Lipstick on a pig – Sometimes, no matter how hard you try, you can’t make something ugly look any better than it is. Usually the term refers to dressing up an old plan or product. Even if you put lipstick on a pig, it is still a pig and everyone knows it. This one has to rank in my top 10 favorite sayings.
 

Use: “Radio stations are constantly putting lipstick on the pig by running temporary promotions to give away money to listeners, but otherwise their format doesn’t change. They still play the same music and run too many commercials.”

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