Moment of truth

The first appearance of this phrase in English is Hemingway’s Death in the Afternoon (1932) where it describes the critical moment at the end of a bullfight when the matador faces the bull with only the killing sword and a small cape called the muleta. The original Spanish phrase is el momento de la verdad and is probably several hundreds of years old. As the bull makes one last move towards the matador, the sword is thrust over the top of the deadly horns and into the back of the bull’s neck. In ideal circumstances, the bull is killed instantly. Some matadors fail this moment of truth and either execute a clumsy and lengthy kill or impale themselves on the bull’s horns. Bullfight audiences have been known to voice their displeasure at both outcomes.