blow your own horn
/bloʊ jɔːr oʊn hɔːrn/
Meaning
This expression means to boast or talk proudly about your own achievements, talents, or successes. It is often used in a slightly negative way when someone does it too much, but it can also be used as advice to encourage someone to self-promote.
Examples
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I hate to blow my own horn, but I actually came up with the idea for the new marketing campaign.
I hate to blow my own horn, but I actually came up with the idea for the new marketing campaign.
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She is always blowing her own horn about how much money she makes, which gets really annoying.
She is always blowing her own horn about how much money she makes, which gets really annoying.
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If you don't blow your own horn once in a while, nobody at work is going to notice your hard work.
If you don't blow your own horn once in a while, nobody at work is going to notice your hard work.
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He is incredibly talented, but he never blows his own horn; he is just too humble.
He is incredibly talented, but he never blows his own horn; he is just too humble.
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You need to blow your own horn during the interview so they know what you are capable of.
You need to blow your own horn during the interview so they know what you are capable of.
Common Mistakes
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✗ She is always blowing her horn.
✓ She is always blowing her own horn.
Leaving out the word 'own' makes the idiom sound incomplete and unnatural. It must be 'own horn'.
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✗ He blew his own horn about his new car.
✓ He was blowing his own horn about his new car.
The idiom is most commonly used in the continuous form ('blowing his own horn') or with modal verbs ('need to blow'). Simple past 'blew' is grammatically correct but sounds very stiff to native speakers.
Related Expressions
Practice
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I don't mean to ___ , but I got a perfect score on the audition.
💡 Use the first-person singular form of the idiom.
Show answer
blow my own horn
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She is so modest that she never ___ , even when she wins an award.
💡 Remember to conjugate the verb for 'she'.
Show answer
blows her own horn