English

Noun

wall of silence ‎(plural walls of silence)

1. (idiomatic) Strict secretiveness maintained by the members of a group with respect to information which might be contrary to their interests, especially information concerning questionable actions by members of the group.
   • 1981 Aug 6, “Rebel with a Cause: The real-life story of an anti-Mafia activist in Sicily makes for a handsome film with a political message,” Time:

     That makes his struggle with the culture of omertà, the wall of silence that allowed the Mafia to prevail for decades, all the more poignant.

   • 1994 May 15, James Sterngold, "Japanese Begin to Crack the Wall Of Secrecy Around Official Acts," New York Times (retrieved 10 Aug 2012):

     Her parents sought the official report on the incident, but they have run into a wall of silence.

   • 2010 March 9, Melissa Eddy and Alessandra Rizzo, "Pope's brother: I ignored physical abuse reports," Businessweek (retrieved 11 Aug 2012):

     German justice minister, Sabine Leutheusser-Schnarrenberger, said Monday that a Vatican secrecy rule has played a role in a "wall of silence" surrounding sexual abuse of children.

Usage notes

• Although this collocation was used in late-19th- and early-20th-century literature, the precise meanings of those early usages varied. In general, the term denoted some real or figurative barrier to communication, as represented by the following examples.

Synonyms

• code of silence, conspiracy of silence

Derived terms

• blue wall of silence

See also

• omertà
• silent treatment

References

• wall of silence at OneLook Dictionary Search