Nancy Matos

Reader Question:

-“You have skeletons in your closet.”

-“And you've got skeletons in yours too.”

Could you explain “skeletons in one’s closet”?

My comments: Sometimes known as “skeletons in the cupboard” (if you’re British), having skeletons in one’s closet means you have something from your past that you are hiding. And it’s usually never something good. It can be something that can bring shame to a family or individual which could potentially bring ruin or embarrassment if revealed.

Having secrets or “skeletons” in one’s closet can make it difficult for someone to pursue a career, make friends or get ahead in life if they are ever discovered. Think of politicians, for example. Some people make it their mission to research and dig into politician’s deep pasts in order to expose their dirtiest secrets, including everything from affairs, illegitimate children and drug use (just look on the Internet for several websites of this nature).

Nowadays, many high-profile people are choosing to make these “skeletons” public to avoid any embarrassment or judgment later if found out. Take Barack Obama, who published in his book “Dreams From My Father” that he used marijuana and cocaine in the past. Luckily for American voters it didn’t seem to matter, who elected him 44th President of the United States.

本文僅代表作者本人觀點，與本網(wǎng)立場無關(guān)。歡迎大家討論學(xué)術(shù)問題，尊重他人，禁止人身攻擊和發(fā)布一切違反國家現(xiàn)行法律法規(guī)的內(nèi)容。

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Nancy Matos is a foreign expert at China Daily Website. Born and raised in Vancouver, Canada, Nancy is a graduate of the Broadcast Journalism and Media program at the British Columbia Institute of Technology. Her journalism career in broadcast and print has taken her around the world from New York to Portugal and now Beijing. Nancy is happy to make the move to China and join the China Daily team.