sweep under the rug

Idioms  

1. Hide something, as in Their attempts to sweep the scandal under the rug were not very successful. This idiom alludes to sweeping dust under the rug, so it won't be seen. [Mid-1900s]

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Example Sentences

Hearts are also healing on the show in the aftermath of Vince’s shocking death, an event that was never in the show’s plan to quickly sweep under the rug.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 19, 2025

I don’t want to scare off the uninitiated audience with too many details; however, there are so many comorbid conditions that those with lower support needs like to sweep under the rug.

From Seattle Times • Sep. 29, 2023

"What I was told was that there has been a kind of sweep under the rug culture that he has fostered."

From Fox News • Oct. 22, 2021

This is the sort of event that a free nation must come to terms with, not ignore; investigate, not sweep under the rug; and understand, not dismiss as a one-off display of violence.

From Washington Post • Jul. 28, 2021

He was trained at West Point and he rose through the ranks and was having a great military career until he encountered a scandal that he wasn’t willing to sweep under the rug.

From Slate • Mar. 23, 2017