dirty linen
Matters of an embarrassing or unsavoury nature that one would normally wish to keep…Matters of an embarrassing or unsavoury nature that one would normally wish to keep private.
» Don't wash your dirty linen in public.
Wasche nicht öffentlich deine schmutzige Wäsche.
Не выноси сор из избы.
Не выставляй напоказ своё грязное бельё.
Meaning
2 senses(uncountable)Matters of an embarrassing or unsavoury nature that one would normally wish to keep private.
A lot of dirty linen was exposed during the inquiry.
personal matters that could be embarrassing if made public
(uncountable)Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see dirty, linen.
Hotels generate a lot of dirty linen.
Examples
4 sentencesDon't wash your dirty linen in public.
ruНе выноси сор из избы. — marafon
deWasche nicht öffentlich deine schmutzige Wäsche. — Esperantostern
Let's not wash our dirty linen in public.
deWaschen wir doch unsere Schmutzwäsche nicht in der Öffentlichkeit! — brauchinet
Do not wash your dirty linen in public.
ruНе выноси сор из избы. — marafon
deWasche nicht öffentlich deine schmutzige Wäsche. — Esperantostern
One does not air one's dirty linen in public.
Synonyms
1 synonyms- personal matters that could be embarrassing if made public:dirty laundry
Word family
1 related wordsLessons for this word
1 lessons- A1Countable and uncountable nouns — Because it can be uncountable