hold a mirror to

English

Alternative forms

• hold up a mirror to

Verb

hold a mirror to (third-person singular simple present holds a mirror to, present participle holding a mirror to, simple past and past participle held a mirror to)

1. To reflect; to represent and by resemblance provide insight into.
   • 2009, Leah Wilson, In the Hunt: Unauthorized Essays on Supernatural, page 39:

     Or, as Dr. Gregory Stevenson suggests, do the supernatural trials and tribulations of the Winchesters appeal because they merely hold a mirror to the more mundane terrors we all face every day?

   • 2010, J. P. Singh, Globalized Arts: The Entertainment Economy and Cultural Identity:

     Such representations, which hold a mirror to the oppressed person's reality, arise from problem posing and dialogues that allow the meek to grasp the dimensions of their oppression.

   • 2011, Reginald Nettles, Rochelle Balter, Multiple Minority Identities, page 44:

     If these children have been their parents' gifts and teachers, then these stories shared by struggling but resilient parents is a gift to all of us. They hold a mirror to our own perceptions and to the influence—good and bad—that we can have on those we are trying to help.

   • 2012, Peter Johnson, Collingwood's The Idea of History:

     Bradley points towards this modern renaissance in history because he sees that history does not hold a mirror to the past, but embraces it through the critical understanding of the historian.

   • 2013, Making Sense of Hamlet!:

     They must be natural as theatre is meant to hold a mirror to reality and represent it.

2. To elucidate; to make explicit some aspect of.
   • 2005, Omar Swartz, In Defense of Partisan Criticism, page 55:

     To speak "truth to power" should not be considered negative: to hold a mirror to society, even a mirror that embodies the biases and anguish of its creator, is not a negative act.

   • 2009, Miriam Neff, From One Widow to Another: Conversations on the New You, page 38:

     My daughter Valerie, who has a unique ability to hold a mirror to my behavior, helped me see reality.

   • 2012, Merianne Liteman, Sheila Campbell, Jeffrey Liteman, Retreats That Work, page 143:

     All a facilitator can do is hold a mirror to the group.

   • 2013, Gillian I. Leitch, Donald E. Palumbo, C.W. Sullivan III, Doctor Who in Time and Space:

     In defining its media role, according to Hugh Greene, director-general of the BBC, the channel should continue to strive “to hold a mirror to what was going on in contemporary British society.”

3. Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see hold,‎ mirror.
   • 2011, David Borgenicht, Joshua Piven, Ben H. Winters, The Complete Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook: Man Skills:

     Hold a mirror to the pet's nose. If no condensation appears, the animal is probably dead.