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Truth, Secrecy, & Deception - Revealing Secrets

Explore English idioms that relate to revealing secrets with examples like "spill the beans" and "give the game away".

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English idioms related to Truth, Secrecy, & Deception
to [let] the cat out of the bag

to reveal information that were supposed to be kept secret, often by accident

Ex: I wanted the party to be a surprise, but Mark let the cat out of the bag. 
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to [spill] the beans

to reveal secret or private information

Ex: I told him not to mention the surprise, but he spilled the beans at dinner. 
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(out|) in the open

used of a secret that is now shared with others

Ex: Now that the truth is out in the open, we can stop pretending. 
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to [blow] {one's} cover

to reveal a person's identity or intentions

Ex: The undercover officer blew his cover when he used police slang in front of the gang. 
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to [catch] {sb} in the act

to see or arrest a person while they are doing something illegal or wrong

Ex: The security guard caught the thief in the act of stealing a watch. 
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to [catch] {sb} red-handed

to arrest or see someone the moment they are doing something that is illegal or dishonest

Ex: The police caught the thief red-handed with the stolen jewelry in his bag. 
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to [come] out of the closet

to publicly talk about something such as a belief that one used to keep secret

Ex: After years of silence, he came out of the closet as an atheist. 
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to [give] the game away

to reveal something that one was supposed to keep as a secret or surprise

Ex: Don't smile like that, or you'll give the game away. 
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to [lift] the lid on {sth}

to cause the truth become revealed, especially an unpleasant one

Ex: The investigation lifted the lid on years of corruption inside the department. 
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to [spill] the tea

to tell others about what has happened to someone, especially about things that are private or controversial, in the person's absence

Ex: Come on, spill the tea; what really happened between Maya and her boss? 
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to [see] the light (of day|)

to be made known publicly

Ex: The report finally saw the light of day after months of pressure from journalists. 
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to [call] {one's} bluff

to challenge a person to carry out their seemingly fake threats or claims in order to expose them

Ex: When he said he had another job offer, I called his bluff and asked to see it. 
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to [bubble] to the surface

to gradually appear, become known, or become noticeable

Ex: Old resentments began to bubble to the surface. 
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truth has a way of coming out

used to say that the truth is often revealed eventually, even when people try to hide it

Ex: He lied for years, but truth has a way of coming out. 
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to [show] {one's} cards

to reveal one's true thoughts, intentions, abilities, or situation

Ex: He refused to show his cards during the negotiation. 
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