PEOPLE are only just finding out where the phrase “show your true colours” comes from.
And it’s probably more unsettling than you originally thought.
According to history channel A Look Back In Time, the idiom gained traction back in the times of world wars.
It’s thought that warships would use different flags to confuse their enemies.
But when it came to actually firing, they had to show their real flag - or show their true colours.
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In a TikTok video, the history account explained: “To confuse their enemies, warships would use multiple flags.
“However, warfare rules dictated that ships must show their actual flag before firing.
“So they had to ‘show their true colours’.”
People were blown away by the revelations.
One said: “My life is now fulfilled because of this information.”
A second penned: “How is it possible that I have learnt more about history from TikTok than I have in schools?”
The idiom means to reveal your true nature, feelings or motives after concealing them beforehand.
Grammarist further explained: “The phrase show one’s true colours is derived from nautical jargon.
“The colours of a ship are its flags.
“Sometimes, a ship would lower its colours or even fly the enemy’s colours to gain the advantage in a naval battle.
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“Therefore, to show one’s true colours meant to lower a counterfeit flag and raise the flag of the sovereignty whose allegiance the ship truly pledged.”
The phrase was mentioned as early as the 1500s but took on its current meaning in more recent centuries.
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