Un secret de Polichinelle

Have you ever heard Polichinelle's, a.k.a. Punch's secret?  If you have, then you are not the only one!  Chance is, everyone else has.  Un secret de Polichinelle is like that juicy piece of gossip everyone claims is hush-hush, yet it's as conspicuous as a flamingo in a flock of pigeons.  It implies that the information is so obvious or well-known that it's as if it were openly acknowledged, much like a secret that everyone knows but pretends not to. The expression carries a sense of irony, suggesting that everyone plays along with the charade.

The expression translates to a poorly kept secret or an open secret in English.

Origin

Once upon a time, in the whimsical era of powdered wigs and fancy masks, there lived Polichinelle, or "Pulcinella" as they say in Italy – a character straight out of the zany world of Commedia dell'arte.  Polichinelle pranced around as the court jester, spreading cheer and chaos in equal measure.

One day, in a stroke of mischievous genius, Polichinelle whispered into the king's ear a scandalous revelation: Mr. de Bugolin, the impeccable king's steward, was nothing but a feathered fiend beneath his polished exterior.  Promising the king to keep it a secret, Polichinelle spread the gossip to the entire court.

And thus, secret de Polichinelle was born to describe all the poorly concealed tidbits bouncing around the palace halls.

Over time, the expression found its way into the rich tapestry of French language and culture, becoming a whimsical shorthand for situations where secrecy was as futile as a leaky bucket.

Examples

Le scandale était un secret de Polichinelle depuis des mois avant d'être finalement rendu public.
The scandal had been an open secret for months before finally being made public.

Tout le monde sait que leur relation est un secret de Polichinelle.
Everyone knows that their relationship is an open secret.