Skeleton in the cupboard
"Nevertheless, there was a terrible skeleton in the cupboard,-or rather out of the cupboard for the skeleton could not be got to hide itself."
From the story "The Spotted Dog" the editor metaphorically compares to Mackenzie's and his wife's drinking habits to a skeleton in the cupboard. Drinking is something Mackenzie is trying to escape and hide from but it eventually proves useless and it contributes to his tragic end.
Knowledge at fingers' ends
From the story "The Turkish Bath" the Editor is approached by, what appears to be a man of the world. The man shows knowledge from different areas of study which convinces the Editor that he is a very educated man with "Plato and Pope at his fingers' ends".
Metaphorically plunging a dagger
From the story "The Turkish Bath" the Editor in his conversation to a strange man gets stunned with an unpleasant surprise. The two men reach the topic of editors and the Editor finally discovers the man's true motives. The editor feels as though the man plunged a dagger into him.
