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show one's true colors

To reveal how one really is, as opposed to how one has been portrayed.

Etymology:

  • Nautical origin. The word 'colors' refers to the flag or ensign which every ship is obliged to fly at sea. It was once a common deception of pirates to 'sail under false colours' and fly a friendly flag in order to get within close range of potential targets without exciting suspicion. Only when the pirate ship reached close quarters would it unfurl its 'true colours'.
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Submitted on September 01, 2009

Translation

Find a translation for the show one's true colors phrase in other languages:

zeige sein wahres Gesicht

mostrar los verdaderos colores de uno

montrer ses vraies couleurs

mostrare i propri veri colori

показать свое истинное лицо

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Nearby phrases

Some more phrases from our dictionary similar to show one's true colors

show inshow one's true stripesshow somebody the doorshow upshow upshow one's buttshow somebody the doorshoot one's mouth offshow what one is made ofshoot one's wadshow up asshow one's cardsshow someone the doorshow the flag

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    "show one's true colors." Phrases.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 21 Dec. 2024. <https://www.phrases.com/phrase/show-ones-true-colors_6797>.

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