"skeleton in the cupboard" meaning in English

See skeleton in the cupboard in All languages combined, or Wiktionary

Noun

Audio: En-au-skeleton in the cupboard.ogg Forms: skeletons in the cupboard [plural], skeletons in the cupboards [plural], skeleton in one's cupboard [alternative]
Head templates: {{en-noun|skeletons in the cupboard|skeletons in the cupboards}} skeleton in the cupboard (plural skeletons in the cupboard or skeletons in the cupboards)
  1. (UK, idiomatic) A shameful secret. Tags: UK, idiomatic Synonyms: skeleton in the closet [US], skeleton in the house [UK, dated] Translations (shameful secret): 家醜 /家丑 (ka-chhiú) [Hokkien] (Chinese), ka-chhiú [Hokkien] (Chinese), 家醜 /家丑 (gaa¹ cau²) (Chinese Cantonese), 家醜 /家丑 (jiāchǒu) (Chinese Mandarin), kostlivec ve skříni [masculine] (Czech), skelet i skabet [neuter] (Danish), lijk in de kast [neuter] (Dutch), luukere kapis (Estonian), luuranko kaapissa (Finnish), cadavre dans le placard [masculine] (French), squelette dans le placard [masculine] (French), Leiche im Keller [feminine] (German), Dreck am Stecken [masculine] (German), σκελετός στην ντουλάπα (skeletós stin ntoulápa) [masculine] (Greek), scheletro nell'armadio [masculine] (Italian), kompromatas [masculine] (Lithuanian), şerrnizariya veşartî (Northern Kurdish), skjelett i skapet [neuter] (Norwegian Bokmål), trup w szafie [masculine] (Polish), szkielet w szafie [masculine] (Polish), esqueleto no armário (Portuguese), скеле́т в шкафу́ (skelét v škafú) [masculine] (Russian), семе́йная та́йна (seméjnaja tájna) (english: family secret) [feminine] (Russian), esqueleto en el armario [masculine] (Spanish), skelett i garderoben [neuter] (Swedish)

Inflected forms

Alternative forms

{
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "skeletons in the cupboard",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "skeletons in the cupboards",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "skeleton in one's cupboard",
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      "name": "en-noun"
    }
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  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
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          "ref": "2005, Eileen Knowles, chapter 11, in Roses for Robina (Linford Romance Library), large print edition, Leicester, Leicestershire: Linford, published 2017, →ISBN, page 292:",
          "text": "‘I expect all families have some skeletons in the cupboards,’ Robina said with a smile of understanding. ‘I know I have some relatives who embarrass me, but you have done nothing to be ashamed of that I can see.[…]’",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A shameful secret."
      ],
      "id": "en-skeleton_in_the_cupboard-en-noun-~njiqWy~",
      "links": [
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      "raw_glosses": [
        "(UK, idiomatic) A shameful secret."
      ],
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        {
          "tags": [
            "US"
          ],
          "word": "skeleton in the closet"
        },
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          "tags": [
            "UK",
            "dated"
          ],
          "word": "skeleton in the house"
        }
      ],
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        "idiomatic"
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        {
          "code": "yue",
          "lang": "Chinese Cantonese",
          "roman": "gaa¹ cau²",
          "sense": "shameful secret",
          "word": "家醜 /家丑"
        },
        {
          "code": "nan-hbl",
          "lang": "Chinese",
          "roman": "ka-chhiú",
          "sense": "shameful secret",
          "tags": [
            "Hokkien"
          ],
          "word": "家醜 /家丑"
        },
        {
          "code": "nan-hbl",
          "lang": "Chinese",
          "sense": "shameful secret",
          "tags": [
            "Hokkien"
          ],
          "word": "ka-chhiú"
        },
        {
          "code": "cmn",
          "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
          "roman": "jiāchǒu",
          "sense": "shameful secret",
          "word": "家醜 /家丑"
        },
        {
          "code": "cs",
          "lang": "Czech",
          "sense": "shameful secret",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "kostlivec ve skříni"
        },
        {
          "code": "da",
          "lang": "Danish",
          "sense": "shameful secret",
          "tags": [
            "neuter"
          ],
          "word": "skelet i skabet"
        },
        {
          "code": "nl",
          "lang": "Dutch",
          "sense": "shameful secret",
          "tags": [
            "neuter"
          ],
          "word": "lijk in de kast"
        },
        {
          "code": "et",
          "lang": "Estonian",
          "sense": "shameful secret",
          "word": "luukere kapis"
        },
        {
          "code": "fi",
          "lang": "Finnish",
          "sense": "shameful secret",
          "word": "luuranko kaapissa"
        },
        {
          "code": "fr",
          "lang": "French",
          "sense": "shameful secret",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "cadavre dans le placard"
        },
        {
          "code": "fr",
          "lang": "French",
          "sense": "shameful secret",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "squelette dans le placard"
        },
        {
          "code": "de",
          "lang": "German",
          "sense": "shameful secret",
          "tags": [
            "feminine"
          ],
          "word": "Leiche im Keller"
        },
        {
          "code": "de",
          "lang": "German",
          "sense": "shameful secret",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "Dreck am Stecken"
        },
        {
          "code": "el",
          "lang": "Greek",
          "roman": "skeletós stin ntoulápa",
          "sense": "shameful secret",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "σκελετός στην ντουλάπα"
        },
        {
          "code": "it",
          "lang": "Italian",
          "sense": "shameful secret",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "scheletro nell'armadio"
        },
        {
          "code": "kmr",
          "lang": "Northern Kurdish",
          "sense": "shameful secret",
          "word": "şerrnizariya veşartî"
        },
        {
          "code": "lt",
          "lang": "Lithuanian",
          "sense": "shameful secret",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "kompromatas"
        },
        {
          "code": "nb",
          "lang": "Norwegian Bokmål",
          "sense": "shameful secret",
          "tags": [
            "neuter"
          ],
          "word": "skjelett i skapet"
        },
        {
          "code": "pl",
          "lang": "Polish",
          "sense": "shameful secret",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "trup w szafie"
        },
        {
          "code": "pl",
          "lang": "Polish",
          "sense": "shameful secret",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "szkielet w szafie"
        },
        {
          "code": "pt",
          "lang": "Portuguese",
          "sense": "shameful secret",
          "word": "esqueleto no armário"
        },
        {
          "code": "ru",
          "lang": "Russian",
          "roman": "skelét v škafú",
          "sense": "shameful secret",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "скеле́т в шкафу́"
        },
        {
          "code": "ru",
          "english": "family secret",
          "lang": "Russian",
          "roman": "seméjnaja tájna",
          "sense": "shameful secret",
          "tags": [
            "feminine"
          ],
          "word": "семе́йная та́йна"
        },
        {
          "code": "es",
          "lang": "Spanish",
          "sense": "shameful secret",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "esqueleto en el armario"
        },
        {
          "code": "sv",
          "lang": "Swedish",
          "sense": "shameful secret",
          "tags": [
            "neuter"
          ],
          "word": "skelett i garderoben"
        }
      ]
    }
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  "forms": [
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      "form": "skeletons in the cupboard",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
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    {
      "form": "skeletons in the cupboards",
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        "plural"
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      "form": "skeleton in one's cupboard",
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          "type": "quote"
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      "glosses": [
        "A shameful secret."
      ],
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          "secret"
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        "(UK, idiomatic) A shameful secret."
      ],
      "tags": [
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      "word": "skeleton in the closet"
    },
    {
      "tags": [
        "UK",
        "dated"
      ],
      "word": "skeleton in the house"
    }
  ],
  "translations": [
    {
      "code": "yue",
      "lang": "Chinese Cantonese",
      "roman": "gaa¹ cau²",
      "sense": "shameful secret",
      "word": "家醜 /家丑"
    },
    {
      "code": "nan-hbl",
      "lang": "Chinese",
      "roman": "ka-chhiú",
      "sense": "shameful secret",
      "tags": [
        "Hokkien"
      ],
      "word": "家醜 /家丑"
    },
    {
      "code": "nan-hbl",
      "lang": "Chinese",
      "sense": "shameful secret",
      "tags": [
        "Hokkien"
      ],
      "word": "ka-chhiú"
    },
    {
      "code": "cmn",
      "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
      "roman": "jiāchǒu",
      "sense": "shameful secret",
      "word": "家醜 /家丑"
    },
    {
      "code": "cs",
      "lang": "Czech",
      "sense": "shameful secret",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "kostlivec ve skříni"
    },
    {
      "code": "da",
      "lang": "Danish",
      "sense": "shameful secret",
      "tags": [
        "neuter"
      ],
      "word": "skelet i skabet"
    },
    {
      "code": "nl",
      "lang": "Dutch",
      "sense": "shameful secret",
      "tags": [
        "neuter"
      ],
      "word": "lijk in de kast"
    },
    {
      "code": "et",
      "lang": "Estonian",
      "sense": "shameful secret",
      "word": "luukere kapis"
    },
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "sense": "shameful secret",
      "word": "luuranko kaapissa"
    },
    {
      "code": "fr",
      "lang": "French",
      "sense": "shameful secret",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "cadavre dans le placard"
    },
    {
      "code": "fr",
      "lang": "French",
      "sense": "shameful secret",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "squelette dans le placard"
    },
    {
      "code": "de",
      "lang": "German",
      "sense": "shameful secret",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "Leiche im Keller"
    },
    {
      "code": "de",
      "lang": "German",
      "sense": "shameful secret",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "Dreck am Stecken"
    },
    {
      "code": "el",
      "lang": "Greek",
      "roman": "skeletós stin ntoulápa",
      "sense": "shameful secret",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "σκελετός στην ντουλάπα"
    },
    {
      "code": "it",
      "lang": "Italian",
      "sense": "shameful secret",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "scheletro nell'armadio"
    },
    {
      "code": "kmr",
      "lang": "Northern Kurdish",
      "sense": "shameful secret",
      "word": "şerrnizariya veşartî"
    },
    {
      "code": "lt",
      "lang": "Lithuanian",
      "sense": "shameful secret",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "kompromatas"
    },
    {
      "code": "nb",
      "lang": "Norwegian Bokmål",
      "sense": "shameful secret",
      "tags": [
        "neuter"
      ],
      "word": "skjelett i skapet"
    },
    {
      "code": "pl",
      "lang": "Polish",
      "sense": "shameful secret",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "trup w szafie"
    },
    {
      "code": "pl",
      "lang": "Polish",
      "sense": "shameful secret",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "szkielet w szafie"
    },
    {
      "code": "pt",
      "lang": "Portuguese",
      "sense": "shameful secret",
      "word": "esqueleto no armário"
    },
    {
      "code": "ru",
      "lang": "Russian",
      "roman": "skelét v škafú",
      "sense": "shameful secret",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "скеле́т в шкафу́"
    },
    {
      "code": "ru",
      "english": "family secret",
      "lang": "Russian",
      "roman": "seméjnaja tájna",
      "sense": "shameful secret",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "семе́йная та́йна"
    },
    {
      "code": "es",
      "lang": "Spanish",
      "sense": "shameful secret",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "esqueleto en el armario"
    },
    {
      "code": "sv",
      "lang": "Swedish",
      "sense": "shameful secret",
      "tags": [
        "neuter"
      ],
      "word": "skelett i garderoben"
    }
  ],
  "word": "skeleton in the cupboard"
}

Download raw JSONL data for skeleton in the cupboard meaning in English (5.6kB)


This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2025-05-16 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2025-05-01 using wiktextract (142890b and 1d3fdbf). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

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