bury

bury someone or something away (some place)

to bury or hide someone or something some place. The dog buried the bone away under a bush. The ex-dictator was buried away in an unmarked grave.

See also: away

bury someone or something in something 

1. Lit. to inter someone or something in a grave, the ground, a vault, a tomb, etc. They buried the old man in the family vault. Thousands of war veterans are buried in the national cemetery.

2. Fig. to hide or conceal someone or something from view in some place. The office manager buried Tom at a small desk in the back room. Someone buried the manual typewriter in a room full of old junk.

bury someone or something under something

to bury someone or something beneath something, sometimes to hide or conceal it. Joe buried the money under a stone in the forest. They buried Aunt Mary under a pine tree.

bury one's head in the sand and hide one's head in the sand; have one's head in the sand

Fig. to ignore or hide from obvious signs of danger. (Alludes to an ostrich, which is believed incorrectly to hide its head in a hole in the ground when it sees danger.) Stop burying your head in the sand. Look at the statistics on smoking and cancer.

See also: head, sand

bury oneself in something 

1. Fig. to become very busy with something. She stopped taking phone calls and buried herself in her work. He tended to bury himself in his work.

2. Fig. to hide oneself some place. (Alludes to burying oneself in a cave or something similar.) He buried himself in the back of the little shop and worked quietly. The lizard buried itself in the sand.

See also: oneself

bury the hatchet

Fig. to make peace. Let's stop arguing and bury the hatchet. Tom and I buried the hatchet and we are good friends now.

See also: hatchet

dead and buried 

1. Lit. dead and interred, and soon to be forgotten. Now that Uncle Bill is dead and buried, we can read his will.

2. Fig. gone forever. That kind of old-fashioned thinking is dead and buried.

See also: and, dead

know where all the bodies are buried

Fig. to know all the secrets and intrigue from the past; to know all the relevant and perhaps hidden details. He is a good choice for president because he knows where all the bodies are buried. Since he knows where all the bodies are buried, he is the only one who can advise us.

See also: body, know

Let the dead bury the dead.

Prov. Do not try to revive old grievances.; Forget about past conflicts. (Biblical.) The Nelson family and the Hopkins family had been feuding for decades, but when Andrew Nelson and Louise Hopkins declared that they wanted to get married, their families decided to let the dead bury the dead.

See also: dead, let

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be dead and buried

to be ended completely As far as I'm concerned the matter's dead and buried. I won't rest until fascism is dead and buried in this country.

See also: and, dead

bury your head in the sand

to refuse to think about an unpleasant situation, hoping that it will improve so that you will not have to deal with it Parents said bullying was being ignored, and accused the headmaster of burying his head in the sand.

See also: head, sand

bury the hatchet

to forget about arguments and disagreements with someone and to become friends with them again It had been over a year since the incident and I thought it was time we buried the hatchet.

See also: hatchet

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bury the hatchet

to agree that you will forget about arguments and disagreements with someone The two teammates hope to bury the hatchet long enough to win the championship.

Etymology: based on the custom of literally burying a hatchet (cutting tool with a small handle) as a symbol of peace between Native American tribes (groups of people)

See also: hatchet