The phrase “keep mum” originated in the 14th century and is linked to silent plays called “mummies.” “Mom” is imitative of a closed mouth and has Persian origins. The slang term is used in many English-speaking countries and can create humorous double entendres in headlines.
The phrase “keep mum,” as in “keep silent,” has its origins in the 14th century, and there are a number of related phrases that also use “ma,” illustrating the many ways a language can diverge through daily use. The concept of keeping mum also crops up in some puns using the British slang term “mama” for “mother,” which dates back to the early 1800s. World War II propaganda posters, for example, exhorted readers to “Stay Like Dad: Keep Mum” or, alternatively, “Be Like Dad: Keep Mum”.
“Mom” appears to be a word of imitative origin, referring to the “mmmmmm” sound people make when their mouth is closed and they try to speak, or when someone tries to speak with a hand clamped over their mouth. Since the 14th century, people have been talking about “keeping mum” to underscore the idea that they won’t reveal a secret or talk about an issue. People, of course, also told each other not to talk.
The term was also borrowed from members of the performing community, who began putting on “mummies,” or silent plays, around the same time. In one mummy, people wore masks to hide their identities and depicted a scene often laden with political and social commentary. The actors who attended such performances were known as mummers, and sometimes high-ranking members of society also attended, using the disguises as an excuse to get involved in some frivolity.
In 1704, people said “mama is the word,” referring to the idea of keeping mama. “Mom” is also linked to “mumps,” a disease that causes painful swelling of the face that makes it very difficult to speak. “Mom,” however, comes from a Persian word, mumiya, which refers to the waxes used to prepare Egyptian mummies for burial, though mummies are certainly good at holding mums too.
This slang term is used in many English-speaking countries and occasionally translates into some humorous titles in Britain, thanks to the fact that “mum” can refer to silence or a mother. For example, the headline “Politician Keeps Mom On Drugs” could read two different ways, depending on which “mom” you have in mind. Some newspapers deliberately create double entendres with this in mind, and other times the funny headlines are purely coincidental.
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