die Geheimniskrämerei
Translation
secretiveness, being secretive
Examples
Ich mag seine ständige Geheimniskrämerei nicht.
I don't like his constant secretiveness.
Schluss mit der Geheimniskrämerei, sag was los ist!
Stop being so secretive and tell me what's wrong!
Grammar Patterns
to stop the secretiveness ((aufhören)) Stop this secretiveness at once!
to hate sb.'s secretiveness ((hassen)) I hate his secretiveness.
Similar Words
Heimlichtuerei (secretiveness), Verschwiegenheit (discretion)
Etymology
Comes from 'Geheimnis' (secret) + 'Krämer' (a shopkeeper, often implying pettiness) + '-ei' (a suffix denoting an activity, often pejoratively). It suggests making a big fuss over secrets.
Memory Tips
Picture a 'Krämer' (shopkeeper) making a 'Geheimnis' (secret) out of trivial matters, being unnecessarily mysterious.