not grow on trees
English
Verb
not grow on trees
- (idiomatic) To be rare, not abundant, not easily gained.
- 1967, Willie Clarke, Johnny Pearsall (lyrics and music), “True Love Don’t Grow on Trees”, in Sings Sweet Soul!, Miami, USA: Deep City Records, LP 1001, performed by Helene Smith:
- But I think you should know
Before you let love go
That true love just don't grow
On trees
- 1967, Sleigh, Barbara, Jessamy, 1993 edition, Sevenoaks, Kent: Bloomsbury, →ISBN, page 32:
- ‘Cook-housekeeper jobs don’t grow on trees,’ went on the woman, ‘leastways not where you can keep a youngster with you.’
- 2018 February 2, Tyler Orton, “‘Fuel-cell experts don’t grow on trees’: Ottawa pledges $670k to industry group”, in Business Vancouver:
- The reason why they’re so interested in what we have here is fuel-cell experts don’t grow on trees and it’s relatively high-level expertise you need.
- For more quotations using this term, see Citations:not grow on trees.
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