born with a silver spoon

Idioms  

1. Born wealthy, or fortunate, or both, as in Paul can afford to go to medical school; he was born with a silver spoon. Although some authorities believe this phrase alludes to the custom of godparents giving their godchild a silver spoon, affordable only by rich persons, it is more likely that the spoon has come to symbolize wealth. [c. 1700]

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Example Sentences

Tice, who attended the £16,000 per-term Uppingham School, agreed that he was born "with a silver spoon in his mouth".

From BBC

"Some red squirrels have the luck of being born into gentler early environments, akin to being born with a silver spoon," Petrullo said.

From Science Daily

Paredes had been a precocious teenager, sizing his new teacher up on her first day of school, telling Sue: “I know your kind. Poor little rich girl, probably born with a silver spoon in your mouth, decided to break with the family tradition and do music and come into the inner city and teach the children.”

From Los Angeles Times

In the informercial, Springer referred to the quote and talked about wanting to reach out to “regular folks … who weren’t born with a silver spoon in your mouth.”

From Seattle Times

"But God had a different plan for me. I did not come from money. I was not born with a silver spoon in my mouth. I had to go to a regular college – not a fancy one – and I had to pay my own way through school and work."

From Salon

Related Words

• affluent
• encouraging
• fortuitous
• happy
• healthy
• helpful
• lucky
• profitable
• prosperous
• successful
• wealthy
• well-off