whitewash sth
动词用法，表示“粉饰、掩盖”，后接名词或代词作宾语。
They tried to whitewash the whole affair.
他们试图粉饰整件事。
零分失利；石灰浆；粉饰；白色涂料；得零分的惨败
A mixture of a powdered mineral substance (often slaked lime (containing calcium hydroxide), chalk (calcium carbonate), or both) and water which is used for painting surfaces such as fences and walls bright white.
零分失利
a defeat in which the losing person or team fails to score
A thing used to hide mistakes, or to create an appearance of honesty, propriety, etc.; also (often politics), an act of hiding mistakes or creating an appearance of honesty, propriety, etc.; especially, a campaign, investigation, etc., which intentionally hides or overlooks unfavourable facts.
石灰浆
wash consisting of lime and size in water; used for whitening walls and other surfaces
An act of clearing a person's debts, especially through a declaration of bankruptcy by a court.
粉饰
a specious or deceptive clearing that attempts to gloss over failings and defects
A complete victory or series of victories without suffering any losses; a clean sweep; also, a victory or series of victories by a very large margin.
The most basic type of thickening agent, consisting of flour blended with water to make a paste.
The final game was a whitewash; our team didn't score a single point.
最后一场比赛是一场零分的惨败；我们队一分未得。
用法提示：whitewash 作名词，表示一方得零分的惨败。
After the whitewash in the first match, the coach changed the entire lineup.
第一场比赛遭遇零分惨败后，教练更换了全部阵容。
用法提示：whitewash 作名词，指零分的失败结果。
They suffered a humiliating whitewash in the championship final.
他们在冠军决赛中遭遇了耻辱性的零分惨败。
用法提示：whitewash 作名词，与形容词连用强调惨败程度。
动词用法，表示“粉饰、掩盖”，后接名词或代词作宾语。
They tried to whitewash the whole affair.
他们试图粉饰整件事。
动词的被动语态，强调事件被掩盖，施动者常省略。
The incident was whitewashed by the officials.
这起事件被官员们粉饰了。
名词用法，指输方得零分的比赛结果，常用于体育赛事。
The match was a whitewash, with the home team winning 5–0.
这场比赛是一场零封惨败，主队以5比0获胜。
与 whitewash 的‘零分惨败’义基本同义；shutout 更通用、中性，常用于各类竞技比赛，而 whitewash 在体育用法之外还有‘粉饰’义，需注意语境区分。
grammar · medium
易错句子The match ended in whitewash.
正确表达The match ended in a whitewash.
whitewash 表示“零封惨败”时为可数名词，单数前须加不定冠词 a；中文的“一场”不体现在冠词上，容易漏掉。
grammar · medium
易错句子The team suffered three whitewash this season.
正确表达The team suffered three whitewashes this season.
whitewash 在这个义项下是可数名词，复数形式为 whitewashes；中文名词没有复数变化，容易漏掉 -es 后缀。
grammar · medium
易错句子The team took a whitewash in the final.
正确表达The team suffered a whitewash in the final.
whitewash（零封惨败）的常用搭配是 suffer a whitewash，不用 take；中文“遭遇惨败”的“遭遇”对应 suffer，不可直译成 take。
对应“whitewash”名词义项“零分惨败（失败方未得分）”，指赢得比赛的结果；不涉及“whitewash”作动词时的“粉饰”或“白色涂料”等义。
shutout是美式英语，强调胜方未让对手得分，常用于单场比赛；whitewash多用于英式英语，强调败方零分惨败。
rout只表示一边倒的大败，不要求败方得零分；whitewash专指败方一球未进的惨败。
clean sheet指本方在后防线未失球，平局或胜利时也可以用；whitewash特指败方输球且零分。
遭受零分惨败
The home team suffered a whitewash in the final match.
主队在决赛中遭受零分惨败。
彻底的零分惨败
It was a complete whitewash, with the visitors winning all five sets.
这是一场彻底的零分惨败，客队赢下了全部五局。
5比0的零分惨败
The defending champions suffered a 5-0 whitewash in the series.
卫冕冠军在系列赛中以0比5惨遭零封。
使某人遭遇零分惨败
The home side handed their rivals a whitewash.
主队让对手遭遇零分惨败。
指在一系列比赛中赢得所有场次，常包含让对手零分的对局。
指分差悬殊、结果毫无悬念的比赛，这类比赛经常出现whitewash。
指一方被彻底击败，与whitewash一样描述压倒性的失败结果。
常见于足球等运动，指整场比赛未让对方得分，与whitewash的结果相近。
用来形容某队或某人在整场比赛中未能取得分数，是whitewash中的关键状态。
粉饰；掩盖
The report was dismissed as a whitewash.
这份报告被认为是粉饰之作而被驳回。
粉饰，掩盖（问题、过失等）
Officials tried to whitewash over the scandal.
官员们试图掩盖这一丑闻。
掩盖事实
He attempted to whitewash the facts of the case.
他试图掩盖案件的真相。
一个男孩儿能每天都有机会给篱笆刷白漆吗？
In Mark Twain's The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Tom pretends that whitewashing Aunt Polly's fence is a rare privilege.
在马克·吐温的《汤姆·索亚历险记》中，汤姆假装给波莉姨妈家的篱笆刷白漆是一件难得的乐事。
Dictionary facts from ECDICT, WIKTIONARY.