shed (some) light on (something)

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shed (some) light on (something)

To reveal information or details about something; to clarify or help people understand something. We've hired a private investigator to help shed light on the clandestine dealings of the organization. These documents we've uncovered shed some light on how the late author's final book was meant to end.

shed (some) light on something

and throw (some) light on something

Fig. to reveal something about something; to clarify something. (Also with any.) This discussion has shed some light on the problem. Let's see if Ann can throw any light on this question.

shed light on

Also, throw light on. Clarify or explain, as in I was hoping the professor would shed light on how he arrived at his theory, or Can anyone throw some light on where these plants came from? Originally, from about 1200, these expressions were used literally, in the sense of "illuminate," but they soon were used figuratively as well.

shed light on something

If something sheds light on a situation, it makes it easier to understand. Is there anything that Moira said that might shed some light on what happened? Note: Cast or throw are sometimes used instead of shed. Perhaps the brothers could cast light on that mystery.

cast/shed/throw (new) ˈlight on something

make a problem, etc. easier to understand: This book sheds new light on the role of the CIA. ♢ ‘Can you throw any light on the matter?’

See also: cast, light, on, shed, something, throw

shed light on, to

To explain or clarify. This term was used literally, in the sense of illuminating something, from the fourteenth century. In the fifteenth century light came to be used figuratively for “understanding.” George J. Adler used the expression in his translation of Fauriel’s History of Provençal Poetry (1860): “On these antecedents that I shall first endeavor to shed some light.”