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

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

To put it another way, the technology shouldn’t be employed as a fig leaf for fashion to keep churning out ever-increasing quantities of synthetics. —Jasmin Malik Chua, Sourcing Journal, 3 Sep. 2019

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1