etymology - Why "silver-tongued" for someone who is convincing?


I understand that "silver-tongued" or "silver-tongued devil" means to be a good orator, or:



able to speak in a way that makes other people do or believe what you want them to do or believe Merriam Webster



My question is: why silver?


This question on quora goes into detail about where & when the phrase appears to originate from.


But why would silver be chosen as the adjective to describe someone's tongue?


I'm making the assumption that it means the valuable metal silver and not simply the color, but would gold not have been more apt, as it is worth more? Or why not jewel encrusted tongue?


It just seems rather arbitrary to choose a valuable metal, but not the most valuable, to describe someone with a tongue that is valuable. I was wondering if there is any evidence of a deeper or more substantial meaning as to the original choice.



Answer



It does not refer to the value but to the "sound" produced by silver objects:




  • Of voices, words, etc., from 1520s in reference to the metal's pleasing resonance; silver-tongued is from 1590s.



Etymonline


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