Used to describe a situation where someone is pretending to be something they are not, or when something is revealed to be a fraud; a way of pointing out that someone is not as powerful or impressive as they claim to be; a way of exposing a lie or deception

Etymology:

  • The Emperor Has No Clothes is an idiomatic phrase, that comes from a tale by Hans Christian Andersen where a vain emperor is tricked by two swindlers who promise to make him a set of clothes that are invisible to anyone who is unfit to hold their office or is stupid.
  • In reality, the swindlers are just pretending to weave the clothes, and the emperor ends up walking naked in a parade, unwilling to admit that he cannot see his own clothes.
  • The phrase has since become an idiom used to describe a situation where someone is pretending to be something they are not, or when something is revealed to be a fraud. It’s a way of pointing out that someone is not as powerful or impressive as they claim to be, or of exposing a lie or deception.
  • So next time you hear someone say “The Emperor Has No Clothes,” you’ll know that it’s a clever way of calling out someone’s bluff.
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After his former company was caught stealing billions from the federal government he was voted in as governor, then as a senator. I feel like I'm running around saying, "The emperor has no clothes!" but people just aren't listening and vote for him anyway.

Submitted by TriplePurple on November 29, 2023

Translation

Find a translation for the the emperor has no clothes phrase in other languages:

L'imperatore è nudo

皇帝没穿衣服

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    "the emperor has no clothes." Phrases.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 21 Dec. 2024. <https://www.phrases.com/phrase/the-emperor-has-no-clothes_63968>.

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