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Idiom 'see the light of day'

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#1 (permalink) Thu Feb 15, 2007 9:15 am Idiom 'see the light of day'

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see the light of day

Be published, brought out, or born. For example, I wonder if her book will ever see the light of day, or The family reunion was a disaster, and I wish the idea for it had never seen the light of day, or When we visited Pittsburgh, we saw where Mom had first seen the light of day. [Early 1700s]

-The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.

Hi,

For the second example, I suppose 'see the light of day' could mean neither be published nor brought out nor born. Could I suggest it as 'be released from a jail or something?

Thank you.

haihao

Haihao
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#2 (permalink) Thu Feb 15, 2007 10:59 am Idiom 'see the light of day'

Hi, I don't think 'see the light of day' could really refer to being released from prison. It has the idea of either being shown or seen publicly or being born. It is more generally referring to something making its first appearance or being seen after being hidden for a long time before. A _________________ English as a Second Language You can read my ESL story Present Simple

Alan
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