can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear
Be unable to turn something ugly or inferior into something attractive or of value, as in No matter how expensive his clothes, he still looks sloppy—you can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear. This expression was already a proverb in the mid-1500s.
Words nearby can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear
can't do anything with,
can't fight city hall,
can't help,
can't hit the broad side of a barn,
can't hold a candle to,
can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear,
can't make head or tail of,
can't punch one's way out of a paper bag,
can't see beyond the end of one's nose.,
can't see the forest for the trees,
can't seem to