dirty linen

noun

1. personal or private matters that could cause embarrassment if made public.

   You didn't have to air our dirty linen to all your friends!

Word History and Origins

Origin of dirty linen¹

First recorded in 1945–50

Example Sentences

The probate process is public, the legal equivalent of washing your dirty linen in the front yard.

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She added that "there's a limit to what you can do" from outside cabinet and "what I don't think members want is for us to be airing our dirty linen in public".

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The Duke of Sussex has said his "conscience is clear" following his revealing memoir Spare, and that he did not air his "dirty linen in public."

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"The army is known for not wanting to wash its dirty linen in public," Hadiza Ado, founder of Women and Children Initiative, told the BBC.

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As soon as I was decent, she led me past the dirty linen and out into the baking sun.

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Related Words

• buzz 
• chatter 
• chitchat 
• conversation 
• hearsay 
• news 
• scandal 
• slander 
• tale