揉み消す

• Reading: もみけす
• Romaji: momikesu
• Kanji breakdown: 揉 (jū/mo) — to knead, rub; 消 (shō/ke) — to extinguish, erase
• Pronunciation: /mo.mi.ke.sɯ/

Meaning

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.

Examples

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。 The government tried to cover up the incident, but it was exposed by a whistleblower.
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。 It's said that large sums of money were spent to hush up the scandal.
3. タバコをアスファルトに押しつけて揉み消した。 He pressed his cigarette against the asphalt and stubbed it out.

Usage Guide

Context: politics, scandals, journalism, corruption

Tone: critical

Origin & History

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.

Cultural Context

Era: Modern

Generation: Adults

Social background: Universal