gloss over — gloss over (something)
to deliberately avoid discussing or paying attention to something unpleasant or important, often to make a situation seem better than it really is
Say it like a native
Textbook The report deliberately minimised the financial difficulties.
Native The report glossed over the financial problems.
'Gloss over' packs 'touch on too lightly to hide it' into two words. 'Deliberately minimised' is clunky.
Pattern: gloss over + object
In use
- The report glossed over the company's financial difficulties, focusing only on its recent successes.communication
- In my opinion, politicians often gloss over the real causes of social problems, preferring to highlight only the positive aspects of their policies.IELTS speaking
Common mistake
✗ He glossed the mistakes over the meeting.
✓ He glossed over the mistakes in the meeting.
It's 'gloss over + problem' as one unit. Don't split it or treat 'over' as a place.
Common collocations
gloss over + problem— the problems, the details, the risks, her mistakes
Don't confuse it
Unlike the literal sense of 'gloss' (to add shine or explain a word), 'gloss over' is a figurative phrasal verb meaning to avoid talking about something negative or problematic.
Related
- gloss over (gloss (a word/term)) — Another meaning of 'gloss over' is 'gloss (a word/term)'; compare the examples to keep the meanings separate.