paper over

verb

1. tr, adverb to conceal (something controversial or unpleasant)

Idioms and Phrases

Also, paper over the cracks . Repair superficially, conceal, especially flaws. For example, He used some accounting gimmicks to paper over a deficit , or It was hardly a perfect settlement, but they decided to paper over the cracks . The German statesman Otto von Bismarck first used this analogy in a letter in 1865, and the first recorded example in English, in 1910, referred to it. The allusion is to covering cracked plaster with wallpaper, thereby improving its appearance but not the underlying defect.

Example Sentences

He turned the paper over to the boys, who immediately set to work making scratches in the morning line, to protect their bets.

From The Daily Beast

But both sides have a powerful incentive to paper over their disagreements.

From The Daily Beast

But their not-so-subtle digs at President George W. Bush paper over their own unforced errors.

From The Daily Beast

Lamb turned the paper over and winked at himself in the concave mirror of the semi-circle of bar.

From Project Gutenberg

This note she pinned on the muff, and herself folded the soft paper over it as it lay in the box.

From Project Gutenberg

Place a piece of buttered paper over the dish, and bake in a moderate oven till it is tender, basting it frequently.

From Project Gutenberg

This in his own paper over his own signature was a body blow; but it had the effect of curing his cold.

From Project Gutenberg

They left the room, and Miss Laura sat turning the sheet of paper over and over, with a kind of horror in her face.

From Project Gutenberg