keep a lid on

English

Pronunciation

• Audio (General Australian):

  (file)

Verb

keep a lid on (third-person singular simple present keeps a lid on, present participle keeping a lid on, simple past and past participle kept a lid on)

1. (idiomatic, imperative) To keep something secret.

   It's supposed to be a surprise, so try to keep a lid on it, will you?

   • 2018 July 3, Phil McNulty, “Colombia 1 - 1 England”, in BBC Sport‎^[1]:

     If he was listening to the England fans who gathered and sang non-stop late into the Moscow night behind the goal in the Spartak Stadium, it may have dawned on him that keeping a lid on expectations is likely to be a losing battle.

Translations

keep something secret

• Czech: držet pod pokličkou
• German: unter Verschluss halten, geheim halten

See also

• under wraps