Where does Mum's the word come from?

Mum's the word is a popular English idiom. It is related to an expression used by William Shakespeare, in Henry VI, Part 2. The word "mum" is an alteration of momme, which was used between 1350 and 1400 in Middle English with very close to the same meaning, "be silent; do not reveal".

Who came up with mums 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. 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.

What is the meaning of mum's?

1. countable noun. Your mum is your mother. You can call your mum 'Mum'. [mainly British, informal]

When did mum become a word?

Surprisingly, mum is the older word by nearly two centuries. The OED's first recorded use of mum is from 1595 (albeit the date is uncertain) whilst mummy dates back to 1768. The OED's etymology states that mum is probably a variant of mam.

Does mum mean silence?

Mum is an adjective that means keeping quiet. It can also be used by itself to mean Be quiet! This sense of mum is especially used in the expressions keep mum and mum's the word.

What does "mum's the word" mean?

Why do the British say mum?

What you are hearing is not mum as in mother, but ma'am, contraction of madam, with a strongly reduced vowel. In British English, it is mostly used as a sign of repect for a woman of superior rank, say, in the military or police.

Is mum a British word?

One word in particular that stands out in English dialects is the word we use for our mothers. The British typically use 'mum', and the Americans, 'mom'.

Why do British people say bloody?

Don't worry, it's not a violent word… it has nothing to do with “blood”.”Bloody” is a common word to give more emphasis to the sentence, mostly used as an exclamation of surprise. Something may be “bloody marvellous” or “bloody awful“. Having said that, British people do sometimes use it when expressing anger…

What do British call their parents?

More commonly people refer to their parents as their mum in UK English, or mom in US English, and their dad in both UK and US English. These words are more informal than mother and father. UK My mum and dad go there every year.

What is Dad stand for?

DAD is the acronym given to bad surgeons meaning, death and destruction.

What is the plural form of mum?

The plural form of mum is mums. Find more words!

Is mom an American?

Mum also has a few other meanings. Mom is the American English version. Mum is the British English version.

Is mum a Scrabble word?

MUM is a valid scrabble word.

What means keep mum?

Definition of keep/stay mum

informal. : to not tell anyone (about something) She told him to keep/stay mum about the project.

What do Southerners call their parents?

Other names such as Pop, Papa, Pap, pappy, to Old Man are also frequent references for Dads in the South.

Why do British say pants?

In British English, pants means underpants or, informally, nonsense. In American English, pants means trousers; the singular form is used as adjective. [BrEn] He thought we were going to be absolute pants. [AmEn] His pant leg was broken.

Why do British say oi?

"Oi" has been particularly associated with working class and Cockney speech. It is effectively a local pronunciation of "hoy" (see H-dropping), an older expression. A study of the Cockney dialect in the 1950s found that whether it was being used to call attention or as a challenge depended on its tone and abruptness.

Is Frick a swear word?

I know there are certain individuals who think c r a p is a swear word (even though it really isn't), but “frick” isn't a swear word by any sense of the meaning of “swear word”. No one is going to get offended by someone saying “frick”. If someone says “Frick”, they aren't going to start World War 3.

Why do Americans say zee?

Others argue that zee follows the rhyme pattern of the “Alphabet Song” — copyrighted in Boston in 1835 — making the song, and the alphabet, easier to learn. Zee became the American standard.

What do the British call their mothers?

We have several informal words for “mother” in English: mum (heard in much of England), mom (heard in much of America), and mam (heard in Ireland and Northern England).

What do they call mom in Australia?

Certainly if you're in the US, your mother is your “mom” – short for “mommy” and in the UK, Australia and New Zealand it's “mum” – shortened from “mummy”.

Why do Brits call math maths?

Math is an abbreviation of mathematics, which is a count noun in British English because there are different types of maths (geometry, algebra, calculus, etc.) and a mass noun that happens to end in an 's' in American English (like gymnastics in both dialects).

Do British say ma am?

In British English, ma'am has become uncommon, although it is prescribed when addressing the queen more than once: after first addressing her as Your Majesty, one uses ma'am. The term is also sometimes still used in the armed forces and security services when addressing female superiors.