hush up

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Explanation of "Hush Up"

Definition: The phrase "hush up" is a verb that means to make someone quiet or to stop talking. It can also mean to cover up or hide something that is wrong or embarrassing.

Usage Instructions

1. Making Someone Quiet: You can use "hush up" when you want someone to be quiet or stop making noise.

   • Example: "Please hush up; the baby is sleeping."

2. Covering Up: You can also use it when someone tries to hide a mistake or a problem.

   • Example: "They tried to hush up the scandal to protect their reputation."

Examples

• Making Quiet: "During the meeting, the manager asked everyone to hush up so they could hear the presentation."

• Covering Up: "The company hushed up the incident to avoid bad publicity."

Advanced Usage

• In Formal Contexts: You might avoid "hush up" in formal writing and instead use "suppress" or "silence."
  • Example: "The administration attempted to suppress the information regarding the incident."

Word Variants

• Hushed (adjective): Quiet or silent.

  • Example: "The hushed crowd listened intently to the speaker."

• Hushing (verb): The act of making quiet.

  • Example: "She was hushing the children as they entered the library."

Different Meanings

• To Silence: Primarily means to stop someone from talking or making noise.
• To Cover Up: Can refer to hiding mistakes or problems, often used in a negative context.

Synonyms

• For Making Quiet:

  • Silence
  • Quiet
  • Calm down
  • Shut up (though this can be rude)

• For Covering Up:

  • Conceal
  • Suppress
  • Hide
  • Gloss over

Idioms and Phrasal Verbs

• "Hush-hush": This means something that is secret or kept quiet.

  • Example: "The plans for the new project were hush-hush until they were finalized."

• "Hush up and listen": A phrase used to tell someone to be quiet and pay attention.

  • Example: "Hush up and listen to what the teacher is saying."

Conclusion

"Hush up" is a versatile phrase that can be used in everyday conversation, whether you want to make someone quiet or discuss the idea of covering up a mistake.

Academic

Verb

1. cause to be quiet or not talk
   • Please silence the children in the church!
2. cover up a misdemeanor, fault, or error
   • Let's not whitewash the crimes of Stalin
   • She tried to gloss over her mistakes

Synonyms

• hush
• quieten
• silence
• still
• shut up
• whitewash
• gloss over
• sleek over