Mum's the word Mum's the word Mum's the word is a popular English idiom. It is related to an expression used by William Shakespeare, in "Henry VI, Part 2". The word “mum” is a slanged version of momme, which was used between 1350-1400 in Middle English with very close to the same meaning: Be silent; Do not reveal "Mum's the word" means to keep silent or quiet. "Mum" is a Middle English word meaning 'silent', and may be derived from the "mummer" who acts without speaking. Note the similar English word "mime" (Old English "mīma", Latin "mimus") meaning silent actor or imitator. The
Old English Newsletter State University of New York's Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies. It is currently (2011) published at the Department of English, University of Tennessee. Old English Newsletter The Old English Newsletter is a peer-reviewed academic journal established in 1967. It covers Anglo-Saxon studies and is published by the University of Tennessee's Department of English for the Old English Division of the Modern Language Association of America. Its current editor is Roy Liuzza, of the University of Tennessee. The journal publishes an annual "Bibliography" and "Year's Work", which are widely relied upon. Many issues include obituaries of relevant scholars. The online