ย้อมแมวขาย

Mutton dressed as lamb

ย้อมแมว
ย้อม
yóm แมว
maew ขาย
kăai

Vocabulary

yóm = dye

maew = a cat

kăai = sell

Literal Meaning

Dye a cat to sell

English Proverb

Mutton dressed as lamb

Explanation

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A scruffy feral cat has no monetary value. But if the market trader can dye its fur to make it look like an exotic or expensive breed. The cash value immediately increases, though it is still the same feral cat underneath!  So this refers to making a superficial change to something in order to make it look better and so fool and defraud a customer. There is no direct equivalent in English.

Example

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ถ้าซื้อรถมือสอง ระวังจะโดนย้อมแมวขายนะ

tâa séu rót meu sŏng rá-wang jà dohn yóm maew  kăai ná

If you buy the used car, beware the bad one because you cannot turn a sow’s ear into a silk purse.