Definition of: "keep one’s own counsel" with explanation and origin
Definition of: keep one’s own counsel with explanation and origin? Meaning of keep one’s own counsel with examples in English idiom dictionary.
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Definition of: "keep one’s own counsel" with explanation and origin
keep one’s own counsel
keep one’s own counsel
Meaning
- say little or nothing about one’s opinions or intentions.
- to remain silent about one’s thoughts or plans
- to say little or nothing about one’s opinion.
- to keep quiet about one’s views or intentions.
- to conceal one’s thoughts and intentions.
Examples in Sentences
- I doubted what he said, but I kept my own counsel.
- Naomi is naturally a private person, so she keeps her own counsel.
- Our boss is notorious for keeping his own counsel; you never know what he has in his mind.
- I would love to know what Talia thinks, but she keeps her own counsel.
- My boss is the person who says less but acts more, so he keeps his own counsel.
- He is notorious for keeping his own counsel; you never know what he is thinking.
- Her mother advised her to keep her own counsel.
- We were curious to understand why Jane kept her own counsel during the meeting and just listened to the rest of us.
Origin
This phrase employs the use of counsel in terms of a secret. Its usage dates back to the 1300s.
The earliest printed record of the phrase was found in 1547 in Charles Knight’s Popular History of England, Volume 2, originally published in 1856. It reads:
“Three may keep counsel, ” he said to Cavendish, “if two be away; and if I thought that my cap knew my counsel, I would cast it into the fire and burn it.”
The Origins of keep one’s own counsel
Secret, SilenceEnglish
Related Dictionary
- English Definition & Meaning Dictionary
- English Idioms and phrases Dictionary
- Dictionnaire Français
- Dictionnaire d'expressions idiomatiques et de phrases en français
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English Idioms and phrases
An idiom is a common word or phrase with a figurative, non-literal meaning that is understood culturally and differs from what its composite words' denotations would suggest; i.e. the words together have a meaning that is different from the dictionary definitions of the individual words (although some idioms do retain their literal meanings – see the example "kick the bucket" below). By another definition, an idiom is a speech form or an expression of a given language that is peculiar to itself grammatically or cannot be understood from the individual meanings of its elements.[3] For example, an English speaker would understand the phrase "kick the bucket" to mean "to die" – and also to actually kick a bucket. Furthermore, they would understand when each meaning is being used in context.
To evoke the desired effect in the listener, idioms require a precise replication of the phrase: not even articles can be used interchangeably (e.g. "kick a bucket" only retains the literal meaning of the phrase but not the idiomatic meaning).
Idioms should not be confused with other figures of speech such as metaphors, which evoke an image by use of implicit comparisons (e.g., "the man of steel"); similes, which evoke an image by use of explicit comparisons (e.g., "faster than a speeding bullet"); or hyperbole, which exaggerates an image beyond truthfulness (e.g., "more powerful than a locomotive"). Idioms are also not to be confused with proverbs, which are simple sayings that express a truth based on common sense or practical experience.
