Show Your True Colors

show your true colors

Welcome to English in a minute!

American English has a lot of color related idioms.

SHOW YOUR TRUE COLORS

Did you hear Kevin screaming at the new guy yesterday?

Uh, yes.

How could I not hear it?

I had always thought Kevin was so calm and so nice!

I had, too.

But then yesterday, he blew up when I asked him a simple question.

I think our friend Kevin is starting to show his true colors.

A person who “shows their true colors” is revealing their real self to others.

And usually, what is revealed is not good.

The saying comes from pirates.

They would fly a flag suggesting their ship was friendly.

But just as they got close enough to attack another ship, they would raise their pirate flag.

And that’s English in a minute!