A defeat in which the losing person or team fails to score.

Roget 937: vindication, justification, warrant; exoneration, exculpation; acquittal etc. 970; whitewashing.    extenuation; palliation, palliative; softening, mitigation.    reply, defense; recrimination etc. 938.    apology, gloss, varnish; plea etc. 617; salvo; excuse, extenuating circumstances; allowance, allowance to be made; locus paenitentiae [Lat.].    apologist, vindicator, justifier; defendant etc. 938.    justifiable charge, true bill.    v.. justify, warrant; be an excuse for etc. n.; lend a color, furnish a handle; vindicate; exculpate, disculpate^†; acquit etc. 970; clear, set right, exonerate, whitewash; clear the skirts of.    extenuate, palliate, excuse, soften, apologize, varnish, slur, gloze; put a gloss, put a good face upon; mince; gloss over, bolster up, help a lame dog over a stile.    advocate, defend, plead one's cause; stand up for, stick up for, speak up for; contend for, speak for; bear out, keep in countenance, support; plead &c., 617; say in defense; plead ignorance; confess and avoid, propugn^†, put in a good word for.    take the will for the deed, make allowance for, give credit for, do justice to; give one his due, give the Devil his due.    make good; prove the truth of, prove one's case; be justified by the event.    ... show more

Roget 223: covering, cover; baldachin, baldachino^†, baldaquin^†; canopy, tilt, awning, tent, marquee, tente d'abri [Fr.], umbrella, parasol, sunshade; veil (shade) 424; shield etc. (defense) 717.    roof, ceiling, thatch, tile; pantile, pentile^†; tiling, slates, slating, leads; barrack [U.S.], plafond, planchment [U.S.], tiling, shed etc. (abode) 189.    top, lid, covercle^†, door, operculum; bulkhead [U.S.].    bandage, plaster, lint, wrapping, dossil^†, finger stall.    coverlet, counterpane, sheet, quilt, tarpaulin, blanket, rug, drugget^†; housing; antimacassar, eiderdown, numdah^†, pillowcase, pillowslip^†; linoleum; saddle cloth, blanket cloth; tidy; tilpah [U.S.], apishamore [U.S.].    integument, tegument; skin, pellicle, fleece, fell, fur, leather, shagreen^†, hide; pelt, peltry^†; cordwain^†; derm^†; robe, buffalo robe [U.S.]; cuticle, scarfskin, epidermis.    clothing etc. 225; mask etc. (concealment) 530.    peel, crust, bark, rind, cortex, husk, shell, coat; eggshell, glume^†.    capsule; sheath, sheathing; pod, cod; casing, case, theca^†; elytron^†; elytrum^†; involucrum [Lat.]; wrapping, wrapper; envelope, vesicle; corn husk, corn shuck [U.S.]; dermatology, conchology; testaceology^†.    inunction^†; incrustation, superimposition, superposition, obduction^†; scale etc. (layer) 204.    [specific coverings] veneer, facing; overlay; plate, silver plate, gold plate, copper plate; engobe^†; ormolu; Sheffield plate; pavement; coating, paint; varnish etc. (resin) 216.1; plating, barrel plating, anointing etc. v.; enamel; epitaxial deposition [Eng.], vapor deposition; ground, whitewash, plaster, spackel, stucco, compo; cerement; ointment etc. (grease) 356.    ... show more

Wash consisting of lime and size in water; used for whitening walls and other surfaces.

Dutch: witkalk
Polish: mleko wapienne

A specious or deceptive clearing that attempts to gloss over failings and defects.

Cover up a misdemeanor, fault, or error:
— Let's not whitewash the crimes of Stalin.

synonyms: gloss over, hush up, sleek over.

Roget 430: be white etc. adj.. render white etc. adj.; whiten, bleach, blanch, etiolate, whitewash, silver.   

Roget 970: acquit, exculpate, exonerate, clear; absolve, whitewash, assoil^†; discharge, release; liberate etc. 750.    reprieve, respite; pardon etc. (forgive) 918; let off, let off scot-free.    drop the charges.    plea bargain, strike a deal.    no-cause (in civil suits); get no-caused ... show more

Roget 652: be clean, render clean etc. adj.; clean, cleanse; mundify^†, rinse, wring, flush, full, wipe, mop, sponge, scour, swab, scrub, brush up.    wash, lave, launder, buck; absterge^†, deterge^†; decrassify^†; clear, purify; depurate^†, despumate^†, defecate; purge, expurgate, elutriate [Chem], lixiviate^†, edulcorate^†, clarify, refine, rack; filter, filtrate; drain, strain.    disinfect, fumigate, ventilate, deodorize; whitewash; castrate, emasculate.    sift, winnow, pick, weed, comb, rake, brush, sweep.    rout out, clear out, sweep out &c.; make a clean sweep of.    ... show more

Roget 223: cover; superpose, superimpose; overlay, overspread; wrap etc. 225; encase, incase^†; face, case, veneer, pave, paper; tip, cap, bind; bulkhead, bulkhead in; clapboard [U.S.].    coat, paint, varnish, pay, incrust, stucco, dab, plaster, tar; wash; besmear, bedaub; anoint, do over; gild, plate, japan, lacquer, lacker^†, enamel, whitewash; parget^†; lay it on thick.    overlie, overarch^†; endome^†; conceal etc. 528.    [of aluminum] anodize.    [of steel] galvanize.    ... show more

Roget 847: ornament, embellish, enrich, decorate, adorn, bead, beautify, adonize^†.    smarten, furbish, polish, gild, varnish, whitewash, enamel, japan, lacquer, paint, grain.    garnish, trim, dizen^†, bedizen, prink^†, prank; trick out, fig out; deck, bedeck, dight^†, bedight^†, array; begawd^†, titivate^†; dress, dress up; spangle, bespangle, powder; embroider, work; chase, emboss, fret, emblazon; illuminate; illustrate.    become etc. (accord with) 23.    ... show more

Cover with whitewash.

Exonerate by means of a perfunctory investigation or through biased presentation of data.