Fig Leaf

"Fig leaf" is an idiom for obscuring an act or object considered embarrassing or distasteful with something of innocuous appearance. The literal use of a fig leaf for this purpose originates in Western painting and sculpture, where leaves would be used by artists themselves or by later censors in order to hide the genitalia of a subject. Use of the fig plant in particular came about as a Biblical reference to the Book of Genesis, in which Adam and Eve used fig leaves to cover their nudity after eating the forbidden fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

Джерело: Вікіпедія (CC BY-SA)