to lay bare
2
5.5
- phrasal verb
- /leɪ bɛr/
:
revelar
- But the removal of this symbol of intransigency from the scene has also revealed that, against all odds, the Kurds have been successful in laying bare the fundamental weakness of the official ideology of ethnic homogeneity.
So it seems like we're laying bare all this mechanism.
- So it seems like we're laying bare all this mechanism.
- This is an assumption Harris lays bare in that last tweet, where Harris says here that we should avoid what sucks, that is what's painful.
Examples
-
So it is a time, I think, in which people are afraid and it's going to lay bare a lot of the inefficiencies in our system.
-
On the other hand, the strong illumination in the stalls that Brecht insists on is there not only to lay bare the devices of the theater itself, but also, significantly, to allow the spectators to watch one another and thus be aware of themselves as spectators.
Academic text (2002) -
The entire point was to lay the entire process bare, including figuring out what the game was going to be about.
Blog text (19) -
So it seems like we're laying bare all this mechanism.
-
Its purpose is to lay bare, as it were, the fundamental problems, the fundamental concepts and categories which frame the study of politics.
-
I stopped, but then it occurred to me to lay bare my heart to Mr. Mageye.
Fiction book (1997) -
Once again, he lays bare the workings of the human heart with unflinching clarity.
Academic text (2009) -
The report lays bare how those unfit to join the police are aided by patchwork vetting systems that leave the door open.
-
Once again, Rejano's account of his contact with the American continent self-consciously lays bare the shadow of the Conqueror under which it is composed.
Academic text (2000) -
The documentary aims to lay bare the hidden truths behind the company's unethical practices.
Synonyms
∞
2.3
Show something that was hidden or secret
342
4.1
Reveal hidden facts or bad actions to people
243
3.5
Reveal secret facts to the public
164
4.5
To reveal secret information, often by mistake
109
4.1
To make something known for the first time
60
4.2
To show a feeling or secret without meaning to
47
5.6
Say all private things about a person or event
45
6.2
To tell secret or private information to people
43
6.0
To tell a secret or show feelings you were trying to hide
32
3.7
Tell secret or private information to other people
31
4.1
To show something that was hidden, often feelings or body parts
23
4.2
Show what someone or something really is
20
3.7
To show facts that were hidden before
18
6.0
Tell a secret by accident before others know
8
3.7
Make secret information known to the public
8
6.8
Reveal secret information that shocks people
7
4.0
Make something visible by removing a cover
5
5.6
Accidentally tell someone something you want to keep secret
5
8.1
To tell someone your private feelings or secrets openly
5
5.1
To tell a secret that should be kept
4
7.1
To reveal information that was previously hidden
2
4.4
To tell people about something secret
2
7.7
Reveal a secret or someone's identity
1
7.5
To tell everything about yourself, including private things
1
6.5
To reveal something hidden or forgotten
1
5.5
To tell a secret by accident and spoil a surprise
1
6.5
To make a secret suddenly become known
1
7.7
To make something hidden become visible by removing a cover or showing the truth
1
7.2
Show who you really are instead of pretending
1
9.1
To openly say something people usually keep secret
1
7.9
To tell a secret carelessly or without meaning to
Antonyms
How Revealed
Surface Forms
Morphology
The verb 'bare' means to reveal or uncover and 'lay' here functions as a causative verb meaning to place or make something so; together they literally mean to make something bare/revealed. This resultative/causative composition is directly derivable from the constituents and follows a common cross-linguistic pattern, so a B1 learner who knows both words should understand the MWE.
Etymology
Lay bare comes from the simple image of taking a cover off something and putting it where everyone can see it so the thing is bare. The word lay shows the action and bare means uncovered, so it now means 'to reveal' or 'expose' something hidden.