make a silk purse of a sow's ear

Meaning: (idiomatic)To produce somethingrefined,admirable, orvaluablefrom something which is unrefined,unpleasant, or of little or no value.1884,Charlotte M. Yonge, chapter 22, inThe Armourer's Prentices:"He always was an unmannerly cub," said Master Headley, as he read the letter. "Well, I've done my best tomake a silk purse of a sow's ear!"1997May 23, Joanna Biddolph, “Mandelson has become PR’s new role model”, inPRWeek, UK, retrieved 16 Dec. 2009:PR people canmake a silk purse of a sow's ear.2001January 6, Penny Jackson, “House & Home: On your marks. Get set. Sell!”, inIndependent, UK, retrieved 16 Dec. 2009:A smart development canmake a silk purse of a sow's ear, and the effect on older properties can be quite dramatic.

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