揉み消す

• 読み: もみけす
• ローマ字: momikesu
• 漢字の分解: 揉 (jū/mo) — to knead, rub; 消 (shō/ke) — to extinguish, erase
• 発音: /mo.mi.ke.sɯ/

意味

To hush up; to suppress; to cover up; to extinguish by rubbing (as a cigarette).

A Group 1 (godan) verb. Literally refers to extinguishing fire or a cigarette by rubbing it out. Figuratively — and far more commonly at N1 level — it means to suppress or cover up a scandal, incident, or information to prevent it from becoming public. Carries strong connotations of corruption or abuse of power.

例文

1. 政府は事件を揉み消そうとしたが、内部告発で発覚した。
2. スキャンダルを揉み消すために多額の金が動いたとされる。
3. タバコをアスファルトに押しつけて揉み消した。

使い方ガイド

場面: politics, scandals, journalism, corruption

トーン: critical

起源と歴史

Compound of 揉む (to knead, to rub) and 消す (to extinguish). The image is of literally rubbing out a flame, extended metaphorically to the suppression of information or scandal through pressure.

文化的背景

時代: Modern

世代: Adults

社会的背景: Universal