Idiom
show one's true stripes
Meaning
To reveal one's real beliefs, sentiments, or character, especially through one's behavior.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Examples
“He finally showed his true stripes during the argument.”
“When the project became difficult, the manager showed his true stripes by blaming his team for the failure.”
“The politician maintained a calm facade for months, but the heated debate forced him to show his true stripes to the voters.”
Examples
simple
“He finally showed his true stripes during the argument.”
contextual
“When the project became difficult, the manager showed his true stripes by blaming his team for the failure.”
complex
“The politician maintained a calm facade for months, but the heated debate forced him to show his true stripes to the voters.”
Key words
Related idioms
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