show one's true colors
To reveal how one really is, as opposed to how one has been portrayed or after having…To reveal how one really is, as opposed to how one has been portrayed or after having been deceptively and deliberately misleading.
Meaning
1 senses(idiomatic, informal)To reveal how one really is, as opposed to how one has been portrayed or after having been deceptively and deliberately misleading.
Farbe bekennen, sein wahres Gesicht zeigen
Translations
6 languagesOrigin
Nautical origin. The word colors (or colours) refers to the flag or ensign which every shiNautical origin. The word colors (or colours) refers to the flag or ensign which every ship is obliged to fly at sea. It was once a common deception of pirates to “sail under false colours” and fly a friendly flag in order to get within close range of potential targets (other ships) without exciting suspicion. Only when the pirate ship reached close quarters would it unfurl its true colours.
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Forms
shows one's true colors, showing one's true colors, showed one's true colors, shown one's true colors| Base form | show one's true colors · to show one's true colors |
|---|---|
| 3rd person singular | shows one's true colors |
| Present participle | showing one's true colors |
| Past simple | showed one's true colors |
| Past participle | shown one's true colors / showed one's true colors |
irregular
Present simpleLesson
| I, you, we, they | show one's true colors |
| he, she, it | shows one's true colors |
Past simpleLesson
| all persons | showed one's true colors |
Present perfectLesson
| I, you, we, they | have shown one's true colors |
| he, she, it | has shown one's true colors |
Future simple (will)Lesson
| all persons | will show one's true colors |
Synonyms
2 synonymsLessons for this word
3 lessons- A1Present simple — Because it is a verb
- A1Past simple, regular verbs — Because of its past form
- A2Present perfect: introduction — Because of its past participle