Love and a cough cannot be hid.
Meaning: Genuine affection, like illness, inevitably reveals itself through visible signs despite attempts at concealment.
Origin: Recorded in A Dictionary of English Proverbs and Proverbial Phrases, an undated collection published in London by Whittaker & Co. around 1880 and credited to Thomas Preston. Its earlier history hasn't been traced.
Equivalents in French, Spanish, and German
- French: Amour, toux, fumée, et argent, ne se peuvent cacher longuement (literally: Love, a cough, smoke, and money, cannot long be hid)
- Spanish: Amor, tos y fuego, descúbrese luego (literally: Love, a cough and fire are discovered at once)
- German: Liebe und Husten lässt sich nicht verbergen (literally: Love and a cough cannot be concealed)
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