Смысл: explain

explain[ıkʹspleın]
v
<Í> 1. объяснять
to explain the meaning of a word - объяснить значение слова
explain this problem to me - объясните мне эту задачу
explain to me what this means - объясните мне, что это значит
2. оправдываться, давать объяснения
he was unable to explain his conduct - он не смог объяснить своего поведения
he explained that he had been delayed by the rain - он объяснил, что задержался из-за дождя
when he has done wrong he never explains - когда он поступает неправильно, он никогда не оправдывается
3. толковать, разъяснять
to explain smb.'s viewpoint - изложить /разъяснить, развить/ чью-л. точку зрения
4. refl
1) объясняться
2) объяснять своё поведение, свои мотивы и т. п.

explain Идиома

explain sth away

Idiom(s): explain sth away

Theme: EXPLANATION

to give a good explanation for something; to explain something so that it seems less important; to make excuses for something.
• This is a very serious matter, and you cannot just explain it away.
• John couldn't explain away his low grades.

explain oneself

Idiom(s): explain oneself

Theme: EXCUSES

to explain what one has said or done or what one thinks or feels. (Formal and polite.)
• Please take a moment to explain yourself. I'm sure we are interested in your ideas.
• Yes, if you give me a moment to explain myself, I think you'll agree with my idea.

explain away|explain

v. To explain (something) so that it does not seem true or important. John explained away his unfinished homework by showing the teacher his broken arm in a cast. It is hard to explain away Abraham Lincoln's dream about being dead, which he had a few days before he was shot. The man could not explain away the gun and the marked money from the bank robbery that the police found in his car.

explain oneself|explain

v. phr. 1. To make your meaning plainer; make your first statement clear. When we didn't understand Fritz, he went on to explain himself. 2. To give a good reason for something you did or failed to do which seems wrong. When Jack brought Mary home at three o'clock in the morning, her father asked him to explain himself.

explain

explain
1.
explain away
to state reasons for so as to justify, often by minimizing, or make understandable
2.
explain oneself
1) to make clear what one means
2) to give reasons justifying one's conduct

explain away

explain away
Dismiss or minimize the importance of something, especially something detrimental. For example, “His words were taken down, and though he tried to explain them away, he was sent to the Tower” (Thomas Macaulay, The History of England, 1855). [c. 1700]