Teach your grandmother to suck eggs

[artjom]

English Idioms and Expressions, Advanced Level

ESL/EFL Test #22 "Egg expressions", question 7

It was a bit like teaching his grandmother to suck eggs when the young director was showing the veteran actress how to act.

(a) teaching someone who was more experienced than he
(b) teaching someone who was younger than he
(c) teaching someone who was more stupid than he
(d) teaching someone who was more willing than he

English Idioms and Expressions, Advanced Level

ESL/EFL Test #22 "Egg expressions", answer 7

It was a bit like teaching someone who was more experienced than he when the young director was showing the veteran actress how to act.

Correct answer: (a) teaching someone who was more experienced than he
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Where did the phrase come from ?

[Mister Micawber]

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I think the phrase is 'teach one's grandmother to suck eggs'. Sucking an egg (placing a pinhole in each end and then inhaling strongly at one of them) is a simple trick which any adult (at least of an earlier generation than now) would already know; i.e. s/he would not need to be taught it.
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Canadian-American native speaker
who teaches English for a living at Mister Micawber's
ESL cafe: Interview with Mr. Micawber

[Alan]

Hi artjom,

I am afraid this is a miatake in transcription and the text for this sentence should read:

It was a bit like teaching his grandmother to suck eggs when the young director was showing the veteran actress how to act. meaning showing someone what to do when they already knew very well how to do it.

Alan
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English as a Second Language
You can read my ESL story Guy Fawkes Night for You

[Torsten]

Just quick note: Originially we had put the word 'suck' onto the word sensor list of the forum which means, the software would automatically replace it with 'use another word'.
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Test Of English for International Communication
TOEIC Preparation & TOEIC Vocabulary