whitewash

Everyday

1. A white liquid made of lime or chalk and water, painted on walls and fences to make them white. tree →
2. (verb) To paint with whitewash. tree →
3. (verb) To hide the bad things someone has done so that they look innocent: «The report tried to whitewash the mistakes.» tree →
4. (sport, informal) A win where the losers score nothing or lose every game: «a 5–0 whitewash». tree →

In the lessons

In history, farm buildings, cottages and fences were whitewashed. In The Wind in the Willows, Mole is spring-cleaning and whitewashing his little home with a brush and a pail when spring calls him and he flings the brush down, saying «Bother!» and «O blow!» and «Hang spring-cleaning!». In Tom Sawyer, Tom tricks his friends into whitewashing a fence for him. In news and history, «whitewash» means hiding the truth.

Examples

• Mole was whitewashing his house when spring called him. tree →
• Tom Sawyer got his friends to whitewash the fence. tree →
• The farmer whitewashed the barn walls. tree →
• The report was called a whitewash because it hid the truth. tree →
• England beat them 5–0 — a total whitewash! tree →
• The old cottage was whitewashed every summer. tree →

Note

One word. Uncountable for the paint, countable for the sports sense. The «hiding» sense is a judgement; be fair before using it.