- Someone's real character, personality, beliefs, or intentions, especially when they are revealed after being hidden or misrepresented.
- Often implies that the revealed character is negative or less favorable than previously thought.
Explanation
Origin
- Believed to originate from naval or military practices. Ships and regiments carried flags or banners called 'colors' to identify their nationality or allegiance.
- Ships might sometimes fly 'false colors' to deceive an enemy or approach undetected.
- To 'show one's true colors' meant to raise the correct flag, revealing one's actual identity and intentions, often before battle. Metaphorically, it means revealing one's genuine self.
Synonyms & Related Expressions
Alternatives
Slang/Informal:
- Showed who they really are.
- The mask slipped.
- For real self came out.
Critical/Negative:
- Revealed their shitty side.
- Showed what they're really made of (Can be positive or negative depending on context, but often used negatively when following disappointment).
Situational Appropriateness
- Informal to semi-formal.
- Often used negatively, so be mindful of the context and potential impact when describing someone this way.
Misunderstanding Warnings
- While the phrase can technically refer to revealing positive traits, it's most often used when someone's previously hidden negative traits are exposed. Learners should be aware of this common negative bias.
Examples
- He seemed nice at first, but he showed his true colors during the argument.
- Difficult situations often make people reveal their true colors.
- It was disappointing to see her true colors emerge.
Dialogue
Sarah: I always thought Mark was really supportive, but when I needed help moving, he suddenly disappeared.
Leo: That's rough. Sounds like he showed his true colors when things got inconvenient.
Sarah: Exactly. It really made me re-evaluate our friendship.
Social Media Examples
- Tweet: It's amazing how a crisis can make people show their true colors. Seen a lot of kindness, but also some shocking selfishness. #community #truecolors
- Facebook Rant: Finally saw my colleague's true colors today after they tried to take credit for my work. Unbelievable. #workplacepolitics #disappointed
Response Patterns
- Agreement/Validation: I knew there was something off about him! / Yeah, I saw that too.
- Disappointment/Surprise: Really? I thought they were different. / That's disappointing.
- Request for details: What happened? / What did they do?
Common Follow-up Questions/Actions
After hearing someone showed their true colors:
- Asking for specific examples: How so? / What makes you say that?
- Discussing the implications for the relationship: So you don't trust them anymore?
- Sharing one's own perception of the person.
Conversation Starter
- Can be used to initiate a discussion about someone's character or a specific incident. Did you hear about...? It really showed his true colors.
Intonation
- Stress usually on TRUE COLORS.
- Often spoken with a tone of revelation, disappointment, or sometimes vindication (I knew it!). Showed his TRUE COLORS.
Generation Differences
- Widely understood across generations. The Cyndi Lauper song True Colors (1986) popularized the phrase further, often with a more positive connotation of showing authentic self, but the idiom itself retains the potential for negative revelation.
Regional Variations
- Common in all major English-speaking regions.