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To keep silent or quiet
- "Mum's the word" means to keep silent or quiet. Mum is a Middle English word meaning 'silent', and may be derived from the mummer who acts without speaking.
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‘Mum’s the word’ means ‘keep quiet – say nothing’. What's the origin of the phrase 'Mum's the word'? ‘Mum’s the word’ has become a popular name for baby product shops and nursery services, but the ‘mum’ in this phrase isn’t mother.
- Origin of ‘Mum’S The Word’
- Development of The Idiom ‘Mum’S The Word’
- What ‘Mum’S The Word’ Is Not
However, in using the word ‘mum’ Shakespeare was using one of the Old English words that were still in use in his time. It has nothing to do with ‘mother,’ which is how we use the word today, and it is that that leads to the confusion that this is about one’s mother. There is a similar word in Old High German – “stum” – which indicates a common anc...
In 1540 in John Palgrave’s translation of The Comedye of Acolastus we come across a variant of the phrase, “I dare not to do so moche as put my hande to my mouthe, and say mum, is counseyle”, which led to Shakespeare using it in the same way in Henry VI Part 2. The first instance of the use of the phrase ‘mum’s the word’ to caution someone to keep ...
‘Mum’ has nothing to do with Egyptian mummies, The word ‘mummy, applied to embalmed Egyptian corpses’ derives from ‘mum’ being an alternative name for the bitumen used for embalming. That may be the same word but it has completely different roots. Neither does ‘’mum’ come from the humming sound, ‘mmmm’ made with a closed mouth, indicating an unwill...
The phrase “mum’s the word” is a common idiom used in English to indicate that one should remain silent or keep a secret. This expression has been around for centuries, but its exact origins are not entirely clear.
Mum's the word is a popular English idiom. It is related to an expression used by William Shakespeare, in Henry VI, Part 2. [1] The word "mum" is an alteration of momme, which was used between 1350 and 1400 in Middle English with very close to the same meaning, "be silent; do not reveal".
The ‘mum’ of the phrase refers to the humming sound made with a closed mouth, representing an inability or unwillingness to speak. As a word, it can be written as ‘hum’ or ‘mmm’, and it has a long history in the English language, dating all the way back to the influential Middle English poem Piers Plowman , written by William ...
“Mum’s the word” is an idiomatic phrase that means to keep a secret or to stay silent about a certain matter. In English, we use it to show the importance of not revealing certain information or discussing a particular topic.
The term "mum's the word" means to keep quiet. Examples of Use: We're throwing a surprise party. Say nothing. Mum's the word. I don't want anyone to know that I'm pregnant yet, so mum's the word. The word "mum" in "mum's the word" has nothing to do with mothers.
