emperor's new clothes en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- (Australia) audio
Etymology
After The Emperor's New Clothes, a tale by Danish author Hans Christian Andersen.
Meanings
-
(idiomatic, plural, plural-only) Something obvious and embarrassing that is politely ignored or that goes unacknowledged.
Marks & Spencer announced a 19% fall in annual profits on Tuesday.
2005 May 26, “Is an M&S suit the emperor's new clothes?”, in The Guardian, UK:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| the emperor's new clothes | Number=Plur | canonical | lexicographic |
Relateds
paromologia · paromology · acknowledge the corn
Synonyms
Translations (13)
sk cisárove nové šaty (something obvious and embarrassing that is politely ignored) · pt roupas novas do imperador (something obvious and embarrassing that is politely ignored) · sv kejsarens nya kläder (something obvious and embarrassing that is politely ignored) · hu a császár új ruhája (something obvious and embarrassing that is politely ignored) · pl nowe szaty cesarza (something obvious and embarrassing that is politely ignored) · pl nowe szaty króla (something obvious and embarrassing that is politely ignored) · ja 裸の王様 (something obvious and embarrassing that is politely ignored) · no keiserens nye klær (something obvious and embarrassing that is politely ignored) · cmn 國王的新衣 /国王的新衣 (something obvious and embarrassing that is politely ignored) · pt roupa nova do imperador (something obvious and embarrassing that is politely ignored) · vi bộ quần áo mới của hoàng đế (something obvious and embarrassing that is politely ignored) · fi keisarin uudet vaatteet (something obvious and embarrassing that is politely ignored) · da kejserens nye klæder (something obvious and embarrassing that is politely ignored)
wikipedia: The Emperor's New Clothes · wikipedia: Hans Christian Andersen