Question

(to) cover oneself Nina knew her company was producing a defective product. She covered herself by keeping records of all of her letters and e-mails to her boss about the issue.note: You may hear the more vulgar form of this expression: cover your ass, or the shortened version "CYA." Since "ass" is a vulgar word, some people use more polite variations of this expression, such as "cover your behind" and "cover your butt."

Accepted Answer

to try to avoid being blamed for something; to protect oneself from blame

Idiom	(to) cover oneself
Meaning	to try to avoid being blamed for something; to protect oneself from blame
Example	Nina knew her company was producing a defective product. She covered herself by keeping records of all of her letters and e-mails to her boss about the issue. note: You may hear the more vulgar form of this expression: cover your ass, or the shortened version "CYA." Since "ass" is a vulgar word, some people use more polite variations of this expression, such as "cover your behind" and "cover your butt."

Cover Oneself Vulgar Avoid Blamed Protect Blame Nina