Twenty Five Idioms about Keeping and Spilling Secrets

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One of the reasons English is so difficult to learn is because it is a language full of idioms. An idiom is a combination of words that has a figurative meaning separate from the actual definitions of the words used. There are an estimated 25,000 idioms in the English language. Today we’re going to look at twenty five idioms about keeping secrets.

as quiet as a mouse – silent or very quiet
behind closed doors – out of sight, in secret, without public knowledge
dark horse – a less well-known competitor or candidate who succeeds to an unexpectedly high level
fly on the wall – an unnoticed witness
like a thief in the night – someone behaving in a secretive manner
mum’s the word – an informal request to keep something a secret
my lips are sealed – I won’t talk about this
off the record – not part of an official statement
on the sly – secretly
open secret – something that is supposed to be secret but is actually something that many people know about
poker face – an impassive expression, an expression that hides your true feelings
to bite/hold your tongue – to stop yourself from saying something
to cover your tracks – to conceal or destroy any evidence of what you have been up to
to crack – to break under pressure and reveal everything you know
to dish the dirt – to reveal and spread gossip
to give the game away – to accidentally reveal a secret
to keep a low profile – to avoid attracting attention or publicity
to keep someone/be kept in the dark – to keep someone/be kept uninformed
to keep something under your hat/under wraps – to keep something a secret
to leak – to intentionally expose secret information
to let the cat out of the bag – to accidentally reveal a secret
to spill the beans – to accidentally reveal a secret
to sweep something under the rug/carpet – to hide or ignore a problem in the hope that it will go away
to take the lid off – to expose (usually unwelcome) secrets
whistle blower – informant

If you’ve found this post useful, why not check out our other articles on idioms?

13 Apr 2016
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Twenty Five Idioms about Keeping and Spilling Secrets

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