blow the lid off

Idioms and Phrases

Also, blow wide open . Expose, especially a scandal or illegal activity. For example, The newspaper's investigation blew the lid off the governor's awarding state contracts to his friends . [First half of 1900s]

Example Sentences

Steinbeck had been so overwhelmed the first time he accompanied Collins and saw the absolute poverty that the migrants had to suffer he told Collins, “By god! I can’t stand anymore! I’m going away and blow the lid off this place.”

From Salon

You have to wonder why Fauci even volunteered to appear at Monday’s hearing knowing what was in store for him from committee Republicans, who had promised to blow the lid off his mismanagement of the pandemic, but came up with nothing.

From Los Angeles Times

Also: the crisis in the wine industry, and how a combination investigative publication/hedge fund wants to blow the lid off corporations — while shorting their stock.

From Slate

“Hunter’s ex-business partner, Devon Archer, could blow the lid off Joe Biden’s phony claims of innocence,” blared an email on Friday from former President Donald J. Trump’s campaign.

From New York Times

Reporter Josh Kaplan was kind enough to answer a few questions over email about just how they managed to blow the lid off the troubling connections between Harlan Crow and Justice Clarence Thomas.

From Slate