open secret

noun

1. something supposedly secret but actually known quite generally.

open secret

noun

1. something that is supposed to be secret but is widely known

Word History and Origins

Origin of open secret¹

First recorded in 1875–80

Idioms and Phrases

Something that is supposedly clandestine but is in fact widely known, as in It's an open secret that both their children are adopted. This expression originated as the title of a Spanish play by Calderón, El Secreto a Voces (“The Noisy Secret”), which was translated by Carlo Gozzi into Italian as Il pubblico secreto (1769). In English the term came into general use during the 1800s.

Example Sentences

Still, it was an open secret that the car wash industry, which paid low wages for back-breaking labor, largely attracted people without legal status.

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Since the collapse of the Assad regime on Dec. 8 last year, ordinary Syrians are reporting sites that had long been an open secret.

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It is an open secret he has helped, and continues to help, many people financially, and he often says that with so many people going through bad times his profession is a privilege.

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When I mentioned his name to people in the industry, I was told it was "the biggest open secret in TV".

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She calls the issue an "open secret" but one that managers felt unable to tackle.

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