "Come on, a leopard can't change its spots." B: "I thought so too, but the former president really seems to have changed his views on social welfare since leaving office."
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2022 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
leopard cannot change his spots
Prov. One cannot change the basic way one is. Bill may say he'll stop being so jealous after Cindy marries him, but I doubt he will. A leopard can't change his spots.
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
leopard cannot change its spots, a
Also, the tiger cannot change its stripes. One can't change one's essential nature. For example, He's a conservative, no matter what he says; the leopard cannot change its spots. These metaphoric expressions both originated in an ancient Greek proverb that appears in the Bible (Jeremiah 13:23): "Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots?" It was first recorded in English in 1546.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
a leopard can't change his spots
people can't change their basic nature. proverbFarlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017
a leopard cannot change its ˈspots
(saying) a person’s character does not change: A dictator is unlikely to become a good leader in a democracy. A leopard cannot change its spots.Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017