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keep one's own counsel

Idioms  
  1. Say little or nothing about one's opinions or intentions. For example, Betty is notorious for keeping her own counsel; you never know what she really thinks. This expression employs counsel in the sense of “a secret,” a usage dating from about 1300.


Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Is one’s life a lie because one makes so bold as to keep one’s own counsel?

From The Daughters of Danaus by Caird, Mona

In the expressions to keep a secret, keep one's own counsel, keep faith, or keep the faith, such words as preserve or maintain could not be substituted without loss.

From English Synonyms and Antonyms With Notes on the Correct Use of Prepositions by Fernald, James Champlin

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