cast pearls before swine

Idioms  

1. Give something of value of someone who won't appreciate it, as in The old professor felt that lecturing on Dante to unruly undergraduates would be casting pearls before swine. This term comes from the New Testament (Matthew 7:6), appearing in Tyndale's translation (1526). It was repeated often by writers from Shakespeare to Dickens and remains current.

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Example Sentences

Herewith I pause, for why should I cast pearls before swine?

From The Works of Robert Louis Stevenson - Swanston Edition Vol. 24 (of 25) by Stevenson, Robert Louis

No, my dear Gneisenau, one must not cast pearls before swine.

From Napoleon and Blucher by Mühlbach, L. (Luise)

We may find, that we have cast pearls before swine.

From The Growth of Thought As Affecting the Progress of Society by Withington, William

Some would not rightly appreciate the value of your frankness, and never cast pearls before swine.

From Charlotte Bront? A Monograph by Reid, T. Wemyss

On her face was the look of one who has cast pearls before swine.

From Okewood of the Secret Service by Williams, Valentine