Idioms - part 4

A skeleton in the cupboard

1) You know what? I believe that her husband has got a skeleton in the cupboard that he doesn’t want to talk about and that’s why he behaves in such a strange way lately.

it means

You know what? I believe that her husband has got an embarrassing secret he doesn’t want to talk about and that’s why he behaves in such a strange way lately.

2) The way she is so attentive to her boss makes you think that perhaps she’s got a skeleton in the cupboard that he knows about and now he is blackmailing her.

it means

The way she is so attentive to her boss makes you think that perhaps she’s got an embarrassing secret He knows about and now he is blackmailing her.

CHECK

To be under sb's tumb

1) John is completely under his wife’s thumb.
He does whatever she tells him to do. 

it means

John is completely under his wife’s control.
He does whatever she tells him to do.

2) This is strange but his boss is under his thumb.

it means

This is strange but he has a complete control over his own boss.

CHECK