The first is different, since you could also use it if an answer was given, but was not sufficiently clear. The second is different since it is much weaker, it is tacitly agreed that you didn't agree, but you also didn't disasgree.
Is there any idiom for your silence implies your consent?
asked Dec 21, 2011 at 20:34 Paul Wagland Paul Wagland 680 1 1 gold badge 6 6 silver badges 11 11 bronze badges Commented Dec 21, 2011 at 20:38No idioms that I can think of, but variations on silence is/implies consent/agreement/acquiescence abound.
Commented Dec 21, 2011 at 20:46 Daniel, if you made an answer out of that, I would vote it up! Commented Dec 21, 2011 at 20:58Per Daniel's comment: The phrase "tacit consent" pretty much covers the intended meaning. Also, "speak now or forever hold your peace," from the standard wedding ceremony is similar. Jocularly, the auctioneer's "going once, going twice. " can be used conversationally as well.
Commented Dec 21, 2011 at 21:15 @Danielδ - Nice link you provided - must bookmark it. Commented Dec 23, 2011 at 0:42I am not sure this qualifies as an idiom, but is a common enough expression: I would express it "unless I hear otherwise".
answered Dec 21, 2011 at 21:16 18.7k 2 2 gold badges 38 38 silver badges 80 80 bronze badges Or "unless someone objects" . ? Commented Dec 22, 2011 at 12:19Unless I hear otherwise, I am going to leave at 4:00.
Speak now or forever hold your peace.
answered Dec 21, 2011 at 23:37 Plastic Sturgeon Plastic Sturgeon 581 3 3 silver badges 8 8 bronze badges +1 This comes from wedding ceremonies, but is recognized and understood universally (in English). Commented Dec 22, 2011 at 16:44@BlueRaja: I doubt the first occurence of Speak now or forever hold. peace was in the context of a wedding, but you're right that this is the context we're all familiar with today.
Commented Dec 22, 2011 at 22:13Probably adding a "May" or "Please" in front would look better? - Please speak now or forever hold your peace ~or~ May speak now or forever hold your peace
Commented Dec 23, 2011 at 0:43This is too tied to the wedding ceremony. I would be very surprise to see this idiom in a contract, or in oral speech (without implying the reference to the wedding ceremony)
Commented Dec 23, 2011 at 10:56@rds: on the contrary, I think it is used often, though perhaps a little tongue-in-cheek, in oral communication.
Commented Dec 24, 2011 at 21:29There is a legal phrase 'silence is acquiescence', which I have seen used somewhat in business.
The trick, in business, is to soften it a bit to show that it is trying to spare someone from being obliged to reply (to an email, for example).
I have used this, as an example:
answered Dec 21, 2011 at 20:48 Michael Easter Michael Easter 2,998 1 1 gold badge 22 22 silver badges 18 18 bronze badgesDear team,
I propose that we reboot the server in 5 minutes.
No reply necessary. Silence is acquiescence.
+1. I've also heard "silence is consent" (which, going by Google, seems to be even more common) and "silence is concurrence" (which seems to be less common).
Commented Dec 22, 2011 at 1:30 Commented Dec 22, 2011 at 7:55It's possible that the word you're looking for is tacit, which means to be understood or implied without being stated.
answered Dec 21, 2011 at 21:15 171 2 2 bronze badgesI think this might be what you are looking for:
Google it, I believe it's a direct translation of "Qui tacet consentire".
By the way, German/English Dutch/English is not the only language that has this phrase. I know for a fact that there is a Russian expression that, translated literally to English, sounds something like: "Silence is a sign of agreement".
Also, here's what Ngram Viewer shows:
answered Dec 22, 2011 at 0:06 321 2 2 silver badges 9 9 bronze badgesIn Sanskrit, which, like Latin, is a Indo-European language, it is "Maunam Sweekruti Lakshanan" which translates as "Silence is a sign of acceptance".
Commented Dec 22, 2011 at 3:15It's in classic and modern Hebrew as well. And I believe that the NGram of this version vs "silence is consent" as per above is even more telling.
Commented Dec 22, 2011 at 7:57Didn't the same idiom exists in German and Russian, but I know the same idiom exists in Arabic language: Al-Sokoot 'Alamat Al-Ridha, meaning "The silence is the sign of acceptance."
Commented Dec 22, 2011 at 10:30The French version is "Qui ne dit mot consent". Wiktionary link : en.wiktionary.org/wiki/qui_ne_dit_mot_consent
Commented Dec 22, 2011 at 10:51 Uhm, where'd you get to German here? "Zwijgen is instemmen" is not, if that was what you referred to Commented Dec 22, 2011 at 12:31Sure. There is the phrase, "Silence is consent", sometimes given as "silence implies consent" or "silence is assent".
answered Dec 21, 2011 at 21:21 36.8k 3 3 gold badges 61 61 silver badges 110 110 bronze badges More often, and of long standing, is "Silence lends assent". Commented Dec 27, 2011 at 23:17Well, I don't recall ever hearing "Silence lends assent", and it rates well below "silence is assent" on Google ngram. Not to say it isn't used.
Commented Dec 31, 2011 at 4:48The phrase "tacit consent" refers to the consent given by the failure to dissent, although that isn't a standalone phrase. "Speak now or forever hold your peace" is used in the context of weddings, but doesn't get much use elsewhere.
Other than those, simply saying, "Your silence implies your consent" works just fine.
answered Dec 22, 2011 at 8:03 1,061 2 2 gold badges 7 7 silver badges 16 16 bronze badges Taciturn consent? Surely you mean tacit consent? Commented Dec 22, 2011 at 13:47"Without objection. ". We use this in parliamentary meetings. for example: "Without objection, so ordered." Or "Without objection, it has been moved to table the matter of . " this is an expedited way of obtaining unanimous consent without incurring the delay of formal and explicit agreement.
answered Dec 22, 2011 at 0:25 Canis Lupus Canis Lupus 22.1k 2 2 gold badges 39 39 silver badges 78 78 bronze badges I think nem. con. is more common, but it means the same. Commented Dec 22, 2011 at 12:49There was an author of military thrillers that used the term UNODIR for this situation.
It means UNless Otherwise DIRected. The usage was that the character would send a report up the chain of command and end it with "UNODIR I am going to do something crazy and kill the bad guys".
answered Dec 22, 2011 at 19:35 193 1 1 silver badge 5 5 bronze badgesThe direct translation of the latin Qui tacet consentit that has been thrown around here a few times is "He who is silent consents", but obviously that's not in common colloquial use -- nor, might I point out, is the latin phrase; not among your average English speaker.
In an informal setting, you're more likely to hear "he didn't say no" or "I never heard otherwise", which essentially carries the same meaning but without being a clearly-identifiable saying.
answered Dec 22, 2011 at 8:44 503 3 3 silver badges 11 11 bronze badgesHighly active question. Earn 10 reputation (not counting the association bonus) in order to answer this question. The reputation requirement helps protect this question from spam and non-answer activity.
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