the truth will out
Meaning: The truth cannot stay hidden forever.
Language: English
Literally: (Already vivid in English)
Example: “He hid the dent for months, but the truth will out: the garage sent the bill to his wife.”
Category: Daily Life
Origin: A very old saying; Shakespeare gives it to Launcelot Gobbo in The Merchant of Venice (around 1596): "truth will come to light... at the length truth will out."
Other ways to say this
- Dutch: Nu komt de aap uit de mouw — literally: Now the monkey comes out of the sleeve
- French: Découvrir le pot aux roses — literally: To discover the pot of roses
- Hungarian: Kibújik a szög a zsákból — literally: The nail pokes out of the sack
- Arabic: حبل الكذب قصير (ḥabl al-kadhib qaṣīr) — literally: The rope of lies is short
- English: get to the bottom of it
More idioms — Daily Life
- above board — Honest and open, with nothing hidden.
- stake a claim — To declare that something is yours, or that you have a right to it.
- raze to the ground — To destroy a building or town completely.
- dig one's own grave — To cause one's own downfall.
- come in handy — To be useful when needed.
- put someone in their place — To remind someone firmly that they are not as important as they think.
More English idioms
- on a silver platter — Given to someone without any effort on their part.
- dig one's heels in — To refuse stubbornly to change one's mind.
- the scales fall from one's eyes — To suddenly see the truth after being deceived.
- feet of clay — A hidden weakness in someone or something admired.
- get to grips with something — To start dealing seriously with a problem.
- the law of the jungle — A situation where the strongest or most ruthless win.
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