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Glite Dictionary
skeleton in the cupboard

skeleton in the cupboard

8.1
An embarrassing secret from someone's past that they keep hidden
  • idiom
  • UK
translation icon : secreto vergonzoso
  • The politician's career ended when a skeleton in the cupboard from his past came to light.

Examples

  • Every family has a skeleton in the cupboard they're afraid to reveal.

  • She was always nervous at reunions, worried that someone might discover her skeleton in the cupboard.

  • Everyone has a skeleton in the cupboard.

  • She finally revealed her skeleton in the cupboard.

  • Every family has a skeleton in the cupboard that they keep hidden from others.

  • At the reunion, she feared the conversation might uncover a skeleton in the cupboard from her past.

  • The journalist's investigation revealed a shocking skeleton in the cupboard that damaged the politician's reputation.

Synonyms

secret
vsskeleton in the cupboard
∞ 1.0

A piece of information kept hidden from others

is a specific embarrassing past fact kept hidden for fear of shame
skeleton in the closet
vsskeleton in the cupboard
  • Informal
3 6.4

A secret from someone's past that can cause shame

is the same idea but in a different regional expression
dirty linen
vsskeleton in the cupboard
  • Informal
1 7.9

Private family or personal matters that embarrass people if the public finds out

is about a single shameful past fact rather than broad private issues

Antonyms

open secret
  • Informal
6 4.0

Something people try to hide but many already know

Surface Forms

skeleton in the cupboard singular
skeletons in the cupboard plural

Morphology

skeleton + in + the + cupboard

The idiomatic sense 'an embarrassing or shameful secret' is not directly derivable from 'skeleton' (literal bones) + 'cupboard' (a storage cabinet); a learner who only knows the constituents would more likely imagine a literal hidden skeleton rather than infer the conventional metaphor. This phrase is a culture-specific metaphor (cf. variants like 'skeleton in the closet') and therefore requires prior exposure or phraseological knowledge, making it opaque to a B1 learner.

Etymology

Skeleton in the cupboard comes from the image of someone hiding a real skeleton in a cupboard so no one sees it. That's why it means 'an embarrassing or shameful secret' that people keep hidden.