Meaning of show one's true stripes | Babel Free

Definitions

To reveal one's real beliefs, sentiments, or character, especially through one's behavior.

idiomatic

Examples

“Fidel Castro showed his true stripes again—as if they weren't indelible enough already—by letting his MiGs shoot down two of three unarmed Cuban-exile planes off Havana's coast on Saturday.”

““Now they're showing their true stripes,” Iimmy Fioretos said. “The Turks wanted to invade all along. That malarkey about ‘protecting the Constitution’ was just a pretext.””

“"My fear is that Bill Ford is showing his true stripes as just another short-sighted auto executive with no interest in the environment."”

CEFR level