teach grandma how to suck eggs

See also: teach Grandma how to suck eggs

English

Alternative forms

• teach Grandma how to suck eggs; teach grandma to suck eggs, teach Grandma to suck eggs
• (proverbial forms):
  • don't teach your grandma to suck eggs, don't teach your grandmother how to suck eggs, don't teach your grandmother to suck eggs
• This may appear similar to the following phrases, but they mean almost the opposite:
  • don't teach your grandmother how to milk ducks
  • don't teach your grandmother to steal sheep

Etymology

First attested circa 18th century, from Spanish: see quotation.

Pronunciation

• Audio (General Australian):

  (file)

Verb

teach grandma how to suck eggs (third-person singular simple present teaches grandma how to suck eggs, present participle teaching grandma how to suck eggs, simple past and past participle taught grandma how to suck eggs)

1. (idiomatic, chiefly in the negative) To tell an expert how to do things.
   • [1707, Francisco de Quevedo, translated by John Stevens, “The Dog and the Fever: An Unaccountable Novel: or, A Rapsody”, in The Comical Works of Don Francisco de Quevedo, […], London: […] John Morphew […], →OCLC, page 403:

     Madam, reply’d Joler, you would have me teach my Grandame to ſuck Eggs, or ſet up for a Lent Preacher.]

Derived terms

• don't try to teach grandma how to suck eggs

Translations

teach an expert

• Bulgarian: прода́вам кра́ставици на краставича́р (prodávam krástavici na krastavičár, literally “to sell cucumbers to a cucumber vendor”)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 班門弄斧 / 班门弄斧 (zh) (bānménnòngfǔ)

• Finnish: älä opeta isääsi naimaan (literally “don't teach your father to fuck”), älä opeta isääsi kusemaan (literally “don't teach your father to piss”)
• French: apprendre à un vieux singe à faire des grimaces
• Greek: έλα παππού μου, να σου δείξω τ’ αμπελοχώραφά σου (éla pappoú mou, na sou deíxo t’ ampelochórafá sou, literally “come grandpa, I'll show you your vineyards”)
• Italian: please add this translation if you can
• Japanese: 釈迦に説法 (ja) (shaka ni seppō, literally “lecturing the Buddha”), 釈迦に経 (shaka ni kyō, literally “teaching scriptures to the Buddha”)
• Kazakh: дария жанынан құдық қазба (dariä janynan qūdyq qazba)
• Kikuyu: tiga kuonia ngarĩ kũhaica mũtĩ (literally “stop teaching a leopard how to climb up a tree”)
• Polish: uczyć ojca dzieci robić
• Portuguese: ensinar a missa ao padre (literally “teach mass to the priest”), ensinar a missa ao vigário (literally “teach mass to the vicar”)
• Romanian: vinde castraveți grădinarului (literally “sell cucumbers to the gardener”)
• Russian: учи́ть орла́ лета́ть (učítʹ orlá letátʹ, literally “teach an eagle to fly”), учи́ть учёного (učítʹ učónovo, literally “teach a scholar”), учи́ть отца́ еба́ться (učítʹ otcá jebátʹsja, literally “teach one's own father to fuck”) (vulgar)
• Scottish Gaelic: ionnsaich do sheanmhair lit' a dhèanamh (literally “teach grandmother to make porridge”)
• Spanish: dar clases a tu maestro (literally “give classes to your master”)
• Telugu: తాతకు దగ్గులు నేర్పు (te) (tātaku daggulu nērpu, literally “teaching grandfather to cough”)
• Thai: สอนจระเข้ว่ายน้ำ (sŏn jàràkây wâai náam, literally “teach a crocodile to swim”)
• Turkish: tereciye tere satmak (tr) (literally “to sell cress to the cress vendor”)
• Vietnamese: múa rìu qua mắt thợ (vi) (literally “to wave one's axe before an axeman”)