MEANING
To make a previously hidden problem or wrongdoing known to the public.
Use it for
describing an investigation exposing concealed problems; revealing wrongdoing to public scrutiny; showing hidden misconduct becoming known; distinguishing public exposure from a private confessionSpecifies public exposure of a concealed problem, rather than private disclosure alone. Writing functions: Public exposure.
Words that belong together
- take the lid off a scandal
- take the lid off corruption
On the page
The audit took the lid off years of false expense claims.
Her report took the lid off the abuses hidden behind the institution’s polished reputation.
Word forms
- Base
- take the lid off
Usage notes
Verbal idiom: take/takes/took/taken/taking the lid off something. Blow the lid off is an established alternative, not a separate entry here. Register: informal. Commonness: common (qualitative editorial estimate, informed by dictionaries/corpus).
Practice this word in a sentenceYour margin notes
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