Risultati di ricerca
SKELETON IN THE/YOUR CLOSET definition: 1. an embarrassing secret: 2. a secret that would cause embarrassment if it were known: . Learn more.
- Title
- Terminology
- Origin
- Influence
The expression 'a skeleton in the closet' refers to a secret source of shame, potentially ruinous if exposed, which a person or family makes efforts to conceal.
The phrase 'a skeleton in the closet' was coined in England in the 19th century. Since then the word 'closet' has become used primarily in England to mean 'water closet', that is, lavatory - a possible hiding place for a skeleton I suppose, but not one with much potential. The English now usually use 'a skeleton in the cupboard', with 'skeleton in ...
'A skeleton in the closet' undoubtedly originated as an allusion to an apparently irreproachable person or family having a guilty secret waiting to be uncovered. The close-at-hand domestic imagery of a closet or cupboard gives a sense of the ever-present risk of discovery. What isn't clear is whether the origin of the phrase lies in fiction or with...
The dramatic device of a hidden body was used widely in the Gothic novels of the Victorian period. Edgar Allen Poe was the master of such tales; for example, this extract from The Black Cat, 1845 :
A shameful secret, as in Both her parents were alcoholics; that was the skeleton in her closet. This metaphoric term alludes to a murder victim long concealed in a closet, possibly based on some true incident that is now forgotten.
The idiom “skeleton in the closet” refers to a shameful or embarrassing secret that someone tries to keep hidden from others. However, there are common mistakes that people make when using this idiom.
skeleton in the closet. S. skeleton in the closet (US), skeleton in the cupboard (UK) Meaning. a secret of an embarrassing, guilty or shameful nature that you don’t want to disclose; something potentially disreputable that you wish to keep private; a bad thing from the past that could harm a person’s career or credibility if known or revealed
A secret and possibly ruinous source of shame. Examples. No one in the family ever talked about Grandad being convicted of child abuse. It was the skeleton in our closet.
Idiom: Skeleton in the closet Meaning: If someone has a skeleton in the closet, they have a dark, shameful secret in their past that they want to remain secret.
