Sweep something under the carpet

How it is used

Informal and critical. Carpet and rug variants express the same concept; an openly scheduled delay is not necessarily concealment.

Example sentences

1. We should not sweep something under the carpet just because discussing it would embarrass a senior manager.

   Avoiding embarrassment is presented as an inadequate reason to hide a problem.

2. When teams sweep something under the carpet, the same unresolved problem can affect the next customer.

   Concealment leaves the underlying cause available to recur.

Common collocations

• try to sweep something under the carpet
• refuse to sweep something under the carpet

Related terms

• raise an issueTo mention a problem, concern, or matter so others can discuss it and possibly deal with it.
• workplace cultureThe shared values, habits, and behavior that shape how people work, communicate, and treat each other in an organization.

More terms: Office Idioms and Phrases

• touch base
• heads-up
• on the same page
• keep me posted
• ballpark figure
• bandwidth
• circle back
• low-hanging fruit
• get the ball rolling
• back to the drawing board
• drop the ball
• on my radar