Honi soit qui mal y pense


Honi soit qui mal y pense is a French maxim used as the motto of the British chivalric Order of the Garter.
It is translated as "May he be shamed who thinks badly of it"
or "Shame be to him who thinks evil of it"
or "Evil be to him that evil thinks"although the French phrase is not gendered. In current French usage, it may be used ironically to insinuate the presence of a hidden agenda or a conflict of interest.

Origin

There is a connection between the Order of the Garter and the Middle English poem Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.
The motto is inscribed, as hony soyt qui mal pence, at the end of the text in the manuscript, albeit in a later hand.
In the poem, a girdle, very similar in its erotic undertones to the garter, plays a prominent role. A rough equivalent of the Order's motto
has been identified in Gawain's exclamation corsed worth cowarddyse and couetyse boþe.
While the author of that poem remains disputed, there seems to be a connection between two of the top candidates and the Order of the Garter, John of Gaunt, and Enguerrand de Coucy, seventh Sire de Coucy. De Coucy was married to King Edward III's daughter, Isabella, and was given admittance to the Order of the Garter on their wedding day."
According to historian Elias Ashmole, the foundation of the Garter occurred when Edward III of England prepared for the Battle of Crécy and gave "forth his own garter as the signal."
According to Polydore Virgil's Anglica Historia, written in 1512-1513, 166 years after the event, the origin was a trivial mishap at a court function. King Edward III was dancing with Joan of Kent, his first cousin and daughter-in-law, at a ball held in Calais to celebrate the fall of the city after the Battle of Crécy. Her garter slipped down to her ankle, causing those around her to laugh at her humiliation. Edward placed the garter around his own leg, saying: "Honi soit qui mal y pense. Tel qui s'en rit aujourd'hui, s'honorera de la porter." For most scholars, this version is apocryphal, as there are no contemporary sources and garters were not worn by women at the time.
According to David Nash Ford:

Heraldic use

In English heraldry, the motto Honi soit qui mal y pense is used either as a stand-alone motto upon a motto scroll, or upon a circular representation of the Garter. Knights and Ladies of the Garter are entitled to encircle the escutcheon of their arms with the garter and motto. The latter usage can also be seen in the royal coat of arms of the United Kingdom, with the motto of the royal arms, Dieu et mon droit, being displayed on a scroll beneath the shield. As part of the royal arms, the motto is displayed in many public buildings in Britain and colonial era public buildings in various parts of the Commonwealth. The royal arms appear on many British government official documents ; on packaging and stationery of companies operating under Royal Warrant.
Several military organisations in the Commonwealth incorporate the motto inscribed upon a garter of the order within their badges and some use Honi soit qui mal y pense as their motto. Corps and regiments using the motto in this fashion are :
In the last episode of Series 3 of BBC mockumentary The Thick of It, it is revealed that one of spin-doctor Malcolm Tucker's catchphrases is "Honi soit qui Malky fuck".
In the 2018 episode of Doctor Who - The Witchfinders, the Doctor notes that it is the motto on the garter of King James.
In the M*A*S*H episode "In Love and War", Pierce, during a conversation with Korean national Kyung Soon, mistakenly attributes that quote to François de La Rochefoucauld.