Meanings
present singular third person hides one's light under a bushel · participle present hiding one's light under a bushel · past hid one's light under a bushel · participle past hidden one's light under a bushel
- idiomaticTo conceal one's positive qualities or talents, especially due to modesty or shyness; to avoid attention.
He is singularly sparing in his correspondence, and unaccountably hides his light under a bushel.
1867 September, “History of the Foreign Missions of the Secession and United Presbyterian Church. By Rev. John McKerrow, D.D. Bridge of Teith. 8vo., pp. 528. Edinburgh: A. Elliot, 1867. [book review]”, in The Home & Foreign Record of the Canada Presbyterian Church, volume VI, number 11, Toronto, Ont.: […] [F]or the Committee, by Lovell & Gibson, […], →OCLC, page 3625 more examples
O then doe not knit vp your Maſters talent in a Napkin; ſmother not his light vnder a buſhell; […] but aboue all, ſquander not avvay your rich portions by riotous living.
[1624 March 23 (date delivered; Gregorian calendar), Robert Saunderson [i.e., Robert Sanderson], “[Ad Clerum.] The Third Sermon. At a Visitation at Boston Lincoln[shire] 13. March. 1624.”, in Twelve Sermons, […], [new] edition, London: […] Aug[ustine] Math[ews], for Robert Dawlman, and are to be sold by Robert Allet, […], published 1632, →OCLC, §. 33, page 117VVhen after all, a Man is fully convinced of Truth, and believes it in his Heart; yet, for Fear of Man, he hides this Light under a Bushel, by not confeſſing it before Men.
[1731, Augustus Hermannus Franke [i.e., August Hermann Francke], “Of the Signs and Effects which Discover the Fear of Man”, in [Anton Wilhelm Böhme], transl., Nicodemus: Or, A Treatise against the Fear of Man: […], 2nd English edition, Edinburgh: […] Thomas Lumisden and John Robertson, […], →OCLC, page 8"Really, Mrs. Scudder," said gallant old General Wilcox, "where have you kept such a beauty all this time? It's a sin and a shame to hide such a light under a bushel."
1859, Harriet Beecher Stowe, “The Party”, in The Minister’s Wooing, New York, N.Y.: Derby and Jackson, […], →OCLC, page 210[Y]ou've got a bright, intelligent face. I shouldn't wonder if you weren't rather clever. Why do you hide your light under a bushel?
1910 September, P[elham] G[renville] Wodehouse, “Pillingshot, Detective”, in Tales of Wrykyn and Elsewhere: Twenty-five Short Stories of School Life, Maidenhead, Berkshire: Porpoise Books, published 1997, →ISBN, pages 179–180He says I must become a writer. Think of it, me a writer! He says I'm a young Shakespeare, that I've been lazy and hid my light under a bushel!
1915, Winston Churchill, chapter VI, in A Far Country, New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company, →OCLC, section 4, page 91
Origin
Originally a reference to one of Jesus Christ’s parables recorded in Matthew 5:14–15, Mark 4:21–25, and Luke 8:16–18 of the Bible. For example, in the King James Version the passage from Matthew states (spelling modernized): “Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill, cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel: but on a candlestick, and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your father which is in heaven.” The parable uses the imagery of a candle hidden under an overturned bushel (“a dry-measure vessel with a capacity of eight gallons”), and is interpreted as a call to Christians to set a good example through their actions that other people may come to believe in the faith.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Chinese Mandarin 深藏不露
- 深藏不露 (shēncángbùlòu)to conceal one’s positive qualities or talents
Danish sætte sit lys under en skæppe
- sætte sit lys under en skæppeto conceal one’s positive qualities or talents
Finnish pitää kynttiläänsä vakan alla
- pitää kynttiläänsä vakan allato conceal one’s positive qualities or talents
French dissimuler son talent, faire preuve de modestie
- dissimuler son talentto conceal one’s positive qualities or talents
- faire preuve de modestieto conceal one’s positive qualities or talents
- mettre son talent sous le boisseauto conceal one’s positive qualities or talents
German sein Licht unter den Scheffel stellen
- sein Licht unter den Scheffel stellento conceal one’s positive qualities or talents
Hungarian véka alá rejt, véka alá rejti a tehetségét
- véka alá rejtto conceal one’s positive qualities or talents
- véka alá rejti a tehetségétto conceal one’s positive qualities or talents
Norwegian Bokmål sette sitt lys under en skjeppe
- sette sitt lys under en skjeppeto conceal one’s positive qualities or talents
Polish chować pod korcem, schować pod korcem
- chować pod korcemto conceal one’s positive qualities or talents
- schować pod korcemto conceal one’s positive qualities or talents
- trzymać pod korcemto conceal one’s positive qualities or talents
Russian зарыва́ть свой тала́нт в зе́млю, зары́ть свой тала́нт в зе́млю
- зарыва́ть свой тала́нт в зе́млю (zaryvátʹ svoj talánt v zémlju)to conceal one’s positive qualities or talents
- зары́ть свой тала́нт в зе́млю (zarýtʹ svoj talánt v zémlju)to conceal one’s positive qualities or talents
Swedish sätta sitt ljus under skäppan, sätta sitt ljus under ena skäppo
- sätta sitt ljus under skäppanto conceal one’s positive qualities or talents
- sätta sitt ljus under ena skäppoto conceal one’s positive qualities or talents
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with hide one's light under a bushel
All rhymes →Cite this entry
hide one's light under a bushel. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hide%20one's%20light%20under%20a%20bushel
“hide one's light under a bushel.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hide%20one's%20light%20under%20a%20bushel. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “hide one's light under a bushel,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hide%20one's%20light%20under%20a%20bushel.
Source: hide one's light under a bushel on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.