EyeSeeYou  +  777941 Fri, 12 Jun 09 10:36 PM The dictionary says is intransitive. Isn't it also transitive ?. For example if you say that Tom explained his bad treatment to Mary away (to explain something away).    Or am I getting it wrong?     EyeSeeYou Joined on Tue, Dec 21 2004 Full Member 212

	Mr Wordy  +  778013 Fri, 12 Jun 09 11:43 PM I'd never use "explain away" intransitively (except, fairly unusually, in the different sense of "explain at length").   To me, there seems too much distance in your sentence between "explained" and "away". I think I would write it as "Tom explained away his bad treatment to Mary".     Mr Wordy Joined on Tue, May 27 2008 Senior Member 2,359 Native British English speaker Sentences

	EyeSeeYou  +  778155 Sat, 13 Jun 09 01:28 AM Sorry, I made a mistake. It said Transitive only. I must've looked it up quickly.   I'll take advantage of this thread and ask if there are other ways (idioms or phrasal verbs) to convey the same idea of explaining away. EyeSeeYou Verbs, Idioms, Phrasal Verbs, Mistakes, Apologies

	Mr Wordy  +  778573 Sat, 13 Jun 09 02:16 PM Hmm. I can't think of any other words or concise idioms that convey exactly this meaning. Perhaps someone else can come up with something. Mr Wordy Idioms

	CalifJim  +  778698 Sat, 13 Jun 09 07:07 PM EyeSeeYou “to convey the same idea of explaining away.” I don't know of any exact synonyms, but these are somewhat related. gloss over, cover up, make light of, allow for CJ CalifJim Joined on Mon, Aug 2 2004 California Veteran Member 22,454 "There are no facts, only interpretations" - Nietzsche Synonyms

	Grammar Geek  +  778702 Sat, 13 Jun 09 07:36 PM justified excused   Grammar Geek Joined on Tue, Jan 10 2006 Veteran Member 19,683 Barbara, who answers in American English. My housekeeping skills attest to the truth of the second law of thermodynamics: Left to themselves, things get more and more random!

	AlpheccaStars  +  778801 Sun, 14 Jun 09 12:00 AM rationalize AlpheccaStars Joined on Sun, Oct 12 2008 Senior Member 3,508 The pen is mightier than the sword. Edward Bulwer-Lytton (1803-1873)

	Grammar Geek  +  780030 Mon, 15 Jun 09 01:42 PM AlpheccaStars “rationalize ”   That is the one I was trying to think of!     Grammar Geek