dirty laundry

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dirty laundry

She sorted the dirty laundry into piles on the laundry room floor.

Definition
  1. Noun:
    • Personal matters that could be embarrassing if made public: This phrase refers to private, often shameful or scandalous, information about a person, family, or organization that they wish to keep secret. It metaphorically compares such secrets to soiled clothes that are not meant to be seen by others.
Usage
  • The phrase is almost always used with the definite article "the" (e.g., or ).
  • It is typically used in contexts involving gossip, scandal, public exposure, or family/private conflicts.
  • It functions as a singular noun phrase, though "laundry" itself is an uncountable noun in this idiom.
Examples
  • Noun:
    • The celebrity's memoir revealed all the family's dirty laundry.
    • We shouldn't air our dirty laundry in public. (Meaning: We shouldn't discuss our private problems openly.)
    • The political scandal exposed a lot of the party's dirty laundry.
Advanced Usage
  • "to air (one's) dirty laundry (in public)": To make private, embarrassing matters public.
    • Their public argument was just airing their dirty laundry for everyone to see.
  • "to wash (one's) dirty laundry (in public)": A less common but synonymous variant with the same meaning.
    • The court case forced them to wash all their dirty laundry in public.
Variants and Related Words
  • Skeleton in the closet/cupboard (idiom, noun): A shameful or embarrassing secret from one's past.
    • Every family has a few skeletons in the closet.
  • Dirty linen (noun phrase): A less common, synonymous variant of "dirty laundry."
    • The newspaper article was full of the company's dirty linen.
Synonyms
  • Secrets: Information that is kept hidden.
  • Scandals: Actions or events that are considered morally or legally wrong and cause public outrage.
  • Skeletons: As in the idiom "skeletons in the closet."
Related Phrases
  • "To hang out the dirty laundry": Similar to "air," meaning to expose secrets publicly.
    • The investigative journalist hung out the corporation's dirty laundry for all to see.
Related Idioms
  • "Don't air your dirty laundry in public": A common piece of advice warning against discussing private, embarrassing problems openly.
    • When they started arguing at the party, I just thought, "Don't air your dirty laundry in public."
dirty laundry

She sorted the dirty laundry into piles on the laundry room floor.

Noun
  1. personal matters that could be embarrassing if made public

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