'Rang true' - Wordsmith.org

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#206691 - 08/16/12 11:10 AM 'Rang true'
phelank stranger Registered: 08/16/12 Posts: 1	I am trying to find a specfic history of the idiom 'rang true.' I know the phrase was used in testing 'certain metals', but haven't been able to find which specific metals might have been tested, or which would have been most likely to indeed ring true. Any history on this phrase would be greatly appreciated -- I figured you guys would be the ones to ask!
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#206692 - 08/16/12 11:46 AM Re: 'Rang true' [Re: phelank]
tsuwm Carpal Tunnel Registered: 04/03/00 Posts: 10461 Loc: this too shall pass	Ring false and the antonym, ring true, which means "seem genuine," allude to the old practice of judging a coin genuine or fake by the sound it gives out when tapped. This practice became obsolete when coins ceased to be made of precious metals, but by then the idioms were being used to refer to other matters. - The American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms
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