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

See Examples For:

sweep under the rug

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

We can’t think about them as people we want to sweep under the rug.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 2, 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

“He’s bringing out a lot of the things that America tries to sweep under the rug that we know are still here. It’s racism.”

From Washington Post ● Mar. 11, 2016