something supposed to be a secret but in fact generally known
how do we use it?
although she didn't tell many people, the fact that maggie was getting married soon was an open secret in town.
word quiz
both "open" and "secret" have been in use for hundreds of years, but "open secret" used as a phrase with the special meaning above is a newer addition to english vocabulary. about when do you think "open secret" was first used?
a. the 1770s
b. the 1820s
c. the 1890s
d. the 1940s
key
[b]
it's no secret -- b's the answer! "open secret" first appeared in print in the late 1820s. "open" here means "not secret, public," the same meaning it has in the word "open letter," which first appeared in the 1870s. "open letter" means "a letter (as one addressed to an official) for the public to see and printed in a newspaper or magazine." "open dating" is another example of "open" meaning "public." first used in the 1970s, "open dating" means "the placing of dates on goods (as dairy products) so that the consumer can tell how old they are." in all of these words, "open" brings things out into the open!
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