cover one's tracks
Hide your trail
To cover one's tracks is to conceal evidence of what you've done, especially something illicit or embarrassing.
The image comes from hunting—an animal obscuring its trail to evade pursuit.
He deleted the emails to cover his tracks.
The phrase implies deliberate deception rather than innocent tidying up.
- fleeingRapid escape from danger
- abscondingDeparting secretly to evade
- lay lowRemained concealed and quiet
- go darkCease all communication
- misdirectionIntentional focus manipulation
camouflage · tampering · obscuration · laundering · disguise · obstruction · falsification · damage control · forgery · suppression · veiling · masking · alibi · duplicity · bluffing · feigning · fabrication · paper trail
cover one's tracksconfess
Acknowledge wrongdoing openly
come clean · expose oneself · spill the beans · own up · tell the truth
cover one's trackstake responsibility
Accept fault for outcomes
face the music · accept the consequences · take the fall · surrender · own up
cover, covers, covered, covering, coverage, uncover, uncovers, uncovered, uncovering