To take the fifth

[zoobinshid]

Hello everyone,
Would you please tell me the meaning of this sentence?
(To take the fifth)
ex:why do you always take the fifth?

Thanks in advance,

[Marylin]

Hello everyone,
Would you please tell me the meaning of this sentence?
(To take the fifth)
ex:why do you always take the fifth?

Thanks in advance,

here is a little nice explanation for you from the Guru dictionary:

take the Fifth

Refuse to answer on the grounds that one may incriminate oneself, as in He took the Fifth on so many of the prosecutor's questions that we're sure he's guilty. This idiom refers to the Fifth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which states that no person shall be compelled to be a witness against himself or herself. [Mid-1900s]