pattern

Verità, Segretezza e Inganno - Tenere Segreti

Padroneggia i modi di dire inglesi relativi a mantenere i segreti, come 'tra me e te' e 'tenere il coperchio'.

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English idioms related to Truth, Secrecy, & Deception
hidden agenda
hidden agenda
[sostantivo]

a secret reason behind a plan or action

secondo fine nascosto, intenzione nascosta

secondo fine nascosto, intenzione nascosta

Ex: The politician's support for the new policy was questioned, as many believed he had a hidden agenda to benefit his financial backers. 
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between you and me

said to ask someone to keep a conversation secret

tra noi, non dirlo a nessuno

tra noi, non dirlo a nessuno

Ex: Between you and me, he is planning to quit. 
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to [breathe|say] a word about {sth}

to tell other people what is supposed to stay secret

spifferare, rivelare un segreto

spifferare, rivelare un segreto

Ex: The detective warned the witness not to breathe a word about the ongoing investigation to anyone. 
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conspiracy of silence

used to refer to an agreement made in order to keep someone from sharing or revealing information that should be otherwise publicly known

congiura del silenzio, accordo di silenzio

congiura del silenzio, accordo di silenzio

Ex: The members of the organization formed a conspiracy of silence to protect their leader from the allegations of corruption. 
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to [keep] a lid on {sth}

to not let something become revealed to others

insabbiare qualcosa, tenere nascosto

insabbiare qualcosa, tenere nascosto

Ex: The prime minister is desperately trying to keep a lid on revelations from his former mistress's tell-all book. 
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to [keep|play|hold] {one's} cards close to {one's} (chest|vest)

to refrain from revealing one's true intentions or plans

non scoprire le carte, tenersi i piani per sé

non scoprire le carte, tenersi i piani per sé

Ex: The negotiator kept his cards close to his chest during the business deal, not revealing his true bottom line to the other party. 
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to [keep] {sth} under {one's} hat

to avoid sharing a secret with others

tenerselo per sé, non dirlo a nessuno

tenerselo per sé, non dirlo a nessuno

Ex: I can tell you what happened, but you have to keep it under your hat. 
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to [keep|stay] schtum

to decide to remain silent about something, particularly out of fear of making a situation worse

stare zitto, non fiatare

stare zitto, non fiatare

Ex: It was a secret about which the few involved stayed shtum and about which no one else knew. 
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mum is the word

said as a promise or request to not tell something to anyone else

acqua in bocca, resti tra noi

acqua in bocca, resti tra noi

Ex: Mum's the word, or the surprise party won't be a surprise. 
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{one's} lips [are] sealed

used when one says that one will not reveal secret information

non dirò niente, il tuo segreto è al sicuro con me

non dirò niente, il tuo segreto è al sicuro con me

Ex: Tell me what happened; my lips are sealed. 
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skeleton in the closet

something about a person's past that they do not want to reveal or mention because it is embarrassing or unpleasant

un segreto imbarazzante del passato, uno scheletro nell'armadio

un segreto imbarazzante del passato, uno scheletro nell'armadio

Ex: He asked if she had any skeletons in her closet that might affect her political campaign. 
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these four walls

used to refer to a room, in which a group of people knows or witnesses something that others do not

tra noi, non esce da questa stanza

tra noi, non esce da questa stanza

Ex: I don’t want anything repeated outside these four walls. 
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to [tell] tales (out of|outside) school

to share information that is secret or private

spifferare segreti, raccontare cose riservate

spifferare segreti, raccontare cose riservate

Ex: You mean Fred? The guy who always tells tales outside school? 
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to [keep] {one's} own counsel

to keep one's thoughts or plans to oneself and not share them with others

tenere per sé i propri pensieri, non svelare i propri piani

tenere per sé i propri pensieri, non svelare i propri piani

Ex: Despite the heated debate, she preferred to keep her own counsel. 
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to [keep] {sth} dark

to not let other people know about something

tenere qualcosa segreto, non farlo sapere a nessuno

tenere qualcosa segreto, non farlo sapere a nessuno

Ex: But that was no reason to think she'd go along with keeping their relationship dark. 
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(as|) (close|dumb) as an oyster

a person who can be trusted with one's secrets

muto come una tomba, fidato con i segreti

muto come una tomba, fidato con i segreti

Ex: Sophie will never repeat what you tell her. She's as close as an oyster. 
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to [cover] {one's} tracks

to conceal or destroy evidence of one's activities or whereabouts to avoid detection or punishment

cancellare le proprie tracce, far sparire le prove

cancellare le proprie tracce, far sparire le prove

Ex: Roberts covered his tracks by throwing the knife in the river. 
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to [paper] over the cracks

to try to conceal flaws or problems temporarily, without addressing or solving them properly

mettere una pezza, nascondere le crepe

mettere una pezza, nascondere le crepe

Ex: Conversely, if you have been papering over the cracks of a relationship these same eclipses will seek them out. 
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to [keep] {sth} under wraps

to keep something secret or confidential and not to reveal it to others

tenere qualcosa segreto, non rivelare nulla

tenere qualcosa segreto, non rivelare nulla

Ex: But officials deny they've been keeping their proposals under wraps. 
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trade secret
trade secret
[sostantivo]

a piece of personal or private information that one refuses to share with anyone

segreto personale, piccolo segreto

segreto personale, piccolo segreto

Ex: She refuses to talk about her childhood, saying it’s a trade secret. 
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to [bottle] things up

to hide or suppress feelings instead of expressing them

Ex: He bottled things up until he finally broke down. 
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to [keep] {sth} under lock and key

to keep something private, hidden, or carefully protected

Ex: The manager kept the documents under lock and key. 
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