keep (someone) in the dark (about something)
To keep someone uninformed (about something); to exclude someone from full knowledge or disclosure (of something). Keeping taxpayers in the dark about how their money is being spent is not how government should operate. I don't fully trust John to keep our plan a secret, so I think it best that we keep him in the dark for now.
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
keep someone in the dark
(about someone or something) Go to in the dark (about someone or something).
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
in the dark, to be/keep someone
To be mystified or uninformed; to fail to inform someone. The figurative use of dark for ignorance is very old indeed. “We can’t keep it dark any longer,” wrote the Roman playwright Plautus (Aulularia, ca. 210 b.c.), and Shakespeare wrote, “Till then I’ll keep him dark” (All’s Well That Ends Well, 4.1).
The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer Copyright © 2013 by Christine Ammer