bloʊ jɔr oʊn ˈtrʌmpɪt
- Literally:
- To play a trumpet to announce yourself
What does "blow your own trumpet" mean?
- To boast about your own achievements
- To praise yourself publicly
Examples
- I don't like to blow my own trumpet, but I did win three awards.
- He's always blowing his own trumpet about his sales records.
- She rarely blows her own trumpet despite her achievements.
Origin
From medieval times when heralds would blow trumpets to announce the arrival of important people. If you blow your own trumpet, you're announcing your own importance. American English uses 'blow your own horn.'
How to use it
British English uses 'trumpet' while American English prefers 'horn.' Often preceded by 'not to' or 'without' when trying to sound modest while actually boasting.
Similar expressions
Opposites
Related idioms
- actions speak louder than words
What people do is more important than what they say
- better safe than sorry
It's better to be careful and prevent problems than to take risks
- so far so good
Things have gone well up to now
- easier said than done
Something is more difficult to do than to talk about
- make a long story short
To summarize or get to the point
- to make matters worse
In addition to existing problems
Use it in a practice answer
Try "blow your own trumpet" in a CELPIP-style Speaking or Writing task. The AI feedback tells you whether your word choice worked.