secret of Polichinelle en · NOUN
Etymology
Calque of French secret de Polichinelle.
Meanings
-
A supposed secret known to everyone.
British public life specializes in an elegant variation of the secret of Polichinelle. After a secret is disclosed it may still be treated as if it were a secret.
1992, Hyman Gross, Ross Harrison, Jurisprudence: Cambridge Essays:It is said that Polst fell because he revealed in an unlucky interview the Secret of Polichinelle, the secret which all the world knew, the secret that there was a claque at the Metropolitan Opera House.
1926, W. J. Thorold, Arthur Hornblow, Perriton Maxwell, Stewart Beach, editors, Theatre magazine, volumes 43-44:In October and November 1910 there was a great secret of Polichinelle. Conceivably we may learn from some future historian even more about it than we knew at the time.
1915, Frederick Scott Oliver, Ordeal by Battle:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| secrets of Polichinelle | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Synonyms
Translations (8)
fi julkinen salaisuus (secret known to everyone) · fr secret de Polichinelle (secret known to everyone) · he סוד גלוי (secret known to everyone) · cs veřejné tajemství (secret known to everyone) · it segreto di Pulcinella (secret known to everyone) · pl tajemnica poliszynela (secret known to everyone) · ro secretul lui Polichinelle (secret known to everyone) · ru секре́т Полишине́ля (secret known to everyone)