spare someone's blushes

verb

To save someone from embarrassment.

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Meanings

verbspare someone's blushes (third-person singular simple present spares someone's blushes, present participle sparing someone's blushes, simple past and past participle spared someone's blushes)

present singular third person spares someone's blushes · participle present sparing someone's blushes · participle past spared someone's blushes · past spared someone's blushes

  1. idiomaticTo save someone from embarrassment.

    Cesc Fabregas spared Arsenal's blushes with his late spot-kick

    2011 January 8, Chris Bevan, “Arsenal 1 - 1 Leeds”, in BBC
    1 more example

    He faced us as we assembled for breakfast with a deprecating false modesty in his eyes, as who should say, "I know that I deserve all that you can say, but I pray you to spare my blushes by not saying it." His beard bristled exultantly, his chest was thrown out, and his hand was thrust into the front of his jacket.

    1912, Arthur Conan Doyle, The Lost World […], London; New York, N.Y.: Hodder and Stoughton, →OCLC
Cite this entry
APA

spare someone's blushes. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/spare%20someone's%20blushes

MLA

“spare someone's blushes.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/spare%20someone's%20blushes. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “spare someone's blushes,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/spare%20someone's%20blushes.

Source: spare someone's blushes on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.