What Are Your 'True Colors'?
2024-03-31
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1And now, Words and Their Stories, from VOA Learning English.
2On today's show, we talk about colors.
3Sometimes we talk about our feelings with words describing colors.
4For example, if I am feeling down or a bit sad, I can say I am "blue."
5If I'm angry, I might say that I see "red."
6If I'm out of sorts or really unhappy, I can say I'm in a "black" mood.
7If I want something that someone else has, I can say I'm "green" with envy.
8All these different feelings can be represented with colors.
9But what about your "true colors?" What does it mean to show your true colors?
10If we show our "true colors," we are true to ourselves.
11We show what we are really like.
12We reveal our true nature, character, or personality.
13For example, I have a friend who loves the sun and sea.
14When she is at the beach, she shows her "true colors."
15She's very active -- swimming in the sea, walking along the beach, and enjoying other outdoor activities.
16When she is away from the beach, she doesn't seem herself. She is often inside and not very active.
17However, showing one's true colors does not always mean something good.
18Some people may present themselves in a way other than how they really are.
19They might seem to have positive characteristics.
20They act kind, pleasant, generous, or helpful.
21But in fact, they are really the opposite.
22They are not showing their "true colors."
23They keep their "true nature" hidden.
24Let's listen to this example:
25A: You know, I thought Mack was easygoing. But then I worked with him on a big project.
26B: I know exactly what you mean. He's easygoing and fun to work with when he gets his way. But if you question any of his ideas, he shows his true colors.
27A: That is exactly what happened! I suggested an alternative to his idea, and he became really rude ... and mean.
28Some word experts say the expression "true colors" dates back to the 1700s and comes from the world of sailing ships.
29Colored flags were, and still are, used to show what country a ship was registered to and to communicate with other ships at a distance.
30The ship's colors were its flags.
31Pirates' ships would sail under "false colors," meaning under a friendly flag.
32They would do this to get close to other ships without raising concern.
33Then, when the pirates were close enough and ready to attack, they would raise their "true colors."
34Another expression with a similar meaning is to show your stripes.
35Stripes can be your true nature and something you cannot hide or remove.
36However, this expression is less common.
37Here is an example:
38Marisa showed her true stripes when her back was against the wall.
39When she had no way out of the problems that she had created, she blamed everyone ... everyone but herself, that is.
40And that's this week's Words and Their Stories. Until next time...
41I'm Anna Matteo.
1And now, Words and Their Stories, from VOA Learning English. 2On today's show, we talk about colors. 3Sometimes we talk about our feelings with words describing colors. For example, if I am feeling down or a bit sad, I can say I am "blue." If I'm angry, I might say that I see "red." If I'm out of sorts or really unhappy, I can say I'm in a "black" mood. If I want something that someone else has, I can say I'm "green" with envy. 4All these different feelings can be represented with colors. But what about your "true colors?" What does it mean to show your true colors? 5If we show our "true colors," we are true to ourselves. We show what we are really like. We reveal our true nature, character, or personality. 6For example, I have a friend who loves the sun and sea. When she is at the beach, she shows her "true colors." She's very active -- swimming in the sea, walking along the beach, and enjoying other outdoor activities. When she is away from the beach, she doesn't seem herself. She is often inside and not very active. 7However, showing one's true colors does not always mean something good. Some people may present themselves in a way other than how they really are. They might seem to have positive characteristics. They act kind, pleasant, generous, or helpful. But in fact, they are really the opposite. They are not showing their "true colors." They keep their "true nature" hidden. 8Let's listen to this example: 9A: You know, I thought Mack was easygoing. But then I worked with him on a big project. 10B: I know exactly what you mean. He's easygoing and fun to work with when he gets his way. But if you question any of his ideas, he shows his true colors. 11A: That is exactly what happened! I suggested an alternative to his idea, and he became really rude ... and mean. 12Some word experts say the expression "true colors" dates back to the 1700s and comes from the world of sailing ships. Colored flags were, and still are, used to show what country a ship was registered to and to communicate with other ships at a distance. The ship's colors were its flags. 13Pirates' ships would sail under "false colors," meaning under a friendly flag. They would do this to get close to other ships without raising concern. Then, when the pirates were close enough and ready to attack, they would raise their "true colors." 14Show your true stripes 15Another expression with a similar meaning is to show your stripes. Stripes can be your true nature and something you cannot hide or remove. However, this expression is less common. 16Here is an example: 17Marisa showed her true stripes when her back was against the wall. When she had no way out of the problems that she had created, she blamed everyone ... everyone but herself, that is. 18And that's this week's Words and Their Stories. Until next time... 19I'm Anna Matteo. 20Anna Matteo wrote this lesson for VOA Learning English. 21______________________________________________ 22Words in This Story 23envy -n. the unhappy feeling of disliking someone because they have or are something that you are not 24reveal -v. to show or uncover something 25character -n. the deep qualities that make a person who they are and form their personality 26generous -adj. being considered someone who gives freely without worry or hesitation 27alternative -n. a choice or choices other than the one being considered 28rude -adj. behaving in a way that appear loud and unsociable 29back was against the wall -idiom : in a bad position in which one is forced to do something in order to avoid failure 30We want to hear from you. Do you have similar expressions in your language? Our comment policy is here.