Revealing Secrets: English Vocabulary List

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

"I accidentally let the cat out of the bag."

"He let the cat out of the bag when he accidentally mentioned the surprise party to the birthday girl."

to reveal a secret that one was asked not to tell anyone

"Don't spill the beans now!"

"My little brother accidentally spilled the beans about the surprise party we had planned."

used of a secret that is now shared with others

"The secret is finally out in the open."

"After years of hiding their relationship, they finally decided to bring everything out in the open."

to reveal a person's identity or intentions

"He blew his cover by accident."

"The undercover detective accidentally blew his cover when his old friend recognized him at the crowded market."

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

"The police caught him in the act."

"The security guard caught the thief in the act of stealing the jewels."

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

"The police caught the thief red-handed."

"The police caught the thief red-handed as he was climbing out of the broken window with the stolen jewellery."

to no longer keep one's sexual preference or gender identity a secret

"He came out of the closet."

"My best friend finally came out of the closet and told his family he was gay."

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

"He gave the game away quickly."

"Don't give the game away; we want the surprise party to remain a secret."

to cause the truth become revealed, especially an unpleasant one

"They lifted the lid on corruption."

"The documentary will lift the lid on the scandal."

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

"She loves to spill the tea."

"She loves to spill the tea about celebrity gossip during our coffee breaks."

to become existent or be born

"The project finally saw the light."

"After years of development and testing, the revolutionary new vaccine finally saw the light of day."

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

"I decided to call his bluff."

"I decided to call his bluff when he threatened to quit if he didn't get a promotion."

used of a secret that is now shared with others

"It is out in the open."

"After years of secrecy, the truth about their affair finally came out in the open for everyone to see."

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

"She came out of the closet."

"He decided to come out of the closet and publicly advocate for LGBTQ+ rights after years of remaining silent."

to be made known publicly

"It will see the light."

"We are hopeful that the long-delayed report will finally see the light of day before the end of the fiscal year."