The idiom "sweep under the carpet" means to hide or ignore a problem or issue instead of dealing with it. It is often used when someone wants to avoid confronting a difficult situation or when they want to keep something secret.
For example, if a company discovers that one of its employees has been stealing from the company, but instead of taking action, they decide to sweep it under the carpet, it means they are trying to hide the problem and avoid dealing with it.
Another example could be a couple who has been having problems in their relationship, but instead of talking about it and trying to resolve the issues, they choose to sweep it under the carpet and pretend that everything is okay.
In both cases, the problem is not being addressed, and it is likely to cause more significant issues in the future. Therefore, it is essential to deal with problems directly instead of sweeping them under the carpet.
• My little brother always sweeps his toys under the carpet when he's done playing.
• The teacher noticed that the student's poor performance was being swept under the carpet by the school administration.
• The government has been accused of sweeping human rights abuses under the carpet in order to maintain political stability.
• The company tried to sweep the mistake under the carpet, but the customers found out about it.
• The CEO's unethical behavior was finally exposed after years of being swept under the carpet by the board of directors.
• It's time to stop sweeping the issue of climate change under the carpet and take action to reduce our carbon footprint.