🕵️♂️ The Worst-Kept Secret: Clandestine Capitulations 🕵️♀️
Definition: An “open secret” is something that is meant to be confidential but is actually widely known. Think about that “secret” relationship that everyone is aware of or those “top-secret” files everyone’s gossiping about.
Related Terms:
- Public secret
- Not-so-secret secret
- Known unknown
Similar Expressions:
- “The elephant in the room” (something obvious that’s being ignored)
- “The writing on the wall” (an unmistakable sign)
- “Let the cat out of the bag” (to reveal something that was supposed to be secret)
Synonyms:
- Common knowledge
- Ill-disguised fact
Antonyms:
- Well-kept secret
- Hidden truth
- Classified information
Witty Quotes:
- “The best way to keep one’s secret is to pretend there isn’t one.” — Margaret Atwood
- “If three people know something, it’s only a secret if two of them are dead.” — Proverb
Humor-Filled References:
- “I always know my secrets are out when my friends start acting like ‘Who told you?’” — Comedian Anon
Did You Know? The term “open secret” was used as the title for a play by Carlo Gozzi in “Il pubblico secrete,” translated in 1769 from a Spanish play by Calderón de la Barca, El secreto a voces (The Noisy Secret).
Suggested Literature:
- El secreto a voces by Calderón de la Barca
- The Secret History by Donna Tartt (though ironically, less of an open secret)
Songs:
- “Secret” by The Pierces (And no, softly spoken is not the best way to keep it!)
- “Somebody’s Watching Me” by Rockwell (For that paranoid vibe)
Movies:
- The Truman Show (Because sometimes, your life is the secret everyone knows)
- The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (More of an unrealized hero kind of secret)
Inspirational Thought: “An open secret, while whispered, speaks volumes.” – Unknown but wise person
Quizzes for the Puzzled:
Keep unravelling the commonplace enigma with a chuckle and a thought!
Yours in encrypted closeness,
P. Undercover
