|
English word |
English Definition |
English Example sentence |
| 1 |
to go around |
of a story or rumor, to become well known |
There's a rumor going around that the world will end in
2016. |
| 2 |
to keep ~ hush hush |
to keep something secret |
He was extremely rich, but he tried to keep it hush hush. |
| 3 |
to keep ~ to oneself |
to tell a secret to no one |
I never knew I was adopted; my mother kept it to herself. |
| 4 |
to keep ~ on the down-low |
to keep certain information secret or semi-secret |
We are allowed to drink beer at work, but we try to keep it on
the down-low when the CEO comes by. |
| 5 |
to have a big mouth |
to be unable to stop yourself from telling secrets |
She has a big mouth; don't tell her your secret! |
| 6 |
behind someone’s back |
without someone knowing |
I was talking about him behind his back, spreading rumors in
the classroom. |
| 7 |
to blab |
to tell a secret to no one |
The mother of the bank robber felt guilty and blabbed to the
police. |
| 8 |
a blabbermouth |
a person who tells secrets |
She's a blabbermouth, always talking about other people's
secret information. |
| 9 |
to keep a secret |
to get information from someone else and not share it beyond
that |
I will keep the secret until the day I die. |
| 10 |
to keep one’s word |
to do as one swears to do |
I told him I would not tell anyone his secret, and I intend to
keep my word. |
| 11 |
to spread a rumor |
to let many people know about a piece of information that is
not true or not confirmed |
All these crazy people were spreading rumors that the world
would end in the year 2000. |
| 12 |
to shoot the breeze |
to talk casually with someone |
We were just shooting the breeze, sitting outside drinking
beers. |
| 13 |
chit chat |
verbal communication that is casual and light |
The barber and I engaged in some chit chat. |
| 14 |
hearsay |
information you get from someone else that may be true or may
be false |
I heard the CEO will resign, but I'm not sure; it's just
hearsay. |
| 15 |
dirt |
information about someone that was supposed to be a secret |
I got the dirt on the power company; turns out they are dumping
their waste into the ocean illegally! |
| 16 |
to go on and on about ~ |
to talk enthusiastically for a long time about something |
She went on and on about how talented her son was. |
| 17 |
to spill the beans |
to tell a secret to no one |
After many years of keeping the secret, he finally spilled the
beans. |
| 18 |
to blurt out ~ |
to say the truth in a brief way |
She blurted out the answer to the riddle before I had time to
think. |
| 19 |
a tattletale |
a person who makes a habit of reporting other people's bad
behavior to figures of authority |
My school had a tattletale; he was always watching his
classmates to catch a mistake and report it. |
| 20 |
to have a gossip |
to engage in talking about other people's secrets and
mistakes |
We went out to lunch and had a gossip about the Royal
Family. |
| 21 |
a scandal |
a situation that is shocking and immoral |
The founder of Microsoft uses a Mac at home; what a
scandal! |