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Whitewashing

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White Washing
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white⋅wash

  [hwahyt-wosh, -wawsh, wahyt-]
Use Whitewashing in a Sentence
–noun
1. a composition, as of lime and water or of whiting, size, and water, used for whitening walls, woodwork, etc.
2. anything, as deceptive words or actions, used to cover up or gloss over faults, errors, or wrongdoings, or absolve a wrongdoer from blame.
3. Sports Informal. a defeat in which the loser fails to score.
–verb (used with object)
4. to whiten with whitewash.
5. to cover up or gloss over the faults or errors of; absolve from blame.
6. Sports Informal. to defeat by keeping the opponent from scoring: The home team whitewashed the visitors eight to nothing.
Origin:
1585–95; white + wash

Related forms:
whitewasher, noun

Synonyms:
5. excuse, vindicate, exonerate.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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white·wash   (hwīt'wŏsh', -wôsh', wīt'-)   
n.  

  1. A mixture of lime and water, often with whiting, size, or glue added, that is used to whiten walls, fences, or other structures.

  2. Concealment or palliation of flaws or failures.

  3. A defeat in a game in which the loser scores no points.

tr.v.   white·washed, white·wash·ing, white·wash·es

  1. To paint or coat with or as if with whitewash.

  2. To conceal or gloss over (wrongdoing, for example). See Synonyms at palliate.

white'wash'er n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Slang Dictionary
whitewash

  1. tv.
    to make something look better than it really is; to conceal something bad. : Now, don't try to whitewash this incident. Open up about it.
  2. n.
    an act or campaign of covering up something bad. : They tried to give the scandal the old whitewash, but it didn't work.
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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Word Origin & History

whitewash  (v.)
1591, "to wash a building surface with white liquid," from white + wash. Fig. sense of "to cover up, conceal" is attested from 1762. The noun is recorded from 1697.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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