proverb · Words worth keeping
Pepper is black, yet it hath a good smack.
Pepper is black, yet it hath a good smack.
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
An unshowy appearance can coexist with a pleasing quality. Pepper’s dark colour is contrasted with the flavour the speaker values.
Example
A reader discovers that a plainly presented document contains a clearer explanation than a more elaborate one.
Deeper explanation and when to use it
Smack here is taste, and the saying asks the reader to look beyond the first visual impression. The item’s appearance does not prevent it from having a quality the speaker enjoys. It can encourage trying a modest-looking object or considering an idea before judging its presentation. The colour comparison belongs to the food image and should not be carried into a hierarchy of people. Its useful point is about evaluating the relevant quality rather than relying on an unrelated outward feature.
When to use it
Use it to question an appearance-based judgment about an object or result.
Keep in mind
The colour image must not be used to stereotype people or rank skin colours.
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