phrases, sayings, idioms and expressions at

Ring Of Truth

Posted by Smokey Stover on November 27, 2006

In Reply to: Ring Of Truth posted by Sathyaish Chakravarthy on November 27, 2006

: Ring Of Truth

: I know what the expression means. I am interested in knowing how it came to be. What does the word 'ring' in any of its various meanings have to do with 'the truth'?
: :

One of the meanings of ring is the sound. At one time, merchants and other people using coins were very happy if a coin, when dropped on, say, a counter, had the proper metallic ring, of ringing sound, indicating that the metal was the right kind, not a base metal. If something has the ring of truth, then it sounds as though it were true. Not much of a guarantee, but there it is.
SS

© 1997 – 2024 Phrases.org.uk. All rights reserved.