teach grandma how to suck eggs

• teach Grandma how to suck eggs; teach grandma to suck eggs, teach Grandma to suck eggs
• (proverbial forms):
  • don't teach your grandma to suck eggs, don't teach your grandmother how to suck eggs, don't teach your grandmother to suck eggs
• This may appear similar to the following phrases, but they mean almost the opposite:
  • don't teach your grandmother how to milk ducks
  • don't teach your grandmother to steal sheep

First attested circa 18th century, from Spanish: see quotation.

• Audio (General Australian):

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teach grandma how to suck eggs (third-person singular simple present teaches grandma how to suck eggs, present participle teaching grandma how to suck eggs, simple past and past participle taught grandma how to suck eggs)

1. (idiomatic, chiefly in the negative) To tell an expert how to do things.
   • [1707, Francisco de Quevedo, translated by John Stevens, “The Dog and the Fever: An Unaccountable Novel: or, A Rapsody”, in The Comical Works of Don Francisco de Quevedo, […], London: […] John Morphew […], →OCLC, page 403:

     Madam, reply’d Joler, you would have me teach my Grandame to ſuck Eggs, or ſet up for a Lent Preacher.]

• don't try to teach grandma how to suck eggs