skeleton in the closet
3
6.4
- idiom
- /ˈskɛlɪtən ɪn ðə ˈklɒzɪt/
- Informal
:
secreto oculto
- The politician's past was scrutinized, revealing several skeletons in the closet that could damage his reputation.
Examples
-
This is the skeleton in the closet, the dark secret, the hypocrisy, the sham behind the facade of luxury and high-class pride.
Academic text (2003) -
Too many skeletons in the closet.
-
There was no ghost in the house, but there was a skeleton in the closet.
Academic text (1998) -
I want a president without skeletons in the closet because who is the man or woman?
-
Are there any skeletons in the closet?
-
I got a few skeletons in the closet myself.
-
Any skeletons in the closet?
-
No more skeletons in the closet.
Blog text (21) -
We've all got skeletons in the closet.
Fiction book (2000) -
Something tells me there's a skeleton in the closet there that's a little bit worse.
Synonyms
∞
1.0
A piece of information kept hidden from others
22
5.3
Personal secrets that could cause embarrassment if made public
2
6.2
A fact that people keep secret from others
1
7.9
Private family or personal matters that embarrass people if the public finds out
An embarrassing secret from someone's past that they keep hidden
Antonyms
How Embarrassing
- Literature
564
2.8
- Informal
3
6.4
- Informal
22
5.3
32
2.8
Surface Forms
Morphology
The literal words 'skeleton' and 'closet' evoke the image of something hidden, so a learner could plausibly infer the expression refers to a concealed thing. However, the conventionalized shift to specifically meaning a shameful or embarrassing past secret is metaphorical and culturally conventionalized rather than fully predictable from the parts, so it is only partly transparent to B1 learners.
Etymology
Skeleton in the closet comes from the image of a hidden skeleton kept in a closet, like a family secret tucked away where no one sees it. That's why the phrase means 'a hidden secret or shameful fact'.