show one's true colors

短语

露出真面目

发音

AU

词形变化

showed one's true colors showing one's true colors shown one's true colors shows one's true colors 三单 shows one's true colors showing one's true colors 现在分词 showed one's true colors 过去式 shown one's true colors 过去式 shown one's true colors 过去分词 showed one's true colors 过去分词

别名

show one's true colours

释义与例句

v.
  1. 1.

    To reveal how one really is, as opposed to how one has been portrayed or after having been deceptively and deliberately misleading.

    露出真面目

    习语 非正式

词源

Nautical 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.

来源：wiktionary