secret of Polichinelle

English - English

Definition of secret of Polichinelle in English English dictionary

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.

Hyphenation

se·cret of polichinelle

Synonyms

open secret

Etymology

() From French secret de Polichinelle, from a play by Pierre Wolff.