"Mum's the word" means to keep silent or quiet. To have a lot... Life isn’t perfect. The phrase entered the vernacular thanks in no small part to Henry VI, Part 2 and the line: “Seal up your lips and give no words but mum.”. Why do we say ‘mum’s the word’? The 'mum' in the expression 'mum’s the word' is derived from the humming sound a closed mouth makes, indicating an inability or unwillingness to speak. More recently, the tradition has evolved to almost always include the character of a quack doctor, who revives the hero (usually Saint George - hooray!) The 'mum' of 'mum's the word' is 'mmm' - the humming sound made with a closed mouth, indicating an unwillingness or inability to speak.
A common one is to ask... We all have moments in our lives when we want to say, “I can’t help it!” Sometimes we’re... You may have heard many English speakers put ish at the end of certain words. Our best wishes for a productive day. Phrase mum's the word is recorded by 1704. A Swedish botanist named the chrysanthemum from the Greek words chrysos, … The word is of long standing in the language and first appeared in print in William Langland's Middle English narrative poem Piers Plowman, circa 1376: Thou mightest beter … A cultivated chrysanthemum. If you want to tell someone to keep something a secret or promise to keep a secret for someone else you can use this expression: mum's the word. It is related to an expression used by William Shakespeare, in Henry VI, Part 2.[1].
noun informal . The first citation of it in print that I have found is in A Walk Around London and Westminster - The Works of Mr. Thomas Brown, 1720: But Mum's the Word - for who would speak their Mind among Tarrs and Commissioners. The whole thing was looked on with displeasure by the church and the monarchy. [3] ), "an inarticulate closed-mouth sound" indicative of unwillingness or inability to speak, probably imitative. Thanks! 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 Langland in the 14th century. Mmm certainly was the word for the mummers - it was the only thing they were allowed to utter. Everything you ever wanted to know about... From the first Remembrance Day to remembrance today. The word mum to mean silent is related to the word mummer, which is a type of entertainment from Medieval times.Mummers performed dances, games or plays in silence.
Get He used the expression ‘mum is counsel’ In his work, The Comedye of Acolastus, he used the similar expression, ‘mum is counsel’: “I dare not do so moche as put my hande to my mouthe, and saye mum, is counseyle.”, Inevitably, any phrase with a Tudor origin is going to appear in Shakespeare. Main definitions of mum in English: mum 1 mum 2 mum 3 mum 4. mum 3. See more. The actual phrase, however, didn’t come from mummers but was possibly first used, in some form, in John Palsgrave’s 1540 translation of a Latin text. That form of the phrase was used in John Palsgrave's 1540 translation of the Latin text The Comedye of Acolastus: I dare not to do so moche as put my hande to my mouthe, and saye mum, is counseyle. That 'mummy' derives from 'mum' being an alternative name for the bitumen used for embalming. The origins of the phrase can be traced back to the fourteenth century and William Langland's narrative poem, Piers Plowman: At first it seems like a strange expression…mum is the word? So next time someone’s mystified about why ‘mum’s the word’, you won’t have to keep quiet about the explanation. There are many ways to tell someone you love them. At first it seems like a strange expression…mum is the word? Phrase mum's the word is recorded by 1704. abbreviation of chrysanthemum, by 1915 in the jargon of gardeners. Uninstall instructions, Get Ginger to check your grammar and spelling, Phrase
Page and check your text using a unique Contextual Grammar and Spell Checker. Though the oldest known use of the idiom mum’s the word occurred in 1704, the word mum was in use long before that time. To get from Piers Plowman to our modern English phrase, we have to go via the old English tradition of mummers’ plays. 'Mum's the word' later became the standard way of advising a person to keep quiet. Origin. The word 'mum' was first used by William Langland in his 1376 work Piers Plowman, and the expression itself became popular in the 16th century. As old as Piers Plowman, and as central to English folklore, is the English Christmas tradition of mumming. Catch Word #228 – It’s really eating me up! Mum definition, silent; not saying a word: to keep mum. Mum's the word is a popular English idiom. The concealing of the identity and not speaking was necessary as the mummers used the visit as an opportunity to get away with things that wouldn't in the rest of the year. Get Keyboard and check your text using a unique Contextual Grammar and Spell Checker. Mum’s the word is an admonition to keep something quiet, to keep something secret, to remain silent. Chrysanthemums, commonly referred to as mums, have become the go-to flower for front porch decor during the summer and fall season. From around the 17th century onward, mumming took the form of a public performance rather than a house call. The word 'mum' was first used by William Langland in his 1376 work Piers Plowman, and the expression itself became popular in the 16th century. The phrase ‘Mum’s The Word’ is used when you mean to keep quiet or say nothing. [Which, if your Middle English is a but rusty, translates as: The mayor and aldermen decree on the King's behalf that, over Christmas, no one should be so bold as to go out after dark and engage in any form of mumming or disguise themselves with false beards, masks or makeup, on pain of imprisonment.]. Example of Use: “Please don’t tell Mom what I’m getting her for her birthday.” Answer: “Mum’s the word!”. By entering your details, you are agreeing to HistoryExtra terms and conditions. Sadly, no complete texts of early mummers' plays have been preserved. But you will see it is not so complicated when we explain the possible origin of this expression and the meaning of mum. Note the similar English word "mime" (Old English "mīma", Latin "mimus") meaning silent actor or imitator. In British sociology, used from 1957 in reference to "the working class mother as an influence in the lives of her children." There are many expressions in English that use the imagery of pictures. What is your favourite sport to watch? In early mumming, the cast would dance or play games in silence – which is where we get ‘miming’ from – and began to popularise the idea of ‘mum’ being linked to keeping quiet. William Shakespeare’s rise from ‘upstart crow’ to England’s greatest playwright, From candy to diapers: the purity of American English, The battle of Saragarhi: when 21 Sikh soldiers stood against 10,000 men.
The ‘mum’ of the phrase refers to the humming sound made with a closed mouth, representing an inability or unwillingness to speak. As an adjective meaning "secret" or "silent" from 1520s. What we do know is that these mumming plays were a raucous mixture of pantomime, morris dancing and carol singing, played out by a group of outlandish characters in stylised costumes. It can also be seen in popular fifteenth-century Towneley Plays:[4]. There was never a definitive version in any case, as the acting, dancing, drinking and alms collecting that made up mumming varied from one parish to another. Thank you for subscribing to HistoryExtra, you now have unlimited access. The mummers had impunity to indulge in light-hearted mockery of their hosts and to swindle them of a few coins in crooked dice games. Outake that hit be leful to eche persone for to be honestly mery as he can, with in his owne hous dwelling. Weird. ), "an inarticulate closed-mouth sound" indicative of unwillingness or inability to speak, probably imitative. In this Catch Word episode, Andrew and Kassy teach you some useful English expressions to use to talk... We’re a team of English language professionals who want to help you become awesome at English! means to keep this a secret; don't tell anybody. Jeremy and Andrew look at two curious expressions... Are you a spender or a saver? "be silent," 1560s, from a verb mum (Middle English mommen) "make silent" (c. 1400); "be silent" (mid-15c. No, the origin of the phrase has nothing to do with a parent, or an Ancient Egyptian wrapped in bandages Share on Facebook; Share on Twitter; Share on Whatsapp; Email to a friend ; This competition is now closed. When you’re feeling down, it is still important to express yourself. If you want to tell someone to keep something a secret or promise to keep a secret for someone else you can use this expression: mum’s the word. We think it is important to learn English how it is really spoken. October 29, 2014 at 11:48 am . You will shortly receive a receipt for your purchase via email. Copyright 2020 Ginger Software | If you subscribe to BBC History Magazine Print or Digital Editions then you can unlock 10 years’ worth of archived history material fully searchable by Topic, Location, Period and Person. In this Catch Word episode, Andrew... Do you know what a weekend warrior is?
You have successfully linked your account! The tradition of mumming thrived throughout the Tudor period and continues until the present day. Mum is a Middle English word meaning 'silent',[2] and may be derived from the mummer who acts without speaking. In this episode of Catch Word, Andrew... Are you a sports fan? failing to speak or communicate etc when expected to. The phrase notably appears in Shakespeare's Henry VI, Part 2, Act 1, Scene 2: Seal up your lips and give no words but mum. https://media.blubrry.com/culips/p/esl.culips.com/audio/CW37_Mums_The_Word.mp3, Catch Word #38 – To push someone’s buttons, Catch Word #233 – I’ve got a lot on my plate, Catch Word #232 – That’s when it all went south. Though thi lyppis be stokyn, yit myght thou say 'mum'. Also sometimes a vulgar corruption of madam or ma'am. Please enter your number below. Although they mummed for all they were worth, the players didn't use the phrase 'mum's the word'; that usage came later, in the 17th century. The usual laws and social customs were relaxed during the twelve days of Christmas and superseded by 'misrule'. No, we’re not talking about food. The origins of the phrase can be traced back to the fourteenth century and William Langland's narrative poem, Piers Plowman:.mw-parser-output .templatequote{overflow:hidden;margin:1em 0;padding:0 40px}.mw-parser-output .templatequote .templatequotecite{line-height:1.5em;text-align:left;padding-left:1.6em;margin-top:0}.
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