nachts sind alle Katzen grau

German

Alternative forms

  • bei Nacht sind alle Katzen grau

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈnaxts zɪnt ˌalə ˌkatsən ˈɡʁaʊ̯/
  • Audio:(file)

Proverb

nachts sind alle Katzen grau

  1. differences that are normally clearly noticeable may become blurred under certain circumstances; all cats are grey in the dark
    Hannah Arendt lehnte die Idee einer Kollektivschuld ab, weil sie dazu führe, dass nach dem Prinzip „Nachts sind alle Katzen grau“ die wirklich Schuldigen entlastet würden.
    Hannah Arendt rejected the idea of collective guilt, because she believed that it lead to exonerating the truly guilty according to the principle that “all cats are grey in the dark”.

Usage notes

  • The German saying may also refer to sexual attractiveness, but it is not particularly associated with this context.

Further reading

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