hinwegtäuschen
to distract from, gloss over, obscure
verb hin-VEK-toy-shen Rare
Usage Note
Hinwegtäuschen means to deceive someone into overlooking a fact; über etwas hinwegtäuschen means to disguise or paper over something. Often used critically of misleading communication.
Examples
"Seine freundlichen Worte konnten nicht über den Ernst der Lage hinwegtäuschen."
Natural Translation
His friendly words could not gloss over the seriousness of the situation.
Literal Translation
His friendly words could not deceive-away-from the seriousness of the situation.

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