draw a veil over something

draw a veil over (something)

To conceal something, usually by not talking about it. Can we please draw a veil over that stupid rumor about me? It's not true, but I want as few people to hear about it as possible. I tried to draw a veil over my inexperience so that the recruiter would seriously consider me for the job. It was a mortifying experience for me, so can we please draw a veil over it?

See also: draw, over, veil

Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.

draw a veil over something

If you draw a veil over something, you deliberately do not talk about it because you want to keep it private or because it is embarrassing. It would be kinder, perhaps, to draw a veil over the party's career from 1906 to the outbreak of the War. Most of us have something in our past career over which we choose to draw a veil. Note: A veil is a piece of cloth used by a woman to cover her face.

See also: draw, over, something, veil

Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed. © HarperCollins Publishers 2012

cast/draw/throw a ˈveil over something

(written) say nothing or no more about something unpleasant: It is kinder to draw a veil over some of his later movies.

See also: cast, draw, over, something, throw, veil

Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017