keep a lid on
To keep something secret.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“Please keep a lid on this until I finish the project.”
“The company asked the employees to keep a lid on the merger news until the official announcement.”
“Despite the mounting pressure from the press, the administration struggled to keep a lid on the details of the ongoing investigation.”
- 01
blow the lid off
To uncover (a secret or scandal).
- 02
call a lid
To inform the press that no further news will be released from a governmental body that day.
- 03
cobbler, keep to your last
One should not criticise matters outside one's field of expertise; one should mind one's business.
- 04
earn one's keep
To perform satisfactory physical labor or to provide other worthy services in return for remuneration, lodging, or other benefits; to support oneself financially.
- 05
flip one's lid
To become explosively angry, to lose one's temper.
- 06
gift that keeps on giving
Something with continuous (typically positive) consequences.
- 07
keep a civil tongue in one's head
To maintain a polite manner of speaking.
- 08
keep a close watch
to pay careful attention to a situation or a thing, so that you can deal with any changes or problems.
Last updated August 10, 2026