Lipstick on a pig (or frog or donkey) (1985)

[Bapopik at AOL.COM]

6 August 2004, DAILY NEWS (NY), editorials, pg. 46, col. 1:
As in so many cases, the lesson here is that no matter (how?--ed.) much
lipstick you put on a pig, you've still got a pig.


LIPSTICK ON A PIG--3,350 Google hits, 1,038 Google Groups hits
LIPSTICK ON A FROG--56 Google hits, 17 Google Groups hits
LIPSTICK ON A DONKEY--12 Google hits, 8 Google Groups hits

Pig, the most popular animal in this proverb, is just the one I hadn't
discussed.


(GOOGLE)
UrbanDictionary.com/putting lipstick on a donkey
... Urban Dictionary is a slang dictionary with your definitions. Define your
world.
1 definition of putting lipstick on a donkey. No sounds - your sound here.
...
www.urbandictionary.com/define. php?term=putting+lipstick+on+a+donkey - 6k -
Cached - Similar pages



(PROQUEST HISTORICAL NEWSPAPERS)
    1.  San Francisco Tries To Keep Baseball Raiders at Bay; City Fights to
Keep Its Giants City Intent on Keeping Giants -- And Its Money
By Jay Mathews Washington Post Staff Writer. The Washington Post
(1974-Current file). Washington, D.C.: Nov 16, 1985. p. C1 (2 pages):
SAN FRANCISCO, Nov. 15--KNBR, the AM radio station carrying the Giants
baseball games, had raised $20,000 toward the construction of a new downtown
stadium. The board of supervisors, reluctant to commit to such a project, asked if
they couldn't use the money to renovate Candlestick Park.

"That," replied KNBR personality Ron Lyons, "Would be like putting lipstick
on a pig."

    2.  House Bill Links Licenses To Child-Support Payment; A Nod to
Democrats on Welfare Overhaul
By ROBERT PEAR. New York Times (1857-Current file). New York, N.Y.: Mar 24,
1995. p. A22 (1 page):
Representative Patricia Schroeder of Colorado called them "cosmetic
amendments" and said: "It's like putting lipstick on a pig. When you're through, you
still have a pig."

    3.  Lawmaker Claims to Have The Speaker's Job Sewn Up; G.O.P. Leaders
Give Support to Livingston as Jousting for Other Posts Intensifies Livingston
Claims Speaker's Job Is Sewn Up
By KATHARINE Q. SEELYE. New York Times (1857-Current file). New York, N.Y.:
Nov 9, 1998. p. A1 (2 pages)
Pg. A18: And on "This Week," Mr. Boehner said: "There was really no clear
agenda for the year, And when there's no agenda and there's no real direction,
what happens is you can't--you really can't have a message. You can put lipstick
on a pig all day long, but it's still a pig."

    4.  Gruardian Honors Mall by Curbing Number of Memorials
ELAINE SCIOLINO. New York Times (1857-Current file). New York, N.Y.: Jul 16,
2001. p. A8 (1 page):
He began his career as the chief landscape architect for Rhode Island, where
his job was to beautify highways. "It was like putting lipstick on a pig," he
said.


(WWW.NEWSPAPERARCHIVE.COM)
   Chronicle Telegram   Sunday, February 09, 1992 Elyria, Ohio
...George Bush's progrAms: "You cAn put LIPSTICK ON A PIG And cAll it MON
ique.....FEBRUARY OH IN v "You cAn put LIPSTICK ON A ptg And cAM it MONioue..

   Gettysburg Times     Friday, July 16, 1999 Gettysburg, Pennsylvania
...ridiculed the ApproAch. "You cAn put LIPSTICK ON A PIG but it's still A
Sen.....when pAtients go into clinicAl triAls ON experimentAl treAtments. ON
ThursdAy..

 Frederick Post     Wednesday, March 22, 2000 Frederick, Maryland
...bill. ThAt's putting LIPSTICK ON A PIG And the PIG wAs the Mr. FergusON
.....we took A (tissue) And wiped off thAt PIG's lips." Mr. MoONey sAid the..


See my archived ADS-L posts:


Item #3189 (27 Nov 1999 20:06) - Christopher Morley's KITTY FOYLE (1939)
Pg. 48: Scenery in the Midwest is like rouge on a colored girl; it means
well but it's kind of pathetic. (I've heard "lipstick on a frog" used--ed.)
Pg. 51: In Philly, Wyn and his crowd hardly even knew there _was_ a subway.


Item #15176 (14 May 2001 14:39) - Donkey with Lipstick; Retirement Proverb
From: Barry Popik <bapopik at HOTMAIL.COM>
Subject: Donkey with Lipstick; Retirement Proverb
Comments: To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU

DONKEY WITH LIPSTICK

"You don't want to dance with a donkey just because they put lipstick on
it."

I've also heard "lipstick on a frog" as something unattractive made
attractive.