fig leaf

noun

1

: the leaf of a fig tree

2

[from the use by Adam and Eve of fig leaves to cover their nakedness after eating the forbidden fruit (Genesis 3:7)] : something that conceals or camouflages usually inadequately or dishonestly

Examples of fig leaf in a Sentence

Opponents claim that the humanitarian goals of the project are just a fig leaf, and that its real purpose is to make money.

Recent Examples on the Web

With the insurgents holding out for a settlement only on their own terms, Washington would then be forced to choose between a weak agreement providing a fig leaf for its abandonment of the country, a total failure of negotiations, and the indefinite engagement of U.S. combat troops. —Ronald E. Neumann, Foreign Affairs, 31 Oct. 2012

Unfortunately, that skepticism is often accompanied by a reflexive suspicion that any support for human rights is a fig leaf for imperialism. —Matthew Duss, Foreign Affairs, 22 Oct. 2020

Yet claims of conservation appear to be a mere fig leaf for certain commercial safari ranches. —Michael Barnes, Austin American-Statesman, 9 Sep. 2024

These gestures have been welcomed by Western governments, though many experts discount them as a fig leaf. —Heidi Blake, The New Yorker, 10 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1