sweep something under the rug en · VERB
Pronunciation
- (Australia) audio
Meanings
-
(idiomatic) To conceal a problem (usually an embarrassing or illegal one) expediently, rather than remedy it thoroughly.
“One of the problems with the entertainment industry is that, to protect the image of these people, they try to deal with the problem by sweeping it under the rug,” said John T. Schwarzlose, chief executive of the Betty Ford Center, the licensed addiction hospital in Rancho Mirage, Calif.
2011 March 7, Brooks Barnes, Bill Carter, Michael Cieply, “Sheen Is Surrounded by a Coterie of Enablers”, in The New York Times, →ISSN:Near-synonyms: cover (sth.) up, draw a veil over (sth.)
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| sweeping something under the rug | Tense=Pres, VerbForm=Part | lexicographic | |
| sweeps something under the rug | Number=Sing, Person=3, Tense=Pres | lexicographic | |
| swept something under the rug | Tense=Past, VerbForm=Part | lexicographic | |
| swept something under the rug | Tense=Past | lexicographic |
Coordinates
dismiss · deny · shrug off · wave away
Relateds
change the subject · bury one's head in the sand · cover-up
Synonyms
cover up · sweep something under the carpet · draw a veil over · brush something under the rug · brush something under the carpet
Translations (20)
es engavetar (to conceal a problem expediently) · cmn 隱瞞某事 /隐瞒某事 (to conceal a problem expediently) · de unter den Teppich kehren (to conceal a problem expediently) · ru замести́ под ко́врик (to conceal a problem expediently) · sh гурнути под тепих (to conceal a problem expediently) · cmn 掩蓋某事 /掩盖某事 (to conceal a problem expediently) · cs zamést pod koberec (to conceal a problem expediently) · pl zamieść pod dywan (to conceal a problem expediently) · pl zamiatać pod dywan (to conceal a problem expediently) · hy ծածկադմփոց անել (to conceal a problem expediently) · id menyimpan jarum patah dalam peti (to conceal a problem expediently) · sv sopa något under mattan (to conceal a problem expediently) · fr cacher la poussière sous le tapis (to conceal a problem expediently) · fi lakaista maton alle (to conceal a problem expediently) · nl iets onder het tapijt vegen (to conceal a problem expediently) · ja 猫糞する (to conceal a problem expediently) · fr mettre sous le tapis (to conceal a problem expediently) · pt varrer para debaixo do tapete (to conceal a problem expediently) · hu a szőnyeg alá söpör (to conceal a problem expediently) · es esconder los trapos sucios (to conceal a problem expediently)