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paper over
pa·per P0050600 (pā′pər)n.1. A material made of cellulose pulp, derived mainly from wood, rags, and certain grasses, processed into flexible sheets or rolls by deposit from an aqueous suspension, and used chiefly for writing, printing, drawing, wrapping, and covering walls.2. A single sheet of this material.3. One or more sheets of paper bearing writing or printing, especially:a. A formal written composition intended to be published, presented, or read aloud; a scholarly essay or treatise.b. A piece of written work for school; a report or theme.c. often papers An official document, especially one establishing the identity of the bearer.4. papers A collection of letters, diaries, and other writings, especially by one person: the Madison papers.5. Short-term debt instruments, especially commercial paper.6. A newspaper.7. Wallpaper.8. A wrapper made of paper, often with its contents: a paper of pins.9. Slang a. A free pass to a theater.b. The audience admitted with free passes.tr.v. pa·pered, pa·per·ing, pa·pers 1. To cover, wrap, or line with paper.2. To cover with wallpaper.3. To supply with paper.4. Slang To issue free passes for (a theater, for example).5. To construct (something) in haste and with little forethought: papered together a new coalition of political convenience.adj.1. Made of paper.2. Resembling paper, as in thinness or flimsiness.3. Of or relating to clerical work: paper duties.4. a. Existing only in printed or written form: paper profits; a paper corporation.b. Planned but not realized; theoretical.Phrasal Verb: paper over1. To put or keep out of sight; conceal: paper over a deficit with accounting gimmicks.2. To downplay or gloss over (differences, for example), especially in order to maintain a nominal, apparent, or temporary unity.Idioms: in paper With a paperback binding; as a paperback. on paper1. In writing or print.2. In theory, as opposed to actual performance or fact: It is a good team on paper, but its members play poorly together.
[Middle English, from Old French papier, from Latin papȳrus, papyrus plant, papyrus paper, from Greek papūros.]
pa′per·er n.paper over vb (tr, adverb) to conceal (something controversial or unpleasant) Translations
paper over
paper over (something)To repair, conceal, or cover up something on a superficial level, without addressing underlying problems. The company papered over the catastrophe with empty promises, but the circumstances that led to the tragic accident have yet to be addressed. They papered over the cracks in their relationship by traveling as often as possible.See also: over, paperpaper over something 1. Lit. to put a layer of wallpaper on a wall. We papered over the wall, giving the room a bright, new look. We papered over the old plaster on the wall. 2. to cover up some sort of blemish on a wall with wallpaper. We papered over a lot of little cracks. Sam papered over all the flaws in the plaster wall. 3. Fig. to conceal something; to cover something up. Don't try to paper over the mess you have made. George tried to paper over all his mistakes.See also: over, paperpaper overAlso, paper over the cracks. Repair superficially, conceal, especially flaws. For example, He used some accounting gimmicks to paper over a deficit, or It was hardly a perfect settlement, but they decided to paper over the cracks. The German statesman Otto von Bismarck first used this analogy in a letter in 1865, and the first recorded example in English, in 1910, referred to it. The allusion is to covering cracked plaster with wallpaper, thereby improving its appearance but not the underlying defect. See also: over, paperpaper overv.1. To cover something unpleasant, such as a blemish on a wall, with paper: He papered over the cracks in the ceiling. She papered the walls over to hide the stains.2. To put or keep something out of sight; downplay something: The accountant papered the deficit over with questionable calculations. The principal papered over the school's problem with drugs when questioned by the press.See also: over, paperpaper over (the cracks), toTo patch up; to repair in a makeshift way. The term alludes to paperhanging—that is, covering cracks in the walls with wallpaper. It allegedly was used by Otto von Bismarck in 1865 to describe the outcome of the Convention of Gastein, where, after Denmark’s defeat, it was agreed that Austria would administer the Danish province of Holstein and Prussia would govern Denmark itself. An English translation of 1910 quoted Bismarck as saying it “papered over the cracks.” The expression has been so used ever since.See also: over, paperEncyclopediaSeepaperLegalSeePaper |