臭くさいものに蓋ふた

Meanings

looking the other way; hushing up a problem

Idiomatic expression meaning to cover up something unpleasant or inconvenient rather than dealing with it openly. Often used critically to describe avoiding necessary confrontation or sweeping issues under the rug.

会かい社しゃは不ふ祥しょう事じを臭くさいものに蓋ふたをして、何なにも公こう表ひょうしなかった。
The company hushed up the scandal and didn't disclose anything.
問もん題だいを臭くさいものに蓋ふたをするような対たい応おうでは、何なにも解かい決けつしない。
A response that just sweeps the problem under the rug won't solve anything.

See all 5 example sentences ›

Kanji

臭stinking, ill-smelling, suspicious looking
蓋cover, lid, flap
物thing, object, matter

Related words

見みて見みぬふり
Means pretending not to see something, often willfully ignoring a problem. 臭いものに蓋 focuses more on actively covering up or suppressing an issue rather than just ignoring it.
うやむや
Describes a situation being left vague or unresolved. 臭いものに蓋 implies a deliberate act of concealment, while うやむや can happen passively.

Built from

臭くさい+蓋ふた

Written forms

臭くさいものに蓋ふた
Standard kanji spelling for this idiomatic expression.
臭くさい物ものに蓋ふた
Variant using 物 instead of もの.

Etymology

Literally 'put a lid on something smelly.' The expression uses the image of covering a foul odor to figuratively mean hiding or suppressing an unpleasant matter. The exact origin is uncertain, but it is a common Japanese idiom.