cover someone's ass en · VERB
Pronunciation
- (Australia) audio
Meanings
-
(Canada, US, idiomatic, vulgar) To make preparations or take precautions to ensure that a person is not blamed or punished for his or her conduct.
Killian kept the files because "he was trying to cover his ass," Via said. "He was always worried something would come back on him."
2004 September 14, Jim Drinkard, Dave Moniz, “Secretary: Memos are forgeries”, in USA Today:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| covered someone's ass | Tense=Past, VerbForm=Part | lexicographic | |
| covered someone's ass | Tense=Past | lexicographic | |
| covers someone's ass | Number=Sing, Person=3, Tense=Pres | lexicographic | |
| covering someone's ass | Tense=Pres, VerbForm=Part | lexicographic |
Deriveds
Translations (4)
es cuidarse el pellejo (ensure that a person is not blamed or punished) · es cubrirse las espaldas (ensure that a person is not blamed or punished) · it pararsi il culo (ensure that a person is not blamed or punished) · he כיסה את התחת (ensure that a person is not blamed or punished)