to give oneself away
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
To betray oneself by some thoughtless action or remark; to damage one's own cause by carelessly letting something out.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “to give oneself away” mean?
To betray oneself by some thoughtless action or remark; to damage one's own cause by carelessly letting something out.
Is “to give oneself away” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.