頬ほおかぶり

noun, noun or participle which takes 'suru', intransitive verb

wrapping a cloth around one's head; headscarf covering

Literally tying a towel, scarf, or handkerchief around the head, often covering the cheeks. Commonly associated with traditional thieves or cold-weather protection.

• 寒さむいので、頬ほおかぶりをして外そとに出でた。

  It was cold, so I went outside with a scarf wrapped around my head.

• 時じ代だい劇げきの泥どろ棒ぼうはよく頬ほおかぶりをしている。

  Thieves in period dramas often have a cloth tied around their head.

noun, noun or participle which takes 'suru', intransitive verb

feigning ignorance; turning a blind eye

Figurative use: pretending not to know or see something, as if covering one's eyes with a cloth. Often used in the phrase 頬かぶりをする.

• 彼かれは都つ合ごうの悪わるいことには頬ほおかぶりをしている。

  He turns a blind eye to inconvenient matters.

• その問もん題だいについて、政せい府ふは頬ほおかぶりを決きめ込こんだ。

  The government decided to feign ignorance about the issue.