C2idiompoliticsIELTS-friendly
close ranks
USUK
when members of a group unite to protect each other from criticism
From soldiers moving closer together. Often 'close ranks around someone'. 'Ranks' is plural.
In context
When one minister was accused, the whole party closed ranks around him.
Doctors sometimes close ranks when a colleague makes a serious mistake.
More idioms about politics
- a double standarda rule applied more strictly to one group than to another
- a grey areaa situation where the rules are unclear, so nobody is sure what is allowed
- a hidden agendaa secret reason or plan behind what someone says or does
- a hot potatoa difficult issue that people disagree about and nobody wants to deal with
- a lame ducka politician or government with little real power, often near the end of a term in office