
whitewash
词源
源自中古英语 'whitwashen',由 'white'(白色)和 'wash'(洗涤)组成,最初指用白色涂料粉刷,后引申为掩盖或美化事实。
verb
❶ 用白色涂料粉刷墙壁或建筑物表面,使其看起来干净或焕然一新。
“We decided to whitewash the old fence to give it a fresh look.”
(我们决定用白涂料粉刷旧栅栏,让它看起来焕然一新。)
“The workers whitewashed the exterior walls of the house before the festival.”
(工人们在节日前粉刷了房子的外墙。)
❶ 掩盖或美化事实,尤其是为了隐藏错误或不光彩的行为。
“The report was accused of whitewashing the company's financial scandals.”
(这份报告被指责掩盖了公司的财务丑闻。)
“The government tried to whitewash the corruption allegations.”
(政府试图掩盖腐败指控。)
noun
❶ 用于粉刷的白色涂料,通常由石灰和水混合制成。
“The whitewash gave the walls a clean, bright appearance.”
(白色涂料让墙壁看起来干净明亮。)
“She applied a layer of whitewash to the old bricks.”
(她在旧砖上涂了一层白色涂料。)
❶ 对事实的掩盖或美化,尤其是为了隐藏真相或错误。
“The official report was a complete whitewash of the incident.”
(官方报告完全掩盖了事件的真相。)
“The public saw the investigation as a whitewash.”
(公众认为这次调查是掩盖真相。)
常见短语
whitewash a problem — 试图掩盖或淡化一个问题,而不是真正解决它。
“The manager tried to whitewash the problem instead of addressing it directly.”
(经理试图掩盖问题,而不是直接解决它。)
whitewash the truth — 故意隐瞒或歪曲真相,使其看起来不那么严重或负面。
“The documentary accused the government of whitewashing the truth about the crisis.”
(这部纪录片指责政府掩盖了危机的真相。)