Etymology:
- This idiom originates from the 12th century when the main source of transportation was horses. The rider of the horse was well aware of the thirst of horse after a long distance especially on a hot day. Although you could take the horse to the cool banks of water, but that doesn’t mean that the horse will drink for sure. This expression has been used for centuries to refer to people who have been informed yet don't act on that knowledge.
- 660 Views
I told him about the various jobs available in our company, but he hasn’t applied for any of them. You can lead a horse to water but you can’t make him drink.
Submitted on February 25, 2019
Modified by TriplePurple on December 01, 2023
Translation
Find a translation for the you can lead a horse to water but you can't make him drink phrase in other languages:
můžete vést koně k vodě, ale nemůžete ho donutit pít
puedes llevar un caballo al agua pero no puedes obligarlo a beber
vous pouvez conduire un cheval à l'eau mais vous ne pouvez pas le faire boire
vezetheted a lovat vízhez, de nem tudod megidézni
puoi condurre un cavallo all'acqua ma non puoi farlo bere
אתה יכול להוביל סוס למים אבל אתה לא יכול לגרום לו לשתות
je kunt een paard naar water leiden, maar je kunt hem niet laten drinken
atı suya götürebilirsin ama içmesini sağlayamazsın
ти можеш водити коня до води, але ти не можеш змусити його пити
Select another language:
- - Select -
- 简体中文 (Chinese - Simplified)
- 繁體中文 (Chinese - Traditional)
- Español (Spanish)
- Esperanto (Esperanto)
- 日本語 (Japanese)
- Português (Portuguese)
- Deutsch (German)
- العربية (Arabic)
- Français (French)
- Русский (Russian)
- ಕನ್ನಡ (Kannada)
- 한국어 (Korean)
- עברית (Hebrew)
- Gaeilge (Irish)
- Українська (Ukrainian)
- اردو (Urdu)
- Magyar (Hungarian)
- मानक हिन्दी (Hindi)
- Indonesia (Indonesian)
- Italiano (Italian)
- தமிழ் (Tamil)
- Türkçe (Turkish)
- తెలుగు (Telugu)
- ภาษาไทย (Thai)
- Tiếng Việt (Vietnamese)
- Čeština (Czech)
- Polski (Polish)
- Bahasa Indonesia (Indonesian)
- Românește (Romanian)
- Nederlands (Dutch)
- Ελληνικά (Greek)
- Latinum (Latin)
- Svenska (Swedish)
- Dansk (Danish)
- Suomi (Finnish)
- فارسی (Persian)
- ייִדיש (Yiddish)
- հայերեն (Armenian)
- Norsk (Norwegian)
- English (English)
Nearby phrases
Some more phrases from our dictionary similar to you can lead a horse to water but you can't make him drink
you beautyyou can't make an omelette without brea…you can't squeeze blood out of a t…you can lead a horse to water but you c…you can't keep a good man downyou beautyyou can't educate porkyou can catch more flies with honey tha…you can hang your hat on thatyou can't make a silk purse of a sow's …you and whose armyyou are what you eatyou can bank on ityou and whose army%3f
How to pronounce this phrase?
Citation
Use the citation below to add this you can lead a horse to water but you can't make him drink definition to your bibliography:
Style:MLAChicagoAPA
"you can lead a horse to water but you can't make him drink." Phrases.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 23 Nov. 2024. <https://www.phrases.com/phrase/you-can-lead-a-horse-to-water-but-you-can't-make-him-drink_45143>.
Discuss this you can lead a horse to water but you can't make him drink phrase with the community:
Report Comment
We're doing our best to make sure our content is useful, accurate and safe.
If by any chance you spot an inappropriate comment while navigating through our website please use this form to let us know, and we'll take care of it shortly.
Attachment
You need to be logged in to favorite.
Log In