secret of Polichinelle
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English[edit]
Etymology[edit]
From French secret de Polichinelle, from a play by Pierre Wolff.
Noun[edit]
secret of Polichinelle (plural secrets of Polichinelle)
- A supposed secret known to everyone.
- Synonym: open secret
- 1915, Frederick Scott Oliver, Ordeal by Battle:
- 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.
- 1926, W. J. Thorold, Arthur Hornblow, Perriton Maxwell, Stewart Beach, editors, Theatre magazine, volumes 43-44:
- 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.
- 1992, Hyman Gross, Ross Harrison, Jurisprudence: Cambridge Essays:
- 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.
Translations[edit]
secret known to everyone
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Further reading[edit]
- Pulcinella on Wikipedia.Wikipedia