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ver el cobre

English translation: show one's true colours


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GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
Spanish term or phrase:dejar ver el cobre
English translation:show one's true colours
Entered by: Carol Gullidge
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10:58 Jan 30, 2007
Spanish to English translations [PRO]
Art/Literary - Poetry & Literature
Spanish term or phrase: ver el cobre
In a letter of complaint from a speaker of Latin American Spanish. Sentence = "Que facil las personas falsas dejan ver el cobre". I can find the expression "ver el cobre" in various places on the Internet but can't figure out exactly what it means in English - any suggestions?
Amy Barter
United Kingdom
Local time: 17:59
show their true colours
Explanation:
a Latin Am interpretation, according to my trusty Collins,
although the term quoted therein is "enseñar el cobre"
Selected response from:

Carol Gullidge
United Kingdom
Local time: 17:59
Grading comment
Thanks Carol - I'd even checked my trusty Collins but managed to overlook this entry :-)
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
4 +5show their true colours
Carol Gullidge


Discussion entries: 3





  

Answers


13 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +5
show their true colours


Explanation:
a Latin Am interpretation, according to my trusty Collins,
although the term quoted therein is "enseñar el cobre"

Carol Gullidge
United Kingdom
Local time: 17:59
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 271
Grading comment
Thanks Carol - I'd even checked my trusty Collins but managed to overlook this entry :-)

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  patricia scott: I didn't see yours Carol. It's the exact translation. Enseñar and dejar ver have the same meaning here.
1 min
  -> thanks, Patricia!
agree  aceavila - Noni
3 mins
  -> thanks, aceavila (sounds as if you're in a lovely part of the world!)
agree  Manuel Cedeño Berrueta: to show one’s true colors (Oxford); to show one’s true colorus (Harper Collins) [Does the English phrase have the same negative connotation as the Spanish phrase?]
19 mins
  -> thanks, Manuel. Yes, I can't actually think how the English phrase could have good connotations. It usually implies some sort of previous deceptive appearances
agree  Daniel Burns
37 mins
  -> thanks, Daniel!
agree  Refugio: Although the connotations are usually negative, they can sometimes be positive, as when a shy and apparently diffident person unexpectedly performs a heroic action.
5 hrs
  -> that's a great example, thanks, Ruth! Although "show their true mettle" might be even more apt in that particular case (maybe not!)
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