hide one's light under a bushel
To conceal one's positive qualities or talents, especially due to modesty or shynessTo conceal one's positive qualities or talents, especially due to modesty or shyness; to avoid attention.
» Hide not your light under a bushel.
Tatoeba contributors · Tatoeba · CC BY 2.0 FRMeaning
1 senses(idiomatic)To conceal one's positive qualities or talents, especially due to modesty or shyness; to avoid attention.
sein Licht unter den Scheffel stellen
зарыва́ть свой тала́нт в зе́млюzaryvátʹ svoj talánt v zémlju, зары́ть свой тала́нт в зе́млюzarýtʹ svoj talánt v zémlju
Examples
4 sentencesHide not your light under a bushel.
Stop hiding your light under a bushel.
She just hides her light under a bushel.
deSie stellt ihr Licht unter den Scheffel. — Zaghawa
Stop hiding your light under a bushel, Hezekiah.
Translations
4 languagesBy meaning 1
By meaning 1
Origin
Originally a reference to one of Jesus Christ’s parables recorded in Matthew 5:14–15, MarkOriginally a reference to one of Jesus Christ’s parables recorded in Matthew 5:14–15, Mark 4:21–25, and Luke 8:16–18 of the Bible. For example, in the King James Version the passage from Matthew states (spelling modernized): “Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill, cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel: but on a candlestick, and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your father which is in heaven.” The parable uses the imagery of a candle hidden under an overturned bushel (“a dry-measure vessel with a capacity of eight gallons”), and is interpreted as a call to Christians to set a good example through their actions that other people may come to believe in the faith.
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Forms
hides one's light under a bushel, hiding one's light under a bushel, hid one's light under a bushel, hidden one's light under a bushel| Base form | hide one's light under a bushel · to hide one's light under a bushel |
|---|---|
| 3rd person singular | hides one's light under a bushel |
| Present participle | hiding one's light under a bushel |
| Past simple | hid one's light under a bushel |
| Past participle | hidden one's light under a bushel |
irregular · Lesson
Present simpleLesson
| I, you, we, they | hide one's light under a bushel |
| he, she, it | hides one's light under a bushel |
Past simpleLesson
| all persons | hid one's light under a bushel |
Present perfectLesson
| I, you, we, they | have hidden one's light under a bushel |
| he, she, it | has hidden one's light under a bushel |
Future simple (will)Lesson
| all persons | will hide one's light under a bushel |
Lessons for this word
3 lessons- A1Present simple — Because it is a verb
- A1Past simple, irregular verbs — Because of its past form
- A2Present perfect: introduction — Because of its past participle