phrase
Jekyll and Hyde
Someone with two sharply opposed sides โ respectable in public, monstrous in private.
Origin
From Robert Louis Stevenson's 1886 novella The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. Respectable London physician Henry Jekyll concocts a potion that lets him become his amoral alter ego, Edward Hyde. The transformation grows harder to reverse.
Modern usage
Used for anyone whose private behavior contradicts their public persona โ abusive partners, charming con artists, dual-mode coworkers.
Tags
duality
horror
morality