Mum's the word - the meaning and origin of this saying. ... Nor has 'mum' anything to do with Egyptian mummies, despite their ... played out by a group of bizarre characters in stylised fancy dress, is what has come down to us by oral tradition.

This expression dates from about 1700, but mum, meaning "silence," is much older. In 2 Henry VI (1:2) Shakespeare wrote, "Seal up your lips, and give no words ...

It is related to an expression used by William Shakespeare, in Henry VI, Part 2. [ edit] Meaning. "Mum's the word" means to keep quiet, to say nothing. "Mum" is a ...