Word of the week: weglächeln

etw. weglächeln
 verb: to smile sth away
 

weglächeln is a colloquialism for an action you might do if something is bothering you, where you keep up a positive exterior to give off the illusion that everything is fine – you might smile away a problem or a difficulty.

For instance:

Ich musste meine Tränen bei der Arbeit weglächeln. = I had to smile away my tears at work.

Einige Probleme kannst du nicht so einfach weglächeln. = You can’t smile away some problems so easily.

Sie lächelt unangenehme Situationen gern weg. = She likes to smile away unpleasant/uncomfortable situations.
 

Smiley face. Photo: Gino Crescoli via Pixabay