How do you use "Make a pig's ear of" in a sentence?

He made a right pig's ear of that. Don't make a pig's ear of it. The contractors made a pig's ear of the renovation.

Make a pig's ear of

Q: What does "Make a pig's ear of" mean?

To do something badly; to make a mess of something. Making a 'pig's ear' of something means botching it completely—doing a terrible job. The pig's ear represents something worthless, contrasted with the saying 'can't make a silk purse from a pig's ear.'

Slang Term BritishAustralian ★★★☆☆ Moderate Casual

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Meaning: To do something badly; to make a mess of something.

把某事做得很糟；搞砸某事。

Hacer algo mal; hacer un desastre de algo.

何かをひどくやる；めちゃくちゃにする。

뭔가를 형편없이 하다; 엉망으로 만들다.

Making a 'pig's ear' of something means botching it completely—doing a terrible job. The pig's ear represents something worthless, contrasted with the saying 'can't make a silk purse from a pig's ear.'

把某事做成'pig's ear'意味着完全搞砸——做得很糟糕。猪耳朵代表没有价值的东西，与'不能用猪耳朵做丝绸钱包'的说法形成对比。

Hacer una 'oreja de cerdo' de algo significa arruinarlo completamente—hacer un trabajo terrible. La oreja de cerdo representa algo sin valor, en contraste con el dicho 'no se puede hacer un monedero de seda de una oreja de cerdo'.

何かを「pig's ear」にするとは、完全に台無しにすること—ひどい仕事をすること。豚の耳は価値のないものを表し、「豚の耳から絹の財布は作れない」ということわざと対照的です。

무언가를 'pig's ear'로 만든다는 것은 완전히 망치는 것—형편없이 하는 것을 뜻한다. 돼지 귀는 쓸모없는 것을 상징하며, 'can't make a silk purse from a pig's ear(돼지 귀로 비단 지갑을 만들 수 없다)'라는 속담과 대비된다.

Examples

He made a right pig's ear of that.
他把那件事搞得一塌糊涂
Hizo un verdadero desastre con eso
彼はそれを完全にダメにした
그는 그걸 완전히 망쳐 버렸다.
Don't make a pig's ear of it.
别把它搞砸了
No lo eches a perder
台無しにしないで
망치지 마.
The contractors made a pig's ear of the renovation.
承包商把装修搞得一团糟
Los contratistas hicieron un desastre con la renovación
業者はリフォームをめちゃくちゃにした
시공업체가 리모델링을 엉망으로 만들었다.

Pronunciation

/meɪk ə pɪɡz ɪər əv/

Usage Guide

Context: failure, mess, mistakes

Tone: critical, exasperated

✓ Do Say

Made a pig's ear of it
搞砸了
Lo hizo fatal
台無しにした
완전히 망쳐버렸다
Pig's ear
搞得一团糟
Un desastre
めちゃくちゃ
엉망진창

Common Mistakes

British expression, may not be understood elsewhere

Origin & History

British expression from the 20th century. Related to 'you can't make a silk purse from a pig's ear'—both use pig's ears as something crude or worthless.

Etymology: Related to pig's ear = something crude or worthless

First recorded: 20th century British

Cultural Context

Era: 20th century

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal

Pop culture: British expressions

Regional notes: British/Australian expression.

Variations

Make a pig's ear ofPig's ear