proverb · Words worth keeping
It's no use looking for musk in a dog's kennel.
It's no use looking for musk in a dog's kennel.
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
Look for something in a place suited to providing it. The contrast between fragrance and a dog’s kennel questions a mismatched search, without establishing that an unexpected source can never offer value.
Example
A beginner asks a walking club about guitar repairs, then follows its suggestion to contact a local instrument workshop with the relevant experience.
Deeper explanation and when to use it
Musk supplies the image of a desired scent, while the kennel is presented as a place unlikely to provide what is being sought. The saying questions the fit between an expectation and the place chosen to fulfil it. Figuratively, a search can fail because it asks the wrong source for a particular kind of help or result. The useful response checks what is actually available and why this source was selected. The image should not be used to dismiss a person by background or status. Unexpected contributions are possible; the point is an examined match between need and source, not a universal rule about who has anything worth offering.
When to use it
Use it when the place or person being asked is poorly matched to a specific need.
Keep in mind
A poor match for one request does not establish that a person or place has no value.
An interpretation of the words, not a claim about their earliest origin.
Attribution & collection notes
- Author or tradition
- Traditional
Attribution: traditional - Country attributed
- Not established
A country attribution does not establish the earliest origin. - Historical period
- Date unknown
- Culture
- English