Explain away means give an explanation that makes a problem seem to disappear: talk your way out of it. He tried to explain away the missing records as a filing error. The particle away does the work: the problem gets talked out of the room. It almost always sounds sceptical: the speaker doesn't quite believe the excuse.
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explain away a problem; explain something away as something; explain it away
- He tried to explain away the missing records as a filing error.
- The manager explained the delay away by blaming the weather.
- You cannot explain it away without addressing the evidence.
What changed
First versionShe tried to explain away it as a misunderstanding.
RevisionShe tried to explain it away as a misunderstanding.
Most verbs take the object right after them, so explain away it looks logical. But with a phrasal verb, a pronoun goes between the parts: explain it away. The excuse itself is introduced by as: as a misunderstanding.
Explain means honestly say what happened: she explained the delay. Explain away means make excuses so the problem looks small: she explained the delay away as a small hiccup. Cover up means hide a fact completely, while explain away deals with something people have already noticed.
Your turn
Choose the correct position of the pronoun: He called it a typo to ___.
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explain it away — The pronoun it goes between explain and away: explain it away. Explain away it sounds wrong.
Describe how someone tried to explain away a problem: being late, a mistake or an empty hall.
The organiser tried to explain away the empty seats as a result of bad weather.
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