behind closed doors
112
4.1
- idiom
- Literature
:
a puerta cerrada
- The negotiations were held behind closed doors to ensure confidentiality.
- held behind closed doors
- homes behind closed doors
They may only berate you behind closed doors when other people can't hear or see it.
- They may only berate you behind closed doors when other people can't hear or see it.
- They've been doing things behind closed doors.
- Like what you talk about is the same person as who you are behind closed doors.
- But I think the more important thing is he can convince Putin behind closed doors that dude, don't risk it.
- Bart, what is the Trump campaign saying behind closed doors?
- And what I hope and what I've done, what I've learned from this is he does a lot of good behind closed doors.
- And you saw Ari Emanuel do exactly the kind of thing that I was saying have been done behind closed doors.
- It's it's sad it's a sad state affairs that that can happen, but it just shows you actually what goes on behind closed doors.
- We should be celebrating people who are reporting crimes, whether it's drunk driver, a bank robber, or violence behind closed doors.
- However, all that charitable do gooderness seems to fade behind closed doors when they're with their family.
Examples
-
I know many of us have heard stories about powerful groups of businessmen who pull the strings of governments from behind closed doors.
-
Who knows what really goes on behind closed doors?
-
First, like you said, I think these things have been going on behind closed doors for decades.
-
Are you thinking about what people will say behind closed doors?
-
I know it is hard in trade because so much of what happens takes place behind closed doors.
Academic text (2000) -
People are very afraid of talking about this issue, but behind closed doors, everybody knows what's going on.
-
But do you think these governors are having conversations behind closed doors about what's happening?
-
The next day, behind closed doors, Teller convinced the committee that he was right.
Academic text (2009) -
In our current educational environment, most teaching occurs behind closed doors in a self-contained classroom.
Academic text (1993) -
Pierce Winslow came home in a quiet rage and had a session behind closed doors with his wife.
Fiction book (1997)
Synonyms
261
1.4
In a way that other people do not know
249
2.4
Without other people present
174
3.2
In a way not shared with other people
117
4.9
In a private way, away from the public view
56
2.5
In a way other people do not know
40
9.9
In secret so other people do not know
39
4.8
Not known or seen by the public
33
4.3
Happening in private and away from public view
28
6.0
Most people do not know about it
17
6.9
In a secret way so other people do not know
10
4.4
In a private way so no one else knows
4
4.2
In private away from public view
4
8.0
In a secret way to avoid being seen or found
2
8.6
Happens in private with only the people involved present
1
8.6
In secret and quietly so nobody finds out
Antonyms
How Private
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'in private; in secret' is directly and transparently derived from combining 'behind' (at the back of) with 'closed' (not open) and 'doors' (entryways) — i.e., events occurring out of public view. This spatial/compositional logic is common cross-linguistically (e.g. French à huis clos, Spanish a puertas cerradas), so a B1 learner who knows the parts will readily infer the idiomatic sense.
Etymology
Behind closed doors comes from the simple picture of people meeting with the doors shut so others cannot see or hear them. That's why it means 'in secret' or 'in private'.