Cover The Sun

[koganbot]

An idiom I'd never run across before. "I can't cover the sun with one finger" or "I can't cover the sun with my thumb," meaning that the truth will shine through. This was in today's New York Times:

"We need to eat," Mr. Gonzalez tells his children about selling off their toys. "I can't cover the sun with my finger. So why lie?"

And this one.

And this one.

Sample size is too small, but I wouldn't be surprised if the idiom was of Hispanic origin.

Comments

[skyecaptain.livejournal.com]

That was a great article -- I kind of liked not knowing where that expression came from! (Suggests that it's impossible to lie to his kids, which is still true but makes more sense with the explanation.) "I can't eat a horse if I tried, so why lie?"

[koganbot]

I can't eat a horse with my finger.