sweep something under the rug

present singular third person sweeps something under the rug · participle present sweeping something under the rug · participle past swept something under the rug · past swept something under the rug

1. idiomaticTo conceal a problem (usually an embarrassing or illegal one) expediently, rather than remedy it thoroughly.

   Near-synonyms: cover (sth.) up, draw a veil over (sth.)

   1 more example

   “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

   Synonyms: brush something under the rug, brush something under the carpet, sweep something under the carpet, cover up, draw a veil over