mum's the word
Meaning: Keep this secret; say nothing.
Language: English
Literally: (Already vivid in English)
Example: “We're planning a surprise party, so mum's the word.”
Category: Daily Life
Origin: "Mum" imitates the sound made with closed lips. It is found in Shakespeare's Henry VI, Part 2 (around 1591): "Seal up your lips and give no words but mum."
Equivalents in other languages
- Italian: Acqua in bocca — literally: Water in the mouth
- Polish: trzymać buzię na kłódkę — literally: to hold one's mouth on a padlock
- French: Motus et bouche cousue — literally: Motus and mouth sewn shut
More idioms — Daily Life
- search me — I don't know.
- be rolling in it — To be very rich.
- be worth one's weight in gold — To be extremely valuable or useful.
- the flip side of the coin — The opposite, usually less pleasant, aspect of something.
- a den of thieves — A place full of dishonest people.
- in the arms of Morpheus — Asleep.
More English idioms
- hale and hearty — Healthy and strong, especially in old age.
- find one's sea legs — To get used to a boat's movement; to grow comfortable in a new situation.
- break a leg — Good luck, said to a performer before going on stage.
- hey presto — Said when something happens suddenly, as if by magic.
- set the cat among the pigeons — To say or do something that causes trouble or uproar.
- storm clouds are gathering — Trouble is coming.
From our untranslatable words
- Hiraeth — A homesickness for a home you can't return to, or perhaps never had — a grief for lost pl…
- Madrugada — The liminal hours between midnight and sunrise — that strange, quiet time when the night…
- Duende — A mysterious quality in art or performance that moves you to your core — a dark, soulful,…