paper over

present singular third person papers over · participle present papering over · participle past papered over · past papered over

1. figurativelytransitiveTo superficially hide or disguise (a problem or a defect) without addressing it; to provide a veneer of normality or success.

   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

   1 more example

   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

   Synonyms: cover up, gloss over, whitewash