skeletons in the/someone's closet

idiom

informal
: something bad or embarrassing that happened in someone's past and that is kept secret
He asked if she had any skeletons in her closet that might affect her political campaign.

Examples of skeletons in the/someone's closet in a Sentence

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Financial skeletons in the closet are not inherently disqualifying for a candidate for public office, said Jessica Levinson, a professor at Loyola Law School and the former head of the city of L.A.’s ethics commission. Laura J. Nelson, Los Angeles Times, 7 Oct. 2024 That leads her to a shady tech company with plenty of skeletons in the closet, a pinky-less yakuza leader with a score to settle, and plenty more encounters with her burgeoning nemeses — the robots. Ben Travers, IndieWire, 10 July 2024 But there’s also a pessimistic side: You’re less publicly vetted and more vulnerable to skeletons in the closet. Christian Paz, Vox, 2 July 2024 The great cliché of serial-killer stories is the seemingly harmless neighbor with skeletons in the closet (or garage, or freezer). James Poniewozik, New York Times, 12 June 2023 Scott Moss doesn’t keep his skeletons in the closet. BostonGlobe.com, 8 Oct. 2021 Inflation, for all its virtues, has some skeletons in the closet. Sean Carroll, Discover Magazine, 21 Oct. 2011

Dictionary Entries Near skeletons in the/someone's closet

Cite this Entry

“Skeletons in the/someone's closet.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/skeletons%20in%20the%2Fsomeone%27s%20closet. Accessed 23 Nov. 2024.

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