Let's figure it out together.
"Skeletons in the Closet" called real life stories, events that happened once and were hidden from other people, and sometimes from oneself. There are two reasons to hide these stories.
Firstly, the story that happened can be very painful, traumatic, dramatic for a person. Did something myself or did something to you. We will not give any examples here. There are many of them on the pages of the Internet, or on the pages of your own memory. These stories may be very diverse, but one thing unites them. It is difficult (ashamed, scary) to remember them, not to mention trusting someone to tell them. The story itself is denied, as well as one's own feelings about it, which can be very strong if not suppressed. Sometimes they are so strong that one cannot cope with them alone. But the opportunity to tell someone is also denied.
Speaking literally about this well-known metaphor - "skeleton in the closet" - it is important to note that every "skeleton" was once specific person associated with negative experiences. And the “closet” is the “corners” of memory in which this person is placed, where he first turns into a “corpse”, and then into a skeleton. In other words, history has not been lived through to the end, not accepted, not assimilated. Something in this story has not been done, not said, not reacted, that is, not finished.
Despite all the diversity, all "skeletons" have characteristics. The "skeleton" always wants to jump out of the closet. The “skeleton” is a psychological, intangible thing, and the further you “hide” it, the more they “stick out” at the most inopportune moment. If you make a safe out of a closet, then time will pass and your skeleton can turn into a monster that can get out of a metal safe! The "closet" is always inside you. It's up to you to decide what it will be. The most “strong” option is to hide it so as not to remember yourself. This means that the story has been pushed into the subconscious, which means it will “live on its own” and, in addition to your desire, influence your life. The "skeleton" "lives its own life" and can become a "psychological infection" that destroys a person from the inside.
If you want, you can start "reviewing" your "closets" right now. You can start by simply signing the individual drawers in which you keep your "skeletons".
Still, at least some order!
Our guests, arriving, discover many interesting and unusual finds in our mini-hotel. This is an opportunity to drink tea or coffee in a cozy dining room, stylized as an English pub, and a chance to call almost anywhere in the world from a traditional British red line for free. phone booth, and the presence of all sorts of little entertainment in the form of puzzles, chess, dominoes and mini-golf.
But an even bigger surprise, which undoubtedly surprises everyone, is the skeletons that live in every closet. Our skeletons are quite good-natured and do not cause any trouble to guests, so most of the guests treat them with humor, but some, especially impressionable ones, are frightened. And, of course, everyone has a question: “Where did such a tradition come from in the hotel - skeletons in closets?”. The answer to this question is very simple. Mini-hotel "Greenwich" tries to adhere to English traditions in absolutely everything, and, as you know from the old British saying, every decent house always has its own skeleton in the closet. Where did this expression come from?
"To have a skeleton in the closet" (in British English "in the cupboard" ) means to have some terrible secret, some shameful secret from the past that you, by all means, do not want to put on public display.
Initially, this expression was used in the context of medical activity. Physicians in Britain were not allowed to work on corpses until an Act was passed by Parliament in 1832 giving them such power. Under this Act, they could only perform medical autopsies on bodies that belonged to executed criminals. And despite the fact that executions in Britain 19th century were not so rare, the likelihood that a doctor would be lucky enough to deal with many corpses during his medical career was by no means great. Therefore, a very common practice among doctors who managed to gain access to the body of a deceased criminal was to store his skeleton in a closet for further research. Public opinion would condemn doctors keeping skeletons in plain sight, in their operating rooms, so they had to hide research material. Even if people did not see the skeletons, they were sure that the doctors were hiding them somewhere, and the most logical place for this, from their point of view, was closets.
Of course, a lot of time has passed since then, and now this expression does not have such a literal meaning. Now it has more to do with family secrets. In England they say: “Everyone has their own skeleton in the closet, which has a nasty habit of falling out at the most inopportune moment”.
The wording itself "skeleton in the closet" became widespread, being used by the English writer William Thackeray in the novel "Newcomes, a biography of a very respectable family" ("Newcomes", 1853-1855), after which the phrase was thoroughly entrenched in the everyday life of the British. In Russian, tracing paper is used from this expression - “a skeleton in a closet”. The expression itself is used in the chapter "What skeleton was hiding in Barnes Newcomb's closet":
"... from them we have to learn some details about the Newcome family, indicating that these gentlemen, like other mortals, had their skeletons in their closets. So how can I best present this story to you? If you, venerable matrons, do not want your daughters to know that bad husbands have bad wives; that marriage without love does not promise happiness; that men, to whom brides swear love and obedience by someone else's will, sometimes turn out to be selfish, deceitful and hard-hearted; that women they forget vows not made from the heart - so if you don't want to hear about all this, my dear readers, shut the book and send for another..."
In addition, the expression became one of the options for the title of Somerset Maugham's novel "Pies and Beer, or the Skeleton in the Cupboard" (1930), which tells about the life of the famous English writer Edward Driffield seen through the eyes young man brought up in the Victorian tradition.
In many homes, material things are stored, which can also be called skeletons in the closet. These are items inherited, which, due to old age, are rarely kept in sight, removed from sight and do not want to be shown to outsiders: letters, jewelry, documents, drawings, ancient tools - everything that can remind of deceased ancestors. Naturally, natural skeletons are a rarity, although this is also possible.
“Every family has a skeleton in the cupboard” - This is the motto of investigators and lawyers who deal with inheritance issues. The proverb says that many hide something about the past of their family or keep things that can tell about this past. Most likely, a person is cunning if he says that he has nothing to hide, because everyone, undoubtedly, has at least one “skeleton in the closet”.
Meaning a certain hidden biography fact (personal, family, corporate, etc.), which, if made public, can cause significant damage to reputation. Based on the context, this phrase can be understood as a corpse hidden in the house, which had lain for so long that it had time to decompose to the state of a skeleton.
The appearance of the expression is associated with medicine. Physicians in Britain were not allowed to work on dead bodies until 1832, when Parliament passed the Anatomy Act. Prior to this, the only bodies available for autopsy for medical purposes were those of executed criminals. Although the execution of criminals was by no means uncommon in 18th-century Britain, it was unlikely that a particular doctor would have had many corpses in his possession for his work biography. For this reason, it was common practice for a doctor, who had the good fortune to dissect the corpse of an executed criminal, to keep the skeleton for research purposes. Public opinion at the same time did not allow doctors to keep the skeletons in sight, so they were forced to keep them away from prying eyes. For this reason, many suspected that doctors kept skeletons somewhere, and one such place could be a closet.
The earliest use of the expression occurs in a play by William Hendry Stowell, first published in November 1816 in the British monthly The Eclectic Review (page 468). The “skeleton” in this case was a disease, infectious or hereditary: “Two great sources of distress are the danger of contagion and the apprehension of hereditary diseases. The dread of being the cause of misery to posterity has prevailed over men to conceal the skeleton in the closet ... "([There are] two great sources of suffering - the danger of a contagious disease and the fear of hereditary diseases. The horror of being a cause of misfortune for posterity has prevailed over men, to hide your skeleton in the closet).
"Cupboard" is used in British English, while "closet" is used in American. The expression appears in the Oxford English Dictionary and Webster's Dictionary under the word "skeleton". The Cambridge Academic Content Dictionary lists the phrase as a separate expression. From English, this phrase has penetrated into other languages.
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An excerpt characterizing the Skeleton in the closet
Count Rostopchin only arrived in town this morning from his country dacha in Sokolniki. The antechamber and reception room of the count's house were full of officials who came at his request or for orders. Vasilchikov and Platov had already seen the count and explained to him that it was impossible to defend Moscow and that it would be surrendered. Although these news were hidden from the inhabitants, the officials, the heads of various departments knew that Moscow would be in the hands of the enemy, just as Count Rostopchin knew it; and all of them, in order to lay down their responsibility, came to the commander-in-chief with questions about how they should deal with the units entrusted to them.While Pierre entered the reception room, the courier, who came from the army, left the count.
The courier waved his hand hopelessly at the questions addressed to him, and passed through the hall.
While waiting in the waiting room, Pierre looked with tired eyes at the various, old and young, military and civil, important and unimportant officials who were in the room. Everyone seemed dissatisfied and restless. Pierre approached one group of officials, in which one was his acquaintance. After greeting Pierre, they continued their conversation.
- How to send and return again, there will be no trouble; and in such a situation one cannot answer for anything.
“Why, he writes,” said another, pointing to the printed paper he held in his hand.
- That's another matter. This is necessary for the people,” said the first.
- What is this? Pierre asked.
- And here's a new poster.
Pierre took it in his hands and began to read:
“The Most Serene Prince, in order to quickly connect with the troops that are coming towards him, crossed Mozhaisk and stood in a strong place where the enemy would not suddenly attack him. Forty-eight cannons with shells have been sent to him from here, and his Serene Highness says that he will defend Moscow to the last drop of blood and is ready to fight even in the streets. You, brothers, do not look at the fact that government offices have been closed: things need to be cleaned up, and we will deal with the villain with our court! When it comes to something, I need fellows, both urban and rural. I'll call a call for two days, but now it's not necessary, I'm silent. Good with an ax, not bad with a horn, and best of all is a triple pitchfork: a Frenchman is not heavier than a sheaf of rye. Tomorrow, after dinner, I am taking Iverskaya to the Ekaterininsky hospital, to the wounded. We will sanctify the water there: they will recover sooner; and I am now healthy: my eye hurt, and now I look both ways.
“And the military people told me,” said Pierre, “that it’s impossible to fight in the city and that the position ...
“Well, yes, that’s what we’re talking about,” said the first official.
- And what does it mean: my eye hurt, and now I look in both? Pierre said.
“The count had barley,” said the adjutant, smiling, “and he was very worried when I told him that people came to ask what was the matter with him. And what, count, ”the adjutant suddenly said, turning to Pierre with a smile,“ we heard that you have family concerns? What if the countess, your wife ...
What is a "skeleton in the closet"? Let's figure it out together. Skeletons in the closet are real life stories, events that happened once and were hidden from other people, and sometimes from oneself.
Speaking literally about this well-known metaphor - "skeleton in the closet" - it is important to note that each "skeleton" was once a specific person with whom they are associated negative experiences . And the closet is corners of memory , in which this person is placed, where he first turns into a "corpse", and then into a skeleton. In other words, history has not been lived through to the end, not accepted, not assimilated, something in this story has not been done, not said, not reacted, that is, not finished .
Despite all the diversity, all "skeletons" have characteristics . The "skeleton" always wants to jump out of the closet. The “skeleton” is a psychological, non-material thing, and the further you “hide” it, the more it “sticks out” at the most inopportune moment. If you make a safe out of a closet, then time will pass and your skeleton can turn into a monster that can get out of a metal safe! The “closet” is always inside you. It's up to you to decide what it will be. The most “strong” option is to hide it so as not to remember yourself. This means that history pushed into the subconscious , which means it will “live on its own” and in addition to your desire to influence your life. The "skeleton" lives its own life and can become psychological infection that destroys a person from the inside.
If you want, you can start "reviewing" your "closets" right now. You can start by simply signing the individual drawers in which you keep your "skeletons". Still, at least some order!
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If you dream of a skeleton, it means. Illness, strife and loss await you, which will bring a force hostile to you. If you dream of yourself ... - SKELETON in the Encyclopedia of Biology:
, a frame made of hard tissues that provides the body with support, movement and protection of internal organs. Most invertebrates have an external skeleton, in the form of ... - SKELETON in Medical terms:
(skeleton, pna, bna; Greek skeletos dried) system of dense, connective tissue, ch. arr. bone, formations that make up the skeleton of man and animal and perform ... - SKELETON in the Big Encyclopedic Dictionary:
(from the Greek. skeletos letters. - dried up), a set of hard tissues in the body of animals and humans, giving support to the body and protecting it ... - SKELETON in big Soviet encyclopedia, TSB:
(from the Greek skeletos, literally - dried up), a set of hard tissues in the body of animals and humans, giving support to the body and protecting it ... - SKELETON V encyclopedic dictionary Brockhaus and Euphron:
- a solid support for the body of the animal, places of attachment of muscles and sometimes protection, if S. is external. It is necessary to distinguish S. from a sink ... - SKELETON
[from Greek dried up (body)] 1) the totality of bones and cartilage of the vertebrate body; invertebrates - various supporting structures (for example, calcareous shell ... - SKELETON in the Encyclopedic Dictionary:
a, m. 1. A set of bones that make up a solid foundation, the skeleton of the human and animal body. 2. trans. Frame, frame. Reinforced concrete s. building. … - SKELETON in the Encyclopedic Dictionary:
, -a, m. 1. A set of solid formations that make up the support, the skeleton of the human and animal body. C. of a person. Skeleton bones. Outdoor with. … - SKELETON in the Big Russian Encyclopedic Dictionary:
SKELETON (from the Greek. skeletos, literally - dried up), a set of hard tissues in the body of animals and humans, giving support to the body and protecting it ... - SKELETON in the Encyclopedia of Brockhaus and Efron:
? a solid support of the animal's body, a place of attachment of muscles and sometimes protection if S. is external. It is necessary to distinguish S. from a sink ... - SKELETON in Collier's Dictionary:
set of solid supporting structures of the body. In higher vertebrates, including humans, the skeleton consists of bones and cartilage, but in many lower ... - SKELETON in the Full accentuated paradigm according to Zaliznyak:
skele "t, skele" you, skele "ta, skele" tov, skele "to, skele" there, skele "t, skele" you, skele "that, skele" tami, skele "those, ... - SKELETON in the Anagram Dictionary.
- SKELETON in the Dictionary for solving and compiling scanwords:
The skeleton ... - SKELETON in the Thesaurus of Russian business vocabulary:
Syn: ... - SKELETON in the New Dictionary of Foreign Words:
(gr. skeleton (lit.) dried up (body)) 1) a set of bones and cartilage that make up the skeleton of the body of vertebrates and humans; Invertebrates have a role... - SKELETON in dictionary foreign expressions:
[ 1. the totality of bones and cartilage that make up the skeleton of the body of vertebrates and humans; in invertebrates, the role of the skeleton is played by various supporting formations; … - SKELETON in the Russian Thesaurus:
Syn: ... - SKELETON in the Dictionary of synonyms of Abramov:
cm. … - SKELETON in the dictionary of Synonyms of the Russian language:
Syn: ... - SKELETON in the New explanatory and derivational dictionary of the Russian language Efremova:
1. m. 1) The totality of bones that form the solid foundation of the body of vertebrates and humans. 2) The totality of dense supporting structures in invertebrates. … - SKELETON in the Complete Spelling Dictionary of the Russian Language:
skeleton, … - SKELETON in the Spelling Dictionary:
skeleton, ... - SKELETON in the Dictionary of the Russian Language Ozhegov:
a set of solid formations that make up the support, the skeleton of the body of a person and animal S. of a person. Skeleton bones. Outdoor with. (for invertebrates). How … - SKELETON in the Dahl Dictionary:
husband. , Greek the backbone, the skeleton, all the bones of an animal, a person, in their due connection. Skeletal machine, base, on which it is installed. … - SKELETON in Modern explanatory dictionary, TSB:
(from the Greek. skeletos, letters. - dried up), a set of hard tissues in the body of animals and humans, giving support to the body and protecting it ... - SKELETON in the Explanatory Dictionary of the Russian Language Ushakov:
skeleton, m. (Greek skeleton - dried body, mummy). 1. A set of bones, which is the solid foundation of the body of animals, the backbone. Human skeleton. … - SKELETON in the Explanatory Dictionary of Efremova:
skeleton 1. m. 1) The totality of bones that form the solid foundation of the body of vertebrates and humans. 2) A set of dense supporting formations in ... - SKELETON in the New Dictionary of the Russian Language Efremova:
- SKELETON in the Big Modern Explanatory Dictionary of the Russian Language:
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