IdiomDaily Life
French
FrenchAvoir un cadavre dans le placard
Meaning: To have a discreditable secret in one's past.
Literally: To have a corpse in the cupboard
Example: “Avant de le nommer ministre, on a vérifié qu'il n'avait pas de cadavre dans le placard.” — Before making him a minister, they checked he had no skeletons in the closet.
English equivalent: A skeleton in the closet
Equivalents in other languages
English: A skeleton in the closet
Origin: A calque of the English skeleton in the closet, which spread in the 19th century alongside stories of bodies hidden by respectable households. French made the body fresher than the English one.
More French idioms
- Rouler carrosse To live in grand style.
- Donner carte blanche To grant someone complete freedom to act as they see fit.
- Tourner casaque To switch sides or change allegiance.
- Retourner sa veste To change one's allegiance opportunistically.
- Coiffer Sainte Catherine To reach twenty-five while still unmarried — said of a woman.
- Être sujet à caution To be unreliable; not to be taken at face value.
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