having a guilty secret; having a skeleton in the closet
Idiomatic expression literally meaning 'a wound on the shin'; used when someone has a hidden past misdeed or guilty conscience. Often appears as すねに傷持つ (to have a guilty secret).
He has a guilty secret, so he suddenly goes quiet when the topic of the police comes up.
As someone with a skeleton in the closet, I can't talk big.
Means 'feeling guilty' or 'having a guilty conscience'; すねに傷 focuses on the hidden misdeed rather than the feeling.
Common kana-kanji mixed spelling; the kana すね avoids rare kanji while 傷 is standard.
Uses the standard kanji for 'shin'; less common than the mixed spelling but still seen.
Rare kanji form using 臑; not recommended for learners.
The phrase literally means 'a wound on the shin,' figuratively referring to a hidden flaw or past misdeed that one is ashamed of. The exact origin is uncertain, but it likely draws on the idea of a scar that one keeps covered.