A skeleton in the cupboard idiom meaning

If you say that someone has a skeleton in the closet, or in British English a skeleton in the cupboard, you mean that they are keeping secret a bad or embarrassing fact about themselves.

1. What does skeleton in cupboard mean?
2. Where did the idiom a skeleton in the cupboard come from?
3. What skeletons are in the cupboard?
4. What does skeleton in the closet sentence?
5. What is the idiom of skeleton?
6. What is the literal meaning of the idiom?
7. What's the meaning of cupboard?
8. What is the origin meaning of the idiom?
9. What does the skeleton in Dr Heidegger's closet symbolize?
10. How do you play skeletons in the closet?
11. What does the idiom a snake in the grass mean?
12. What does the idiom skeleton staff mean?
13. What is the synonym of skeleton?
14. Is skeleton crew an idiom?
15. What is a sentence for skeleton?
16. What is the idiom over my dead body?
17. What is an example of skeleton?

What does skeleton in cupboard mean?

to have an embarrassing or unpleasant secret about something that happened in the past: Most people have a few skeletons in the cupboard.

Where did the idiom a skeleton in the cupboard come from?

Meaning to have hidden away a shameful or embarrassing secret, the term skeleton in the cupboard originates from the legalisation of human body dissections. Grave diggers would present corpses to doctors to dissect and, because of the controversy, the doctors would hide away their secrets in a locked cupboard.

What skeletons are in the cupboard?

If someone has a skeleton in the cupboard (or closet in US English), it means that they have a dark or embarrassing secret about their past that they would prefer to remain undisclosed. The expression has in origins in the medical profession.

What does skeleton in the closet sentence?

A potentially embarrassing secret: “Before nominating the new judge, the committee asked him if he had any skeletons in the closet.”

What is the idiom of skeleton?

a secret that would cause embarrassment if it were known: Almost everybody has a skeleton in the closet.

What is the literal meaning of the idiom?

: an expression in the usage of a language that is peculiar to itself either in having a meaning that cannot be derived from the conjoined meanings of its elements (such as up in the air for "undecided") or in its grammatically atypical use of words (such as give way)

What's the meaning of cupboard?

cup·​board ˈkə-bərd. Synonyms of cupboard. : a closet with shelves where dishes, utensils, or food is kept. also : a small closet.

What is the origin meaning of the idiom?

Idiom comes from the Greek idios, which means personal.

What does the skeleton in Dr Heidegger's closet symbolize?

The "skeleton in the closet" is a metaphorical phrase that refers to a secret someone wants to keep hidden. That Dr. Heidegger literally has a skeleton in his closet is not just creepy, but also a testament to the narrator's sense of humor.

How do you play skeletons in the closet?

Collect 2 milk cartons and you get to choose a bone of your choice from the closet on your next turn. Return the milk cartons to the pile. The first person to assemble a complete skeleton correctly wins.

What does the idiom a snake in the grass mean?

snake in the grass. : a secretly unfaithful friend.

What does the idiom skeleton staff mean?

skeleton staff (plural skeleton staffs) The minimum number of employees needed to operate a business during a vacation, weekend, or other period when people do not normally work, or full staffing is not necessary. quotations ▼

What is the synonym of skeleton?

carcases. noundead body; framework, base structure. body. cadaver.

Is skeleton crew an idiom?

The idiom 'skeleton crew' means the fewest number of people possible to do a particular job. For example, if an office normally runs with 30 people, but only a 'skeleton crew' comes in on the weekends, there are just a handful of people who come in to...

What is a sentence for skeleton?

Noun They found the fossil skeleton of a mastodon. He hung a plastic skeleton on the door for Halloween. She was a skeleton after her illness. Only the charred skeleton of the house remained after the fire.

What is the idiom over my dead body?

idiom. If you say something will happen over your dead body, you mean that you will do everything you can to prevent it: "Joe says he's going to buy a motorcycle." "Over my dead body!"

What is an example of skeleton?

1: Endoskeletons: The skeletons of humans and horses are examples of endoskeletons. They provide bodies with support, protection of organs, and aid in movement. The human skeleton is an endoskeleton that consists of 206 bones in the adult.