paper over en · VERB
Etymology
Suggesting the use of wallpaper to cover defects on a wall.
Meanings
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(figuratively, transitive) To superficially hide or disguise (a problem or a defect) without addressing it; to provide a veneer of normality or success.
While Volcker briefly submitted his resignation to Treasury Secretary Baker, a new vote would paper over immediate tensions – though Volcker's time as chair was numbered, going forward.
2016, Wesley Widmaier, Economic Ideas in Political Time, →ISBN, page 151:Runaway lending continues, bad debts mount even higher, and the need for more cash to paper over losses becomes that much more acute.
2014, Patric Chovanec, at Bloomberg, China's Runaway Train is Running Out of Track:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| papers over | Number=Sing, Person=3, Tense=Pres | lexicographic | |
| papering over | Tense=Pres, VerbForm=Part | lexicographic | |
| papered over | Tense=Past, VerbForm=Part | lexicographic | |
| papered over | Tense=Past | lexicographic |
Relateds
under the rug · under the carpet
Synonyms
whitewash · cover up · gloss over
Translations (5)
pl przykryć (to superficially hide or disguise (a problem or a defect) without addressing it; to provide a veneer of normality or success) · es empapelar (to superficially hide or disguise (a problem or a defect) without addressing it; to provide a veneer of normality or success) · es disipar (to superficially hide or disguise (a problem or a defect) without addressing it; to provide a veneer of normality or success) · pl przykrywać (to superficially hide or disguise (a problem or a defect) without addressing it; to provide a veneer of normality or success) · ru замять (to superficially hide or disguise (a problem or a defect) without addressing it; to provide a veneer of normality or success)