dirty linen
Americannoun
Etymology
Origin of dirty linen
First recorded in 1945–50
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The probate process is public, the legal equivalent of washing your dirty linen in the front yard.
From MarketWatch
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".
From BBC
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."
From BBC
"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.
From BBC
As soon as I was decent, she led me past the dirty linen and out into the baking sun.
From Literature
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
