whitewash

whitewash
whitewash (v.) 1590s, "to wash a building surface with white liquid," from WHITE (Cf. white) + WASH (Cf. wash). Figurative sense of "to cover up, conceal" is attested from 1762. Related: Whitewashed; whitewashing. The noun is recorded from 1690s.

Etymology dictionary. 2014.

Игры ⚽ Нужен реферат?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Whitewash — Whitewash, or calcimine, kalsomine, or calsomine is a very low cost type of paint made from slaked lime (calcium hydroxide) and chalk (whiting). Various other additives have also been used. WhitewashWhitewash cures through a reaction with carbon… …   Wikipedia

  • whitewash — ► NOUN 1) a solution of lime and water or of whiting, size, and water, used for painting walls white. 2) a deliberate concealment of someone s mistakes or faults. 3) a victory by the same side in every game of a series. ► VERB 1) paint with… …   English terms dictionary

  • Whitewash — White wash , v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Whitewashed}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Whitewashing}.] [1913 Webster] 1. To apply a white liquid composition to; to whiten with whitewash. [1913 Webster] 2. To make white; to give a fair external appearance to; to clear… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • whitewash — [hwīt′wôsh΄, wīt′wôsh΄] n. 1. a mixture of lime, whiting, size, water, etc., for whitening walls, etc. 2. a cosmetic formerly used for making the skin fair 3. a) a glossing over or concealing of faults or defects in an effort to exonerate or give …   English World dictionary

  • Whitewash — White wash , n. [1913 Webster] 1. Any wash or liquid composition for whitening something, as a wash for making the skin fair. Addison. [1913 Webster] 2. A composition of line and water, or of whiting size, and water, or the like, used for… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • whitewash — A procedure set out in Appendix 1 to the City Code on Takeovers and Mergers by which the requirement for a mandatory offer under Rule 9 is waived by approval by target shareholders. Related links merger stakebuilding …   Law dictionary

  • whitewash — vb whiten, gloze, gloss, *palliate, extenuate Analogous words: *disguise, cloak, mask, dissemble, camouflage: condone, *excuse …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • whitewash — [v] cover up the truth blanch, camouflage, conceal, exonerate, extenuate, gloss over, launder*, liberate, make light of*, paint, palliate, sugarcoat*, suppress, varnish, veneer, vindicate, white, whiten; concepts 49,63 Ant. expose, reveal, tell… …   New thesaurus

  • whitewash — [[t](h)wa͟ɪtwɒʃ[/t]] whitewashes, whitewashing, whitewashed 1) N UNCOUNT Whitewash is a mixture of lime or chalk and water that is used for painting walls white. 2) VERB If a wall or building has been whitewashed, it has been painted white with… …   English dictionary

  • whitewash — 1. tv. to make something look better than it really is; to conceal something bad. □ Now, don’t try to whitewash his incident. Open up about it. □ The mayor’s office tried to whitewash the whole affair. 2. n. an act or campaign of covering up… …   Dictionary of American slang and colloquial expressions

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”