Big Brother is Watching

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Meaning:

Big Brother is Watching means that someone is watching you, usually the government; they are watching everything you do. Spying on you.

“Be careful; big brother is watching.”

Origin:

The term Big Brother is watching you started as a scare tactic used in George Orwell's novel "1984." Published in 1949.

The book goes over an oppressive government of the future, as Orwell imagined it, made up of a figure called Big Brother. Big Brother is the government spy service, and big brother is used to intimidate the citizens. "Big Brother is watching" was a line of propaganda, the idea being that you have to do what the government wants because, if you don't, they will KNOW. Everybody is being spied on.

Example:

Today we still use the term Big Brother is watching. In today’s world, the practical application of Big Brother is watching you is in the form of Mobile Phones, digital facial recognition, satellites, and other security systems. Where it is said, they can see you and hear you, so they are always spying on you. You might also hear the phrase shortened to just big brother. An example sentence is:

“You need to be aware of everything you do around here. Big Brother sees everything.”

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