Twelve good men and true


What's the meaning of the phrase 'Twelve good men and true'?

A jury.

What's the origin of the phrase 'Twelve good men and true'?

When this phrase was coined, in the early 17th century, ‘good’ implied distinguished rank or valour. These days people aren’t required to be valiant or of high rank in order to be part of a jury. They aren’t even required to be men, as women have been called for jury in both the UK and USA since around 1920. This was a consequence of the women’s suffrage movement. Prior to the 1920s the opponents of the movement were appalled by the fact that, if women could vote, they could also sit on juries. This was considered worse by some than the right to vote itself. In 1915, the Massachusetts Anti-Suffrage Committee argued, “Jury duty for your wife or your daughter is almost unthinkable. Yet it will be part of her legal duty as a voter.”

The ‘twelve good men and true’ have been referred to since at least the 17th century; for example, in Thomas Randolph’s Poems: with The muses looking-glasse; and Amyntas, circa 1635:

“I had rather… haue his twelve Godvathers, good men and true, contemne him to the Gallowes.”

Trend of twelve good men and true in printed material over time

Gary Martin is a writer and researcher on the origins of phrases and the creator of the Phrase Finder website. Over the past 26 years more than 700 million of his pages have been downloaded by readers. He is one of the most popular and trusted sources of information on phrases and idioms.

Gary Martin

Writer and researcher on the origins of phrases and the creator of the Phrase Finder website. Over the past 26 years more than 700 million of his pages have been downloaded by readers. He is one of the most popular and trusted sources of information on phrases and idioms.
Twelve good men and true

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