To show your true colours

Meaning: To reveal your real character at last.

Language: English

Literally: To show your true colours

Category: Daily Life

Origin: Nautical; warships once flew false flags to deceive, then raised their true colours before attacking.

More idioms — Daily Life

• To let off steam — To release pent-up emotion or stress.
• To face the music — To confront the unpleasant consequences of your actions.
• To add insult to injury — To make a bad situation worse by a further offence.
• Aus dem Häuschen sein — To be beside yourself with excitement.
• No dar pie con bola — To get everything wrong; to do nothing right.
• Capire fischi per fiaschi — To misunderstand completely.

More English idioms

• To take with a pinch of salt — To regard a claim with healthy scepticism.
• To butter someone up — To flatter someone to win their favour.
• Russian roulette — Any high-risk activity undertaken needlessly, where disaster may strike without warning.
• pull back the curtain — To expose a hidden truth or reality behind an appearance.
• present company excepted — These remarks do not apply to anyone currently present in this conversation.
• on sufferance — Tolerated reluctantly and only because one has no better choice.

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