to blow the lid off
8
6.8
- phrasal verb
- Literature
:
destapar
- In this new book, Kevin Trudeau blows the lid off the banking and credit card industries, exposing the greatest rip-off of our citizens in this nation's history.
- blowing the lid off a secret
- Tonight, blow the lid off
- going to blow the lid off
And right now, what we need is somebody to blow the lid off of what is controlling everything we have.
- And right now, what we need is somebody to blow the lid off of what is controlling everything we have.
Examples
-
After years of silence, she will finally blow the lid off the secrets surrounding the infamous case.
-
The journalist plans to blow the lid off the corruption scandal that has involved high-ranking officials.
-
We are really going to blow the lid off.
-
We gotta get out of here and blow the lid off this thing!
-
And right now, what we need is somebody to blow the lid off of what is controlling everything we have.
-
You are gonna blow the lid off of this whole pregnancy scam.
-
I'm gonna get the proof, I'm gonna go back, and I'm gonna blow the lid off this place.
-
You could blow the lid off the hottest science story since Gilligan's Island...
Fiction book (1997) -
And now they're ready to blow the lid off one of the slickest, most cynical, multimillion-dollar frauds ever perpetrated on the American people.
-
The documentary aims to blow the lid off hidden abuses in the industry, shocking viewers with its revelations.
Synonyms
∞
2.3
Show something that was hidden or secret
342
4.1
Reveal hidden facts or bad actions to people
243
3.5
Reveal secret facts to the public
219
4.1
To tell secret information to the public without permission
164
4.5
To reveal secret information, often by mistake
114
3.4
Tell a secret on purpose or by accident
109
4.1
To make something known for the first time
92
4.1
To say the truth about something you kept secret
76
8.6
To tell the police or another authority about someone's bad action, betraying their trust
47
5.6
Say all private things about a person or event
45
6.2
To tell secret or private information to people
43
6.0
To tell a secret or show feelings you were trying to hide
37
5.1
To tell the authorities or the public about wrongdoing
32
3.7
Tell secret or private information to other people
24
3.7
People find out secret information without permission
20
3.7
To show facts that were hidden before
18
6.0
Tell a secret by accident before others know
7
4.0
Make something visible by removing a cover
5
5.6
Accidentally tell someone something you want to keep secret
5
5.1
To tell a secret that should be kept
4
5.5
To suddenly tell people something very surprising that shocks them
4
7.1
To reveal information that was previously hidden
3
6.2
To tell people shocking news suddenly
3
5.5
Force hidden people, animals, or secret information to come out of hiding
3
7.0
To come out of hiding into the open
2
5.5
To show something hidden so people can see it
2
4.4
To tell people about something secret
2
7.7
Reveal a secret or someone's identity
1
7.5
To tell everything about yourself, including private things
1
6.5
Tell a secret and spoil a planned surprise
1
6.5
To make a secret suddenly become known
1
5.5
To tell a secret by accident and spoil a surprise
1
8.5
To tell private or bad things about someone to other people
1
7.7
To make something hidden become visible by removing a cover or showing the truth
1
7.9
To tell a secret carelessly or without meaning to
Make a shocking announcement that surprises people
To talk about private or embarrassing family matters in public
Antonyms
How Revealing
342
4.1
- Literature
8
6.8
234
4.1
∞
2.3
136
2.0
Surface Forms
Morphology
The literal image of ‘blowing a lid off’ (blow + lid + off) conveys removing a cover to reveal what is underneath, so a learner who knows the words could infer a general notion of uncovering or exposing. However, the specific sense of exposing secret or scandalous information is a metaphorical extension and not fully predictable from the parts, making the phrase partially but not wholly transparent to a B1 learner.
Etymology
The idiom blow the lid off comes from the image of someone using a strong breath to blow a lid off a closed container so the hidden things fly out. So, to blow the lid off a story means 'to reveal' or 'expose' secret or shocking information.