woodwork

blend into the woodwork

To make oneself inconspicuous. Because I'm on probation at work, I'm just trying to blend into the woodwork for now.
See also: blend, woodwork

come out of the woodwork

To appear unexpectedly, or from unexpected places. No one had anything negative to say when I first pitched this idea, but now people are coming out of the woodwork to criticize it. Ever since Liam won the lottery, his so-called relatives have been coming out of the woodwork.
See also: come, of, out, woodwork

disappear into the woodwork

To recede or absent oneself from public view; to become or remain hidden in society. The former movie star, never one to disappear into the woodwork, launched a very successful chain of restaurants and eventually ran for public office in Washington state. I think people expected us to disappear into the woodwork after the referendum results, but we made sure to stay firmly in the eye of the public.
See also: disappear, woodwork

fade into the woodwork

To make oneself inconspicuous. Because I'm on probation, I'm just trying to fade into the woodwork for now.
See also: fade, woodwork

out of the woodwork

Out of hiding; into view or awareness suddenly and unexpectedly. No one had anything negative to say when I first pitched this idea, but now people are coming out of the woodwork to criticize it. Ever since Liam won the lottery, his so-called relatives have been showing up out of the woodwork.
See also: of, out, woodwork

vanish into the woodwork

To recede or absent oneself from public view; to become or remain hidden in society. The former movie star, never one to vanish into the woodwork, launched a very successful chain of restaurants and eventually ran for public office in Washington state. I think people expected us to vanish into the woodwork after the referendum results, but we made sure to stay firmly in the eye of the public.
See also: vanish, woodwork
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

*out of the woodwork

Fig. out into the open from other places or a place of concealment. (*Typically: bring someone or something ~; come ~; creep ~.) When the cake appeared, all the office people suddenly came out of the woodwork.
See also: of, out, woodwork
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.

out of the woodwork

Emerging from obscurity or a place of seclusion. It often is put as come (or crawl) out of the woodwork, as in The candidates for this job were coming out of the woodwork. The expression alludes to insects crawling out of the interior wooden fittings of a house, such as baseboards and moldings. [Colloquial; mid-1900s]
See also: of, out, woodwork
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.

come out of the woodwork

If people come out of the woodwork they suddenly start publicly talking about something or making claims, when previously they said nothing. People are starting to come out of the woodwork to talk about fraudulent practices in the industry. Note: You can replace come with another verb such as crawl. The worst aspect of their decision for Britain is that it will now bring anti-Europeans crawling out of the woodwork once more. Note: People usually use this expression to show that they disapprove either of the sort of things that people are saying, or of the fact that they have only just started to say these things.
See also: come, of, out, woodwork
Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed.

vanish into (or come or crawl out of) the woodwork

(of an unpleasant person or thing) disappear into (or emerge from) obscurity. informal
The implication here is that the people or things concerned are like cockroaches or other unpleasant creatures living in the crevices of skirting boards and cupboards.
See also: vanish, woodwork
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary

blend/fade into the ˈwoodwork

behave in a way that does not attract any attention; disappear or hide: I decided the best thing to do would be to try and fade into the woodwork and hope that no one noticed me.
See also: blend, fade, woodwork

come/crawl out of the ˈwoodwork

(informal, disapproving) if you say that somebody comes/crawls out of the woodwork, you mean that they have suddenly appeared in order to express an opinion or to take advantage of a situation: When he won the lottery, all sorts of distant relatives came out of the woodwork.
These idioms refer to the fact that insects or small animals, especially unpleasant ones, often hide in holes in wooden parts of a room or building.
See also: come, crawl, of, out, woodwork
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary

out of the woodwork

Out of obscurity or a place of seclusion: People were coming out of the woodwork to apply for the desirable job.
See also: of, out, woodwork
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition.
See also:
  • blend into the woodwork
  • blend/fade into the woodwork
  • fade
  • away from it all
  • at a disadvantage
  • address comments or remarks to
  • address (one's) comments to (someone or something)
  • address (one's) remarks to (someone or something)
  • (the) odds are against (something)
  • a run on (something)
References in periodicals archive
Use fine sandpaper lightly on any imperfections on undercoated woodwork - - don't rub too hard or you'll go through the undercoat and have to repaint.
Brush up on skills for perfect decor; It's the weekend and you've nothing planned - so it's the perfect time to decorate that room you've been putting off for ages. If you don't know where to start, follow Richard Burr's step-by-step guide to decorating
For the last coat, use a 2" brush on the woodwork. Paint the architraves and skirting boards first, remembering to keep an eye on the paint you've recently applied - you can use your brush to wipe away drips you might not have noticed earlier on, if your paint is still wet.
How to paint a room like a pro; YOUR HOME With Bake Off finalist and builder Richard Burr Determined to get that fresh lick of paint on once and for all? Follow this step-by-step guide
One of Hollywood Woodwork's contributions to the sustainability effort was its use of Sherwin-Williams formaldehyde free Sher-Wood F3 Kemvar Varnish for all interior millwork finishes.
Puttin' finish on the Ritz: Hollywood Woodwork uses formaldehyde-free finishes for casework at the Ritz-Carlton
From there, County were rampant and Foley would have had a hat-trick if not for the woodwork.
Two late goals and the woodwork halt County
Although Sunderland passed more sharply and struck the woodwork in four separate incidents, Fulham never lacked for effort and made some of the better opportunities.
Fulham hold on for point; BARCLAYS PREMIERSHIP
The second half began with both Marshall and Richard Colwell hitting the woodwork. And this was to prove costly as Garry Sippetts doubled Barton's lead in the 67th minute.
Barton Rovers 4 Stourport Swifts 0; DIVISION ONE MIDLANDS
Kirk was denied his hat-trick when Joe Anyon saved his header and Poul Hubertz hit the woodwork.
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You don't have to be a master woodworker to appreciate the overview for all levels provided in Stanley Book of Woodwork: Tools, Techniques, Projects.
Stanley Book of Woodwork
I've got a terrifying feeling he's going to come out of the woodwork because of the film."
Running from stardom: Joseph Fiennes's star is on the rise again, thanks to a role as the real-life lover of author Augusten Burroughs in this fall's Running With Scissors
Walsall-based software company EM Brownhill Data Processing is aiming to turn around the fortunes of the woodwork industry down-under.
E-BUSINESS: Brownhill Data logs on to Australia
Arrangement is in sections on gates & doors; wall decoration & room dividers; staircases & railings; light fixtures; facades, awnings, & outdoor windows; furniture, fireplaces, vases, & mirrors; and stonework & woodwork relief on interior walls and columns.
Art Deco Ironwork and Sculpture
The key to a long-lasting paint job is to prepare the woodwork so it's clean and gloss free.
Prep trim like a pro
Robinson and Steven Jennings both hit the woodwork in the second period and Chris Dagnall and Alex Hay brought good saves from keeper Mark Paston.
Football: Reserves enjoy Bradford win; Bradford Res....... 0 Tranmere Res......1
For every show we come right out of the woodwork where you didn't even know that many of us existed in one town.
Pool dust
There are points for hitting the woodwork, penalty misses, German free-kick goals and images of Sven Goran Eriksson with head in hands.
Football: Never patriotic