The English We Speak – Skeleton in the closet

(Creaking door)

Finn: Thank you for coming with me to my late uncle’s old house. He died recently.

(Creaking door)

Li: What a huge house!

Finn: Yes. My uncle, Frank Stein, left instructions for me to collect a suitcase which contains a donation to a school.

Li: A kind man who lived in a huge dark house. Oh, what was that?!

Finn: An owl – spooky!

(Spooky sound)

Li: These wooden masks on the walls look very scary, Finn. Look – big eyes, twisted mouths…

Finn: Yes, they are from an old tribe I think.

(Spooky sound)

Li: Finn, why did your uncle have all this stuff?

Finn: Our family never had much contact with him. He was a bit of a loner with a mysterious past.

Li: Mysterious past?

Finn: Yes. He had a mysterious life. He was an adventurer and a gambler. His first wife was killed in an accident. The second one disappeared suddenly. He had a few skeletons in the closet!

Li: He has got skeletons in the closet! Ahhhhhhhhhhh!

Finn: Calm down, Li. In English, when we say that someone has a skeleton in the closet, we mean that they have a hidden secret which is embarrassing. Let’s hear some examples.

• Mr Burns had to resign his position as CEO, after it came to light that his brother was in jail for corruption. Shareholders got scared he might have more skeletons in the closet.

• I have always led a modest and honest life. There are no skeletons in my closet.

Li: That’s a relief. So this is just an expression. There are no skeletons in these closets, are there?

Finn: Oh, no. No skeletons in these closets but…

Li: But what?

Finn: But here’s the suitcase my uncle wanted to donate to a school after his death. And it has… (he opens the suitcase).

Li: A skeleton!! This place must be haunted! Ohhhhh I’m out of here!! Ahhhhhhh!

Finn: Don’t worry, Li! My uncle Frank Stein was a doctor. He wanted me to donate this skeleton to a medical school for students to examine!

(Sinister laughter, sound of door closing)