veil

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beyond the veil

In the spiritual world or the mystical state after death. As frightened as I am to die, I'm also curious to know what it's like beyond the veil. I like to think Mom's still looking out for us, even beyond the veil. They held a séance to communicate with Sarah's husband from beyond the veil.

cast a veil over (something)

To conceal something, usually by not talking about it. Can we please cast a veil over that stupid rumor about me? It's not true, but I want as few people to hear about it as possible. I tried to cast a veil over my inexperience so that the recruiter would seriously consider me for the job. How am I supposed to cast a veil over my arrest record when the job recruiter has likely already heard about it?

dance of the seven veils

A sexy or provocative dance, possibly a striptease. The phrase alludes to a dance performed by Herodias's daughter in the New Testament. A: "And you had sex with her? B: "She was irresistible! She did some kind of dance of the seven veils, and I couldn't focus on anything but her!" Personally, I think she's obnoxious, but Charlie's he is totally into her. She must do a dance of the seven veils for him or something. Ted already likes you. If you got him alone and did a little dance of the seven veils, I'm sure he'd be into it.

draw a veil over (something)

To conceal something, usually by not talking about it. Can we please draw a veil over that stupid rumor about me? It's not true, but I want as few people to hear about it as possible. I tried to draw a veil over my inexperience so that the recruiter would seriously consider me for the job. It was a mortifying experience for me, so can we please draw a veil over it?

lift the veil (on something)

To divulge, explain, or reveal something that was previously a secret. Our hope is that this expedition will lift the veil on the secrets of the ancient king's tomb. The celebrity's interview purports to lift the veil on her extremely private married life.

take the veil

To become a nun (and thus wear a nun's headdress). Yes, I am taking the veil and devoting my life to God.

throw a veil over (something)

To conceal something, usually by not talking about it. Can we please throw a veil over that stupid rumor about me? It's not true, but I want as few people to hear about it as possible. I tried to throw a veil over my inexperience so that the recruiter would seriously consider me for the job.

veil of (something)

That which serves to conceal or obscure the truth (of something). Despite many calls by activists to lift the veil of secrecy surrounding the government's plan, officials once again declined to make any details public. There has long been a veil of silence within the organization meant to protect those in charge. You've kept a veil of deceit drawn over our marriage for years, Tom. I want the truth about where you've been spending all our money!

veil of ignorance

1. A lack of knowledge about or insight into certain information that results in an obscured or misguided understanding of something. This new imaging technology will finally allow us to lift the veil of ignorance about the ocean bottom that we've been unable to shed for centuries. Political extremists are trying to draw a veil of ignorance over their supporters' eyes, clouding their judgment by ignoring or distorting the facts while fomenting their emotional reactions.

2. A philosophical thought experiment devised by John Rawls describing a hypothetical situation in which people are tasked with making choices about society without knowing their own gender, race, economic position, ideologies, etc., thus ensuring that any policy they choose will be necessarily equitable for all members of society. The veil of ignorance is meant to put people in the shoes of all members of society, to think about how our laws impact others as if we ourselves might be in their position in the future. Did I get that right, professor?

draw a veil over

Conceal or avoid discussing something; keep from public knowledge. For example, Louise drew a veil over the accounting errors. [c. 1700]

draw a veil over something

If you draw a veil over something, you deliberately do not talk about it because you want to keep it private or because it is embarrassing. It would be kinder, perhaps, to draw a veil over the party's career from 1906 to the outbreak of the War. Most of us have something in our past career over which we choose to draw a veil. Note: A veil is a piece of cloth used by a woman to cover her face.

beyond the veil

in a mysterious or hidden place or state, especially the unknown state of existence after death.

The phrase was originally a figurative reference to the veil which concealed the innermost sanctuary of the Temple in Jerusalem; it was later taken as referring to the mysterious division between the next world and this.

draw a veil over

avoid discussing or calling attention to something, especially because it is embarrassing or unpleasant.

take the veil

become a nun.

cast/draw/throw a ˈveil over something

(written) say nothing or no more about something unpleasant: It is kinder to draw a veil over some of his later movies.

See also: cast, draw, over, something, throw, veil

draw a veil over, to

To conceal; to say no more about something. A cliché from the mid-nineteenth century, this analogy to hiding one’s face behind a veil is often used to gloss over the details of an embarrassing situation. Daniel Defoe, long known as a historian before he turned his hand to fiction, wrote in The True-born Englishman (1701), “Satyr, be kind! and draw a silent Veil! Thy native England’s vices to conceal.”