Wash your dirty linen in public 家丑外揚

Feifei

大家好，歡迎收聽 BBC 英語教學的《地道英語》節(jié)目。我是馮菲菲。

Rob

…and me, Rob. Hello! Hey Feifei, you know that expression 'to wash your dirty linen in public'?

Feifei

Yes. 表達 wash your dirty linen in public 的字面意思是“在公開場合洗臟的針織品”實際要表達的意思是在公開場合毫無忌諱地談論私密的事情，好比俗話說的“家丑外揚”。You wouldn't catch me doing that!

Rob

Nor me – I always keep private matters private - but anyway it's exactly what Daisy and Tom have been doing.

Feifei

What? They've been washing their dirty linen in public – you mean they've been arguing?

Rob

Not exactly – but yesterday, they were out in the garden making lots of noise.

Feifei

Oh I see. Actually Rob I think…

Rob

…and I'm sure Daisy said something about hanging Tom out to dry.

Feifei

行了、行了 Rob，你就別再猜下去了，我知道是怎么回事兒，不過咱們還是先來聽幾個使用這個表達的例句吧。

Examples

Tim kept discussing his brother's drinking problem at the pub but I told him not to wash his dirty linen in public.

I know he's having an affair but do they have to wash their dirty linen in public?

Don't wash your dirty linen in public, save your argument for when you get home!

Feifei

Wash your dirty linen in public 的意思就是在公開場合談論私人的秘密。不過話說，我覺得 Daisy 和 Tom 可不會在院子里談論自己家里的事兒。

Rob

But I could hear what was going on.

Feifei

Are you sure? Because I spoke to Daisy and she said their washing machine had broken down and they were actually washing their clothes outdoors, in the garden. I think the noise was just them having a laugh.

Rob

But what about Daisy saying she was going to hang Tom out to dry?

Feifei

I think she meant she was going to hang Tom's clothes out to dry. 你就別再瞎操心了，and then you won't hear people washing their dirty linen in public – either literally or metaphorically!

Rob

Thanks for the advice Feifei. Bye.

Feifei

Bye.