conspiracy of silence

plural conspiracies of silence

1. Synonym of wall of silence.

   “There's a conspiracy of silence in medicine around death and dying.”

   2001 May 15, Jane E. Brody, “A Conversation with Dan Shapiro: A Doctor's Story of Hope, Humor and Deadly Cancer”, in New York Times, retrieved 08 Aug 2012

   3 more examples

   But neither spoke to the other on the subject. They had entered into a conspiracy of silence.

   1889, H. Rider Haggard, chapter 24, in Beatrice

   Biggs—in the presence of Colonel Bristo—made a last effort to induce Sergeant Compton to join the conspiracy of silence regarding the identity of Miles, the Australian adventurer.

   1902, E. W. Hornung, chapter 31, in At Large

   That its educated followers no longer believed in a physical Hell, that its more advanced clergy had entered into a conspiracy of silence on the subject was no answer.

   1919, Jerome K. Jerome, chapter 2, in All Roads Lead to Calvary

   Synonyms: wall of silence