This week Shauna and Dan explore the Skeleton in the Closet, sometimes known as the Skeleton in the Cupboard. Bonus: Gravestone battles, Jazz music, and literal skeletons in cupboards.
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Bunny Trails: A Word History Podcast
Episode 252: Skeleton in the Closet
Record Date: October 20, 2024
Air Date: October 30, 2024
Intro
Shauna:
Welcome to Bunny Trails, a whimsical adventure of idioms and other turns of phrase.
I’m Shauna Harrison
Dan:
And I’m Dan Pugh
Each week we take an idiom or other turn of phrase and try to tell the story from its entry into the English language, to how it’s used today.
Opening Hook
Have you ever had a secret that you didn’t want to get out to other people. Maybe it’s something you did many years ago, or maybe it’s something about yourself that you feel others won’t approve of. But in either case, you might say there is a skeleton in your closet.
Meaning
According to the Oxford English Dictionary, a skeleton in the closet, or skeleton in the cupboard, means:
Quote
A secret source of shame or pain to a family or person.
End Quote
https://www.oed.com/dictionary/skeleton_n?tab=meaning_and_use#22368641
1812
The first time I found it in print was in an advert for a forthcoming edition of a periodical in an 1812 newspaper, The Morning Chronicle out of London. (October 20, 1812). In this soon-to-be published periodical, The Scourge; or Monthly Expositor of Imposture and Folly, there was to be an article called:
Quote
Censor’s View of London in 1812, embracing the general Distress of the Times, and pointing out to every Citizen the terrific Skeleton he has in his Closet
End Quote
https://newspaperarchive.com/morning-chronicle-oct-30-1812-p-1/
Unfortunately, the only place that seems to have archives of The Scourge is the Internet Archive, which was down at the time of this research due to a cyberattack on the site.
https://archive.org/details/scourgeormonthly03crui
Still, the way the phrase is used in this title tells me it was likely in use for a while before this point. But since I am unable to access the work itself, we’ll look at another usage that is roughly the same timeframe.
1816
Here’s an example of its usage in The Eclectic Review, 1816. From an article called Adam’s Inquiry into the Laws of different Epidemic Diseases, etc. In this, it is noted there are two great sources of distress, which are the dangers of contagion and the apprehension of hereditary diseases. This quote is looking at the second one; the genetic diseases that one may pass down to their children or grandchildren.
Quote
The dread of being the cause of misery to posterity, has prevailed over the most laudable attachment to beloved object; and a sense of duty has imposed celibacy on those who seemed by nature the best constituted for the duties of a parent. In these, as in many other highly important questions, men seem afraid of enquiring after truth; cautions on cautions are multiplied, to conceal the skeleton in the closet or to prevent its escape, till our very fears bring the object constantly before us, not in its real form, but multiplied into every possible shape, and magnified in all.
End Quote
https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_Eclectic_Review/9BA3AAAAYAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=%22skeleton%22,+%22closet%22&pg=PA468&printsec=frontcover
1855
This next one, according to the Oxford English Dictionary, is from the author that brought the term into acceptable usage. While the phrase obviously was used before this, it was William Makepeace Thackery who used it in his literary works and lent the phrase respectability in polite society. Here is one such early example, in Thackery’s 1855 work, The Newcomes. I’ll read, though, from an 1885 copy as first editions are quite rare…
Quote
The housekeeper, pattering on before us from chamber to chamber, was expatiating upon the magnificence of this picture; the beauty of that statue; the marvellous richness of these hangings and carpets; the admirable likeness of the late Marquis by Sir Thomas; of his father, the fifth Earl, by Sir Joshua, and so on; when, in the very richest room of the whole castle, Hicks - such was my melancholy companion’s name - stopped the cicerone in her prattle, saying in a hollow voice, “And now, Madam, will you show us the closet where the skeleton is?”
End Quote
https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_Newcomes/1F9TAAAAYAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=%22skeleton%22,+%22closet%22&pg=PA588&printsec=frontcover
That bit of foreshadowing becomes most clear later in the book in the chapter Barnes’s Skeleton Closet, with the line in an 1868 version of the book:
Quote
And it is from these that we shall arrive at some particulars regarding the Newcome family, which will show us that they have a skeleton or two in their closets, as well as their neighbours.
End Quote
https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_Works/zzRMAAAAcAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=%22skeleton%22,+%22closet%22&pg=PA198&printsec=frontcover
1878
Here’s an example from the 1878 work, Thrift, by Samuel Smiles. Mr. Smiles had two previous well-received works, one called Self-help and one called Character. This made me wonder if the book Self-help was the first self-help book. And the answer to that is no. But this title does seem to be a catalyst for why we call this style of books ‘self-help’. We’ll explore a brief history of self-help books in a work from author Jessi Lamb-Shapiro in our behind the scenes. Teaser… the first one was before the common era! You can check out our behind the scenes videos every Friday on Patreon, that’s patreon.com/bunnytrailpod
But back to Thrift, this is the opening paragraph of Chapter 8.
Quote
It is said that there is a skeleton in every household. The skeleton is locked up-put away in a cupboard-and rarely seen. Only the people inside the house know of its existence. But the skeleton, nevertheless, can not long be concealed. It comes to light in some way or another. The most common skeleton is Poverty. Poverty, says Douglas Jerrold, is the great secret, kept at any pains by one-half the world from the other half. When there is nothing laid by-nothing saved to relieve sickness when it comes-nothing to alleviate the wants of old age-is the skeleton hidden away in many a cupboard.
End Quote
https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/14418/pg14418-images.html
1899
I know we usually talk about books with the phrase as a title in the modern uses, but this one definitely belongs on this side of the break. The Skeleton in the Closet is an 1899 book by Charles Darrow. I want to read you the opening paragraph because it’s evocative and poetic and just very good all at the same time.
Quote
The closet has so long been allotted to the skeleton that we have come to regard this room as its fit and natural home; it has been given over to this guest because it is the darkest, the closest, and least conspicuous in the house. The door can be securely fastened and only now and then can the grating bones be heard by the world outside. Still, however, secluded and unused this guest chamber seems to be, and however carefully we bolt the door and darken every chink and crevice in the walls, we are ever conscious that the occupant is there, and will remain until the house is closed, and the last tenant has departed, never to return. The very fact that we try so hard to keep the skeleton in its proper room, makes it the more impossible to forget that it is there.
End Quote
https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_Skeleton_in_the_Closet/ZAk5AQAAIAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=%22skeleton%22,+%22closet%22&printsec=frontcover
I read the entire thing, which is about 25 pages. It’s a beautiful piece that explore the different ways one can deal with the skeleton in the closet, culminating in acceptance - or as Darrow puts it:
Quote
Let us place a new chair beside the hearth, in the cosiest nook, and bid the skeleton take its place as the worthiest guest. Let us neither parade nor hide our new-found friend, but treat it as a fact of life - a fact that is, a fact that had the right to be, and a fact that taught us how to find ourselves.
End Quote
https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_Skeleton_in_the_Closet/ZAk5AQAAIAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=%22skeleton%22,+%22closet%22&printsec=frontcover
1910
This next one is a literal usage of the phrase, but the title plays off of the well-known figurative usage. This comes to us from the San Antonio Light and Gazette June 12, 1910, but the byline is out of Vienna, Austria, June 11. The article is called “Skeleton in Cupboard’
Quote
An extraordinary instance of a husband’s devotion to his wife’s memory has just been revealed at Bucharest. In inventory of property left by Miklos Denner, a merchant, was being made, when the skeleton of a woman was discovered locked up in a cupboard. It was at first thought that a murder had been committed, but inquiry showed that the skeleton was that of Denner’s wife, who died a natural death ten years ago, and was buried in the ordinary way. The husband was inconsolable till he secretly exhumed his wife’s remains, and hid the skeleton in the cupboard which always stood in his bed room. The skeleton is to be reinterred.
End Quote
https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn86090238/1910-06-12/ed-1/seq-7/#date1=1756&sort=relevance&date2=1963&searchType=advanced&language=&sequence=0&index=2&words=cupboard+CUPBOARD+SKELETON+skeleton&proxdistance=5&rows=20&ortext=&proxtext=&phrasetext=skeleton+in+cupboard&andtext=&dateFilterType=yearRange&page=1
That is simultaneously gross and sweet. But grief can make people do things that are not well-understood by others.
1935
This next one is a doozy. This comes to us from the Henderson Daily Dispatch out of North Carolina and is dated September 10, 1935. The byline is out of Ware, Massachusetts, September 9th. The title is “Progress Brings Old Skeleton From Closet”
Quote
The bright sunlight of attention has again fallen upon of the strangest gravestones ever set up in a cemetery, to plague the Felton family. Ironically, one of the few graves of 75 years ago that will remain in this region after the new Boston water supply project is completed, is one which bears a headstone a family unsuccessfully fought for a generation to have removed. It is a white granite marker upon which William Gibbes accuses the widow of his brother, Warren, of poisoning <him> with arsenic.
End Quote
https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn91068401/1935-09-10/ed-1/seq-14/#date1=1756&index=8&rows=20&searchType=advanced&language=&sequence=0&words=Closet+Skeleton&proxdistance=5&date2=1963&ortext=&proxtext=&phrasetext=skeleton+in+closet&andtext=&dateFilterType=yearRange&page=1
Apparently there was some significant back and forth. The authorities did not take action against the widow, Mary, though neither were attempts at invoking libel and slander laws successful against William. And the fact that this tombstone was to be one of the few that survived the water project makes for a great news story of the day.
Here’s what the tombstone says:
Quote
Warren Gibbs
Died by arsenic poison
March 23 1860
Age 36 yrs, 5 mos, 23 days
Think my friends when this you see
How my wife hath dealt by me
She in some oysters did prepare
Some poison for my lot and share
Then of the same I did partake
And nature yielded to its fate
Before she my wife became
Mary Felton was her name
Erected by his Brother
Wm Gibbs
End Quote
https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn91068401/1935-09-10/ed-1/seq-14/#date1=1756&index=8&rows=20&searchType=advanced&language=&sequence=0&words=Closet+Skeleton&proxdistance=5&date2=1963&ortext=&proxtext=&phrasetext=skeleton+in+closet&andtext=&dateFilterType=yearRange&page=1
1936
Last one before the break, and this one is a 1936 song called Skeleton in the Closet performed by Louis Armstrong. It was part of the movie soundtrack for the 1936 Pennies from Heaven starring Bing Crosby and Madge Evans, with Louis Armstrong in a supporting role. It’s a great jazz song and we’ll link to it on our Patreon so you can listen to it. I’ve been a huge fan of Louis Armstrong since I was a kid and I loved listening to this song of his as well.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SGRMbMNWxSE
With that, it’s time to move to our more modern uses but first we need to say thank you to our sponsors.
A Quick Thank You
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Modern Uses
1951 Book
I actually ran into our first example in a newspaper advertisement while I was researching. Skeletons and Cupboards is a 1951 novel by Ralph Arnold. I’m going to read the synopsis as published in the Evening Star out of Washington, DC, on December 2, 1951.
Quote
There were so many likely reasons for murdering the obnoxious Mr. Brisbane - and so many suspects lying - that the new chief constable had his hands full. Could the upstart Australian have suspected he was the rightful heir to the old title? Or had he uncovered the secret behind the not-so-heroic death of his eldest son? Three apparent efforts on Mr. Brisbane’s life and a rash of confessions just complicate matters in this very British comedy of manners and murder.
End Quote
https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83045462/1951-12-02/ed-1/seq-72/#date1=1756&sort=relevance&date2=1963&searchType=advanced&language=&sequence=0&index=6&words=Cupboards+Skeletons&proxdistance=5&rows=20&ortext=&proxtext=&phrasetext=skeleton+in+cupboard&andtext=&dateFilterType=yearRange&page=1
1956 Song
Skeleton in the Cupboard is a 1956 jazz song by Humphrey Lyttelton and His Band. It was released on the album Bad Penny Blues 1955-1956. I absolutely love this song. I mentioned before the break how much I love Louis Armstrong, but it actually extended all of the bluesy jazzy songs with a trumpet or cornet lead and a great jazz band behind them. And Skeleton in the Cupboard is one that I’ve heard hundreds of times in different mixes but didn’t realize what it was called. There are no lyrics, but as will all of the awesome works we reference you can find the link on Patreon.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=cvxpUhCbMj8
1986 Song
A Skeleton in the Closet is a 1986 song by the band Anthrax off the album Among the Living. Here are a few of the lyrics:
Quote
Tell me a story, will ya, will ya
A real good story, I won't leave till ya
Spill your guts old man
Leave out any secrets, hiding in the
Any skeletons, and all your other sins
Any skeletons, in the closet
Any skeletons, any misfortunes
Any skeletons, hiding in the closet
End Quote
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qUxTB9WyU8I
1995 Book
This one is such a 1990s thing. It’s a book released in 1995 called Skeleton Closet: A Spooky Pop-up Book By Steven Guarnaccia. If you aren’t familiar, a pop-up book is one where the pages are cut and formed in a manner that allows a sort of 3-D image to “pop up” when you open the page. You would usually lay the book flat on the table and if the page is talking about cows, a cow might pop-up when you fully open the page. Here is the synopsis from the publisher:
Quote
With this eerie invitation, a lively skeleton named Mr. Bones takes readers on a spine-tingling journey through his favorite haunts, leading them through spooky passages and behind a mysterious bookcase and toward a ghostly graveyard. Ghastly surprises and fiendishly funny interactive devices make this spooky pop-up book an absolute scream for kids in need of that perfect fright.
End Quote
https://www.google.com/books/edition/Skeleton_Closet/azDHswEACAAJ?hl=en
2002 Book
The Skeleton in the Closet is a 2002 book by M.C. Beaton. Here’s the synopsis from the publisher.
Quote
Ever since the death of his father, poor Fellworth Dolphin has slaved away as a waiter to support his miserly, cold-hearted mother. When his mother suddenly dies, Fellworth is shocked to discover that she has left him a sizable inheritance. Confused, Fell teams up with Maggie, a plain girl with a similar background, to investigate the source of the riches. But what they find is a closet full of skeletons...
Is it really possible Fell's father was involved in a long-ago train robbery? Who's the mysterious woman in the portrait hidden in his mother's wardrobe? As Maggie and Fell poke around the village for answers, they find themselves on a surprise-filled path to danger and adventure, and--just possibly--love. But Fell's sudden good fortune could come to an abrupt end if he doesn't stay one step ahead of a cunning killer...
End Quote
https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_Skeleton_in_the_Closet/E7LPdx_bEZgC?hl=en&gbpv=0
2024 movie
Skeletons in the Closet is a 2024 horror movie starring Terrance Howard, Cuba Gooding Jr., and Sally Kirkland. The trailer says it is based on a Mexican urban legend. I watched the trailer and it appears to be a movie where parents make a deal with the devil to save their child, which works, but then the payment comes due. My favorite thing is a comment on Youtube under the trailer in which user “@Future-Theory” says:
Quote
You gotta be hooked up when you can get three Academy Award winners to star in your High School film project.
End Quote
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ocvxevW-VA
Wrap Up
Based on the timespan of this phrase, which was in use by the early 1800s but could have been around in the 1700s, too, and is still used frequently today, we can recognize the ubiquity of the feelings behind the phrase. We all have secrets to some extent. Some are deeply hidden, while others are simply things from our past that we’d rather not re-live. But all of those skeletons hiding in our closets and cupboards represent something we just do not want coming out… at least not at the moment. And that is a feeling we have all had at one point or another. And I think that is what really keeps this phrase in use.
Dan:
That’s about all we have for today. If you have any thoughts on the show, or pop culture references we should have included,
reach out to us on Patreon, patreon.com/bunnytrailspod or comment on our website bunnytrailspod.com
Shauna:
It’s poll time!
Recently we asked our Patrons, what is the best use of a pineapple?
The runaway winner was “eat it fresh, all by itself”. A distant second place was to use it to “make piña coladas”, and a small percentage of our Patrons found the best use of a pineapple to “use it as a weapon”.
JGP says:
Quote
Either regale people with the history of how rare they used to be to the point that people rented them to show them off at parties or use them as a weapon. Either use would probably be pretty unexpected.
End Quote
Shauna:
They did used to be rare in Europe, which Pat mentions, too:
Quote
Hello and alas I am one of the many shunned individuals who will eat pineapple and ham on a pizza! To regain my place in society, I have been seen eating pineapple IN PUBLIC, FRESH, ALL BY ITSELF! Please note the pineapple's place as a symbol of hospitality; being expensive and rare in the colonial era--YES explorers returned with pineapples as a delicacy. Pineapples were even rented as party centerpieces. And, finally, (mercifully) the pineapple is often part of the architectural design in buildings, including The Dunmore House in Scotland and St. Paul's Cathedral in London, and many more in the USA.
End Quote
Dan:
I love how smart our Patrons are.
I like fresh pineapple by itself, but I've only had fresh pineapple in Central America and South America. So my normal way to enjoy pineapples is in a piña colada or on rare occasion, a smoothie. But I do like pineapples on a roasted ham.
Heather says:
Quote
The weapon is a tempting option, but I'm a simple person. I enjoy pineapple all on its own, or with a bit of cottage cheese, or like Dan the rings on a roasted ham.
End Quote
Shauna:
As a reminder, our silly polls mean absolutely nothing and are not scientifically valid. And patrons of all levels, including our free tiers, can take part. Head over to patreon.com/bunnytrailspod to take this week’s poll!
Outro
Shauna:
Thanks for joining us. We’ll talk to you again next week. Until then remember,
Together:
Words belong to their users.
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