一日一成语【47】wash one’s dirty linen in public

wash one’s dirty linen in public

每一个人，每一个家庭都免不了会有些自己认为不那么光彩而不愿意让别人知道的事情，这类事情在汉语中称为“家丑”例如家里有个不争气的成员留过班啦，小孩子在学校里行为不轨啦，这种家丑隐私在英语中被比喻为dirty linen（脏床单），弄脏了的床单最好是背着别人偷偷地洗，如果在大庭广众之中，众目睽睽之下洗，那就把丑事张扬出去，广而告之了。wash这个动词也可以换用air，即“晾、晒”的意思：

Uncle Albert has been to prison three times for theft. Father often warns us not to mention his name in the presence of strangers so as not to wash his dirty linen in public.
艾伯特叔叔因偷窃曾三次入狱，父亲常常警告我们在陌生人面前不要提到他，免得家丑外扬。

That lady does not seem to mind airing her dirty linen in public. She is talking so loudly on the bus about her quarrel with her husband.
那位太太好像不在意别人知道她的隐私，她居然在公共汽车上大声谈论她在她丈夫之间的争吵。