paper over

British  

verb

1. (tr, adverb) to conceal (something controversial or unpleasant)

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paper over Idioms  

1. Also, paper over the cracks. Repair superficially, conceal, especially flaws. For example, He used some accounting gimmicks to paper over a deficit, or It was hardly a perfect settlement, but they decided to paper over the cracks. The German statesman Otto von Bismarck first used this analogy in a letter in 1865, and the first recorded example in English, in 1910, referred to it. The allusion is to covering cracked plaster with wallpaper, thereby improving its appearance but not the underlying defect.

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

paper over

The contradictions are getting harder to paper over, as evidenced by Alex Clark’s mess of a speech.

From Salon ● Jun. 12, 2026

Publicly, Xi and Trump will seek to paper over their differences.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 13, 2026

That extends a rally in bonds that has clipped more than 30 basis points, or hundredths of a percentage point, from the yield on the benchmark paper over the past month.

From Barron's ● Feb. 27, 2026

But there were only so many problems that talent could paper over for the Trojans, even if Northwestern had come into Wednesday night on the heels of a five-game losing streak.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 22, 2026

Emerson Lapp turned the piece of paper over, turned it back, reread it again, and shook his head.

From "The Milagro Beanfield War" by John Nichols