sweep under the carpet

sweep something under the carpet (British, American & Australian, American & Australian)

to try to hide a problem or keep a problem secret instead of dealing with it. The incident has forced into the open an issue that the government would rather have swept under the carpet. The evidence was on film and the police couldn't just sweep it under the rug.

See also: carpet, sweep

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sweep something under the carpet

to hide something embarrassing. The problem is usually ignored or swept under the carpet.

See also: carpet, sweep