never speak ill of the dead

never speak ill of the dead

It is immoral or objectionable to say malicious or defamatory things about someone who has passed away. A: "Ah, Tom was just a selfish old bigot." B: "Mary! Never speak ill of the dead!" You say we should never speak ill of the dead, but we should never forget the misdeeds of those who were once in power, either, lest history repeats itself.
See also: dead, ill, never, of, speak
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

Never speak ill of the dead.

Prov. You should not say bad things about dead people. Your Uncle Phil had a lot of faults, but there's no reason to talk about them now that he's gone. Never speak ill of the dead. I hate to speak ill of the dead, but Amy was a mean woman, God rest her soul.
See also: dead, ill, never, of, speak
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.
See also:
  • don't speak ill of the dead
  • you shouldn't speak ill of the dead
  • speak ill of
  • speak ill of (someone or something)
  • speak/think ill of somebody
  • sup with the devil
  • dine with the devil
  • poison pen
  • piece of work
  • piece of work, a
References in periodicals archive
People are often advised to never speak ill of the dead. Famed German psychoanalyst, Sigmund Freud, once commented about this special praise the living tend to give to the dead, writing: 'This consideration for the dead, which he really no longer needs, is more important to us than the truth, and, to most of us, certainly, it is more important than consideration for the living.'
George Bush Sr: Speaking ill of the dead
Wearing a mourning veil, the rapper said she was dressed for a funeral and her grandmother told her to never speak ill of the dead.
Remy Ma Reveals The Real Reason Behind Her Nicki Minaj Beef
THEY say never speak ill of the dead, which makes it pretty difficult to write about Maggie Thatcher.
WELL, SHE WAS THE QUEEN OF MEAN
? PeterPerthWA: We are fifth generation Scousers and my father always said never speak ill of the dead which I always thought was truly magnanimous, so all I will say is: Your God Will Know What Was In Your Heart, let''s hope he is as forgiving as you feel he should be.
WHAT YOU'RE SAYING ONLINE
De mortuis nihil nisi bonum, that is never speak ill of the dead. A worthy sentiment, but where Michael Jarvis was concerned no-one ever spoke ill of him.
He treated victory and defeat with the same easy grace; Steve Dennis pays tribute to a trainer who shunned the limelight but whose achievements took him to near the top of his profession
THERE used to be a saying: "Never speak ill of the dead." Nowadays you're hardly cold before someone rushes out a book to tell the world what a waste of space you really were.
Critic cannot equal his target
THERE used to be a saying "never speak ill of the dead".
A legend on and off screen
Byline: Never speak ill of the dead or somebody who has taken seriously ill, common wisdom says.
Ailing Das Munshi still holds sway
YOU should never speak ill of the dead but that is exactly what Cork City manager Damien Richardson unwittingly did after his team lost their FAI Cup game at Longford.
Damo deserves medal.. bosses need miracle
NEVER speak ill of the dead, which may explain why both North Belfast's UUP councillor David Browne and the Alliance's Tom Campbell diplomatically agreed on the recent passing of veteran local politician Frank 'Pootsie' Millar.
John Hunter's column: FRANK CHAT ON 'POOTSIE'
THE phrase "Never speak ill of the dead" has always struck me as peculiarly absurd.
Victor Lewis-Smith's column: SNAKE BEHIND THE CHARMER
Given that you should never speak ill of the dead, let us conclude that Ezzoud was merely misunderstood.
Misunderstood talent who divided opinion; MY FAVOURITE YORK MOMENT Ezzoud (1994 Juddmonte)
"NEVER speak ill of the dead" they say and everybody has been tripping over their own feet in their rush to slobber over the mortal husk of Old Heath and make great play over his honesty as a politician.
Willy Poole column
TV host Bruce Forsyth said: "Never speak ill of the dead. I think it is high time Diana was left alone."
Stars in fury at vicious attacks