- English translation
Good-looking, cheap, and of fine stock as well.
- Literal wording
Nice-little, and cheap-little, and a son of people.
- Meaning and lesson
The saying praises an item or animal that brings together three welcome traits at once: it looks good, it costs little, and it comes from a sound, genuine line or make. Low price is not taken as a sign of poor quality here.
The phrase rendered literally as 'son of people' normally describes a person of respectable family; applied here to an object or animal, it means well-bred or genuinely good, not anything about people. The speaker is pointing to a lucky find where cheapness and real worth coexist.
- When it is used
Use when admiring goods or a riding or work animal that is attractive, cheap, and of sound breed or make. It praises the rare combination of all three qualities in one bargain, and its affectionate diminutive wording sounds warm and colloquial.
Cite or copy proverb
How this record reached us: Editorially sourced.
Report an issue with this meaning: Good-looking, cheap, and of fine stock as well.