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Which idiomatic phrase can be used to express 'showing all the hidden stuff' (it's supposed that nobody should find that out, some scandal things)?

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9 Answers 9

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Blow the lid off something.

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"Spill the beans" or just "Spill it."

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Let the cat out of the bag

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Uncover the skeletons in the closet or, similarly, show where the bodies are buried.

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  • Coming out of the closet.
    – OneProton
    Sep 28, 2010 at 19:08
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From The Telegraph: "A married magistrate was discovered defrauding a charity she worked for after her lover of 10 years blew the whistle." More common is the noun form: whistleblower.

Do you want to describe an outsider discovering secrets or an insider revealing them? Most idioms that I can think of lean one way or the other.

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  • 1
    +1 for raising that crucial distinction between discovering and revealing, which I too think applies to most idiomatic forms. Unearth, ferret/worm out, etc. as opposed to blab, squeal, sing, rat, snitch, split, etc., etc.. As you can probably guess, I also think there are more (mostly negative) ones for the latter! Oct 16, 2011 at 15:21
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"Shine a light on" and "Lift the veil" can fit.

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The criminal fraternity might say 'peach', 'rat', 'grass' or 'cough'.

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If you're letting someone in on the secret goings-on, you can be said to "open the kimono."

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how about unhide all

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