Region: US / UK | Usage example: Let’s keep the disagreements private and not air our laundry in front of the board.

Air your laundry

Meaning

Publicly discuss private matters, often causing embarrassment.

Used to caution against exposing personal problems in public.

Origin notes can vary by region and source; this page gives the commonly reported explanation and usage context.

Comes from the literal act of hanging laundry to dry, metaphorically meaning airing secrets.

Used in 19th-century English novels warning of social indiscretion.