smokescreen
smokescreen — noun
- smokescreensingular
- smokescreensplural
1. an action, statement, or piece of information that is intended to hide someone’s
an action, statement, or piece of information that is intended to hide someone’s real intentions or activities and prevent others from discovering the truth
Activists dismissed the company’s environmental campaign as a smokescreen covering years of illegal dumping.
smokescreen covering [noun phrase]
Opposition leaders claimed the trade deal was nothing more than a smokescreen for unpopular new taxes.
a smokescreen for [noun phrase]
Rather than addressing the real issue, the manager used a lengthy presentation as a smokescreen.
The official report turned out to be a smokescreen that hid a series of costly government failures.
Fatima saw through the candidate’s promises and recognized them as a smokescreen for deeper problems.
- front
focuses on a false appearance or persona, whereas smokescreen emphasizes an active distraction
- diversion
suggests something that draws attention away, often more neutral than smokescreen which implies deception
- pretext
a false reason given to justify an action, narrower than smokescreen which can be any kind of cover
- camouflage
more about blending in or hiding visually; smokescreen implies actively obscuring through distraction
- truth
what a smokescreen is designed to hide
用法筆記
Far more common than the literal military sense. Frequently appears in political, business, and media contexts where someone is suspected of hiding the truth.
常見錯誤
2. a large cloud of smoke produced by the military to block the enemy’s view of tro
a large cloud of smoke produced by the military to block the enemy’s view of troops, ships, vehicles, or equipment during a battle or operation
The navy laid down a thick smokescreen so the warships could reach the harbour without being seen.
lay down a smokescreen
Before crossing the open field, the soldiers set off smoke canisters to create a smokescreen.
The general ordered a smokescreen to block the enemy’s view of the advancing troops.
Under cover of a smokescreen, the rescue team moved the wounded off the beach at dawn.
- smoke curtain
a near-synonym; emphasizes the wall-like vertical spread of the smoke
用法筆記
Almost exclusively used in military or historical contexts. In everyday non-military speech, the figurative sense (sense 1) is the default meaning.