Shy as a dogtooth violet

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"Shy," said Lymond with simplicity, "as a dogtooth violet".
Lymond says this as he pins a dark cloak about his chin to avoid notice in the streets. "Shy as a violet" and similar idioms use the violet as a symbol of modesty.Michael Quinion, World Wide Words
The usual expression is simply "shy as a violet", not "shy as a dogtooth violet". As the dogtooth violet is not a true violetUniversity of Texas Wildflower Center, Lymond may be hinting that his real reason for wanting to avoid notice is something other than modesty.
Category:Reference