Patch up

To “patch up” something means to repair the damage to something, especially quickly or in a way that doesn’t get to the root of the problem. In 2017, an earthquake exposed additional structural problems with Line 12 of Mexico City’s metro train system. In response, Mexican authorities simply “patched up” the visible problems, or they didn’t solve the root of the line’s structural problems, they just quickly fixed some of the visible problems, like filling in some cracks in the cement beams. After a car accident, the bystanders did their best to “patch up” the person’s wounds until the ambulance arrived on the scene.