smoke screen

American  

noun

1. a mass of dense smoke produced to conceal an area, vessel, or plane from the enemy.

2. something intended to disguise, conceal, or deceive; camouflage.

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smoke screen British  

noun

1. military a cloud of smoke produced by artificial means to obscure movements or positions

2. something said or done in order to hide the truth

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Etymology

Origin of smoke screen

First recorded in 1910–15

Example Sentences

An adviser to Aksyonov, Oleg Kryuchkov, claimed that “a smoke screen was put up by special services.”

From Washington Times • Aug. 12, 2023

In this case, the seemingly straightforward phrase “relocate or resign” could be a smoke screen concealing an attempt to shrink workforce numbers without the accompanying negative press that mass layoffs invariably attract.

From Seattle Times • Aug. 7, 2023

Drone after drone is sent above the Russian positions dropping smoke grenades, creating a smoke screen along the Russian-occupied trenches to allow vehicles to advance and confuse enemy anti-tank weapons.

From BBC • Jun. 19, 2023

He even aided the team’s public smoke screen regarding his status, telling reporters he was holding out hope of an October return despite already knowing his season was over.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 10, 2022

Either Kubat was engaging in wishful thinking or the statement was just a public relations smoke screen to give the match more credibility.

From "Endgame" by Frank Brady

Related Words

• red herring