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Long ago, when kings, queens and emperors ruled many nations, they often had a system whereby others would announce their arrival in an impressive way. Especially when there was a large crowd of people talkingand making noise, one very effective way to get their attention and make them stop talking was to have one or more musicians blow (or "toot," which is a more childish term) upon a horn.
古時候的國王、皇后和皇帝統治著許多國家。他們往往有一個規定——他們每到一個地方時，會讓人用一個令人印象深刻的方式宣示他們的到來。尤其是在聚集了大量人群或人聲嘈雜的時候，可以引起他們注意力并使他們停止喧嚷的一個非常有效的方式就是讓一個或多個樂師吹響號角（同孩子們的話說，就是吹出“嘟嘟”的聲音）。
In very olden times, that horn might be an actual ram's or bull's horn, or even a large conch shell. With more sophistication, these became brass instruments such as trumpets. Today we use the memory of this symbolic fanfare to criticize people who talk too much about their own achievements or good qualities. When we say to someone, "Don't blow (or toot) your own horn!" we are suggesting they should be more modest and not quite so prideful about their own accomplishments.
從前，這種號角就是公羊或公牛的角，甚至是一個大海螺。隨著制作工藝越來越成熟，這些號角慢慢演變成了銅制的樂器，比如說小號。今天我們用這個比喻的說法來批評某些人過份地吹噓自己的成績或者品質。當我們對他們說：“別吹了！”我們是在建議他們要謙虛一點，不要自滿于所取得的成就。
