Meanings
alternative a child should be seen and not heard
- Children should behave well and be quiet, especially in the presence of adults.
Until you can organize yourself and those who share your discontent, and compile and reconstruct some proposals for meeting the needs of gay youths, until you can present them in an adult (and I stress that word — ADULT) manner; lay low, my friend, for children should be seen and not heard.
1978 December 9, Donald Farwell, “Our Angry Young Man”, in Gay Community News, volume 6, number 20, page 4
Translations
Chinese Mandarin 小孩子應該少說話, 小孩子应该少说话
- 小孩子應該少說話children should be quiet
- 小孩子应该少说话 (xiǎo háizi yīnggāi shǎo shuōhuà)children should be quiet
- 大人說話children should be quiet
- 小孩子別插嘴children should be quiet
- 大人说话children should be quiet
- 小孩子别插嘴 (dàrén shuōhuà, xiǎoháizi bié chāzuǐ)children should be quiet
Finnish lasten pitää näkyä, mutta ei kuulua
- lasten pitää näkyä, mutta ei kuuluachildren should be quiet
Polish dzieci i ryby głosu nie mają
- dzieci i ryby głosu nie mająchildren should be quiet
Portuguese crianças devem ser vistas não ouvidas
- crianças devem ser vistas não ouvidaschildren should be quiet
Russian дете́й должно́ быть ви́дно, но не слы́шно
- дете́й должно́ быть ви́дно, но не слы́шно (detéj dolžnó bytʹ vídno, no ne slýšno)children should be quiet
Cite this entry
children should be seen and not heard. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/children%20should%20be%20seen%20and%20not%20heard
“children should be seen and not heard.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/children%20should%20be%20seen%20and%20not%20heard. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “children should be seen and not heard,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/children%20should%20be%20seen%20and%20not%20heard.
Source: children should be seen and not heard on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.