IdiomDaily Life
English
Englishhide one's light under a bushel
Meaning: To keep one's talents hidden.
Example: “She's been writing songs for years but hides her light under a bushel.”
Origin: From the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:15): no one lights a candle and puts it "under a bushel," a container for grain, but on a candlestick.
Equivalents in other languages
Russian: зарывать свой талант в землю (zaryvat' svoy talant v zemlyu) Literally: To bury one's talent in the earth
More English idioms
- two men and a dog A very small crowd.
- has the cat got your tongue? Said to someone who stays silent when they should speak.
- until one is blue in the face For as long as one likes, with no result.
- go off the rails To lose control of one's life or behavior.
- there's nothing for it There is no other choice.
- on the back of an envelope Roughly worked out, without proper tools or care.
Explore another collection: False Friends
Words that look familiar in another language but mean something else entirely.
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