secret plan
13
4.3
- noun
:
plan secreto
- The spy revealed his secret plan to infiltrate the enemy base without being detected.
Actually, that's maybe the secret plan in there.
- Actually, that's maybe the secret plan in there.
Examples
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The criminals met in a hidden location to finalize their secret plan for the heist.
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Here, Capone's top lieutenants gathered to discuss their secret plan.
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A secret plan, in case something happened to your father.
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Major, you gave away our secret plan.
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We have a few wrinkles to iron out, but my secret plan is going through.
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You make a secret plan to commit unlawful acts.
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In 1968, like Romney today, Nixon had a "secret plan" to end the war in Vietnam.
Blog text (14) -
What's your secret plan?
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His staff and allies devised a secret plan to subvert reform.
Academic text (2002) -
Johnson's withdrawal resurrects Richard Nixon as a strong Republican candidate with a secret plan to end the war.
Synonyms
678
8.2
A secret plan to trick or cheat people
670
5.5
A secret plan by a group to do something illegal or harmful
216
4.3
A secret plan by people to do something illegal
19
9.5
A trick or excuse to hide the real reason
4
6.5
A secret plan kept to use as a surprise when needed
1
8.1
A plan made to trick people
1
5.0
A clever way to trick someone to get what you want
How Secret
670
5.5
13
4.3
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'a scheme kept hidden' follows directly from combining 'secret' (kept hidden) with 'plan' (a set of actions), so a B1 learner who knows both constituents can readily infer the MWE's meaning. This adjective+noun compositional pattern is regular in English and common across languages, requiring no idiomatic knowledge.
Etymology
Secret plan comes from the simple image of people making a plan in a closed room and keeping it secret, like folding the paper and hiding it in an envelope so no one else can see it. So, because the plan is kept hidden, the phrase means 'a hidden scheme' or 'a plan kept from others', often to surprise someone or to do something 'dishonest'.