under the rug
Where secrets go
Under the rug describes hiding something unpleasant rather than addressing it openly.
To sweep something under the rug is to conceal a problem, mistake, or scandal instead of dealing with it properly: The company tried to sweep the safety violations under the rug.
The image is of hasty housekeeping—dirt hidden rather than removed.
- overlookingFailing to see or consider
- look the other wayWillfully ignore misconduct
- obfuscationDeliberate concealment through confusion
- cover upConceal misdeeds or errors
- sweepingExtensive and far-reaching
brush aside · camouflage · burying · evasion · shrouding · denial · hush hush · cloaking · suppression · omission · veiling · whitewashing · disguising · masking · sidestepping · dodging · disregard · deflection
under the rugout in the open
Visible to everyone
in the spotlight · in plain sight · front and center · in broad daylight · exposed
under the rugdealt with
Managed or resolved
tackled · aired out · reckoned with · called out · aired
under, rugs, rugged, underneath, underside, undergo, underlie, underlying