honi soit qui mal y pense

English

Alternative forms

• honni soit qui mal y pense (modern French spelling)

Etymology

Borrowed from Middle French honi soit qui mal y pense (literally “shamed be whoever thinks bad of it” or “shame be to him who thinks evil of it”).

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˌɒni ˌswɑː kiː ˌmal iː ˈpɒ̃s/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˌɔni ˌswɑ ki ˌmɑl i ˈpɑ̃s/, /ˌoʊni -/
• Rhymes: -ɒns

Phrase

honi soit qui mal y pense

1. The motto of the British chivalric Order of the Garter, still used in the royal coat of arms of the United Kingdom.

   Synonyms: evil to him that evil thinks, shame be to him who thinks evil of it, shame to him who thinks ill of it

   • 1821 September–October, [Thomas De Quincey], “[Part II.] Introduction to the Pains of Opium.”, in Confessions of an English Opium-Eater, 2nd edition, London: […] [J. Moyes] for Taylor and Hessey, […], published 1823, →OCLC, page 119:

     I am at this period, viz. in 1812, living in a cottage; and with a single female servant (honi soit qui mal y pense), who, amongst my neighbours, passes by the name of my "housekeeper."

Translations

honi soit qui mal y pense

• Dutch: schande over wie er kwaad van denkt
• Esperanto: honton al tiu, kiu pensas malbonon
• French: honi soit qui mal y pense (fr), honni soit qui mal y pense (fr)
• German: ein Schelm, der Böses dabei denkt
• Hungarian: rossz az, aki rosszra gondol
• Polish: hańba temu, kto widzi w tym coś nieprzystojnego
• Portuguese: execrado seja quem nisto vê malícia

Further reading

• honi soit qui mal y pense on Wikipedia.Wikipedia