to take the mask off
1
7.2
- phrasal verb
:
quitarse la máscara
- During the interview, he decided to take the mask off and speak honestly about his experiences.
Examples
-
It's time to take the mask off and be honest.
-
After months of acting distant, she finally took the mask off and shared her true feelings.
-
It's refreshing when someone chooses to take the mask off instead of pretending to be perfect.
-
Why can't you just take the mask off?
-
After years of pretending to be someone else, she finally decided to take the mask off and show her true self.
-
In his speech, he encouraged everyone to take the mask off and be honest about their feelings.
-
When he took the mask off, his friends were surprised to see his vulnerable side.
Synonyms
∞
2.3
Show something that was hidden or secret
92
4.1
To say the truth about something you kept secret
23
4.2
Show what someone or something really is
9
6.3
To let people see who you really are, often under pressure
8
6.8
Reveal secret information that shocks people
7
4.0
Make something visible by removing a cover
5
8.1
To tell someone your private feelings or secrets openly
5
4.1
To remove a covering and show a person or thing for the first time
4
7.1
To reveal information that was previously hidden
3
7.0
To come out of hiding into the open
2
5.5
To show something hidden so people can see it
1
7.5
To tell everything about yourself, including private things
1
7.7
To make something hidden become visible by removing a cover or showing the truth
How Revealing
23
4.2
342
4.1
1
7.2
- Informal
9
6.3
5
5.6
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'to reveal one's true self' is directly derivable from combining 'take' (remove) with 'mask' (a covering or persona) and 'off' (indicating removal): removing a mask naturally implies revealing what lies beneath. This physical-to-metaphorical mapping is common across languages and follows a standard compositional pattern, so a B1 learner who knows the constituents can reasonably infer the intended meaning.
Etymology
Take the mask off comes from the image of someone removing a mask to show their real face. So when someone 'takes the mask off' today, they stop pretending and 'reveal their true self'.