a skeleton in the cupboard
/ə ˈskelɪtn̩ ɪn ðə ˈkʌbəd/INFORMAL · C1
Meaning
an embarrassing fact from someone's past that they hide
Examples
- 1Every family has a skeleton in the cupboard, and ours is Great-Uncle Harry's secret first wife.
- 2Before the interview, the journalists searched for a skeleton in the cupboard but found nothing.
- 3Gran's first marriage was a skeleton in the cupboard that nobody mentioned for fifty years.
- 4The singer's old emails turned out to be a skeleton in the cupboard that ended his career.
- 5Does the new manager have a skeleton in the cupboard, or is her past really that clean?
Grammar
Countable: skeletons in the cupboard in the plural. American English says a skeleton in the closet. It often follows have.
More idioms about honesty and secrets
All 20 idioms and the topic quiz →behind closed doorsin private, where the public cannot see or hearmy lips are sealedsaid when you promise not to tell anyonea wolf in sheep's clothingsomeone who seems friendly but is really dangerouswalls have earsused to warn that someone may be listeninggive the game awayto spoil a surprise by revealing what should stay hiddenunder wrapskept private for now
English Idioms400 idioms in 20 topics — with reviews that keep them from fading
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