blanket

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Related to blanket: blanket stitch, sheets

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blanket (someone or something) with (something)

To cover with something. By the time I got to the beach, the kids had already blanketed grandpa with sand. The storm blanketed the mountaintops with snow, making it look like a scene from a painting.

blanket ban

A ban that applies to or affects all or the majority of a given class of people or things. Can't the government put a blanket ban on solicitors? Literally no one wants someone to show up at their house, unannounced, trying to sell something. The school is introducing a blanket ban on smart phones during school hours, much to the chagrin of its students.

blanket drill

A military term for sleep. Is it time for blanket drill yet? I'm exhausted.

blanket fever

A humorous phrase that describes the impulse to stay in bed all day and not do anything as a medical condition. Molly didn't come to her 9 AM class because she said she's not feeling well, but I suspect she's got a case of blanket fever.

blanket statement

A general statement made about a large group of different people or things that is typically lacking in nuance and accuracy. A: "All teens hate school. They don't actually want to be here." B: "That's a little reductive, isn't it? You'll have a hard time connecting with your students if you truly believe blanket statements like that." Leave it to Uncle Ned to make blanket statements about all the "fools" who don't happen to share his political beliefs.

blanket term

A word or phrase used to describe a broad range of similarly related things, usually resulting in diluting the specific meaning of individual items. "Idiom" is often used as a blanket term for any element of language that is used strangely or uniquely by its users. "American" can be seen as something of a blanket term, considering how drastically people differ from one part of the country to the next.

born on the wrong side of the blanket

Born to parents who were not married. His parents eventually married, but that boy was born on the wrong side of the blanket.

See also: blanket, born, of, on, side, wrong

eyes like two burnt holes in a blanket

Eyes that are ringed with dark circles. It's only been a few weeks since we brought our infant daughter home, and I've already got eyes like two burnt holes in a blanket.

See also: blanket, burnt, eye, hole, like, two

make a blanket statement

To make a general statement about a large group of different people or things that is typically lacking in nuance and accuracy. A: "All teens hate school. They don't actually want to be here." B: "That's a little reductive, isn't it? You'll have a hard time connecting with your students if you make blanket statements like that." Leave it to Uncle Ned to make blanket statements about the "fools" who don't share his political beliefs.

on the wrong side of the blanket

To parents who were not married; out of wedlock. Used in the phrase "born on the wrong side of the blanket." His parents eventually married, but that boy was born on the wrong side of the blanket.

pig in a blanket

informal A small hot dog or sausage in a bun or puff pastry. Please tell me that they're going to have pigs in a blanket as an appetizer at the event. It'll make getting dressed up worth it!

security blanket

That which gives one a feeling of comfort, confidence, and safety. An allusion to the common practice of children to carry around blankets or stuffed animals to give them a feeling of safety. His beard had long been his form of security blanket—something he could hide behind, something he could change at will, something he could fiddle with when he felt nervous or uncomfortable. My father's financial status was like a security blanket. Whenever anything else in life was going wrong, he always took comfort in his wealth.

sorry for being a wet blanket

cliché Used to introduce or accompany one's opinion or instruction, when one feels that it will ruin or dampen other people's fun, enjoyment, or enthusiasm. Look, I'm sorry for being a wet blanket, but we really can't have the music so loud or the neighbors will complain! I just don't understand the appeal of these brainless, over-the-top action movies that don't make one bit of sense. Sorry for being a wet blanket, but that's just how I feel.

See also: being, blanket, for, sorry, wet

sorry to be a wet blanket

cliché Used to introduce or accompany one's opinion or instruction, when one feels that it will ruin or dampen other people's fun, enjoyment, or enthusiasm. Look, I'm sorry to be a wet blanket, but we really can't have the music so loud or the neighbors will complain! I just don't understand the appeal of these brainless, over-the-top action movies that don't make one bit of sense. Sorry to be a wet blanket, but that's just how I feel.

throw a wet blanket on (something)

To make something be or seem less enjoyable, successful, or important. The court's decision throws a wet blanket on the president's plans for healthcare reform. Her crappy attitude really threw a wet blanket on the party. I could tell that Sean's football victory threw a wet blanket on Sam's news about getting into the college she wanted.

throw a wet blanket over (something)

To make something be or seem less enjoyable, successful, or important. The court's decision throws a wet blanket over the president's plans for healthcare reform. Her crappy attitude really threw a wet blanket over the party. I could tell that Sean's football victory threw a wet blanket over Sam's news about getting into the college she wanted.

wet blanket

Someone who ruins other people's fun. Don't invite Nicole to the party. She's such a wet blanket that she'll probably just complain the whole time. David was tired of being called a wet blanket by his friends just because he doesn't drink alcohol.

See also: blanket, wet

wrong side of the blanket

Referring to being born to parents who were not married. Used in the phrase "born on the wrong side of the blanket." His parents eventually married, but that boy was born on the wrong side of the blanket.

blanket someone or something with something

Fig. to cover someone or something with something. They blanketed the flames with a layer of foam. The children blanketed Jimmy with leaves and pretended he was lost.

born on the wrong side of the blanket

Rur. [of a child] illegitimate. All his life, Edward felt that people looked down on him because he was born on the wrong side of the blanket. Just between you and me, I suspect Mrs. Potter's oldest child was born on the wrong side of the blanket.

See also: blanket, born, of, on, side, wrong

eyes like two burnt holes in a blanket

Rur. eyes with dark circles around them. I can tell you ain't slept. You got eyes like two burnt holes in a blanket.

See also: blanket, burnt, eye, hole, like, two

wet blanket

Fig. a dull or depressing person who spoils other people's enjoyment. Jack's fun at parties, but his brother's a wet blanket. I was with Anne and she was being a real wet blanket.

See also: blanket, wet

security blanket

Something that dispels anxiety, as in I always carry my appointments calendar; it's my security blanket. This colloquial term, dating from about 1960, was at first (and still is) used for the blanket or toy or other object held by a young child to reduce anxiety.

wet blanket

A person who discourages enjoyment or enthusiasm, as in Don't be such a wet blanket-the carnival will be fun! This expression alludes to smothering a fire with a wet blanket. [Early 1800s]

See also: blanket, wet

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

a wet blanket

INFORMAL

If you call someone a wet blanket, you mean that they stop other people from enjoying themselves by being boring or miserable. `Hey', said Thack, looking at Michael. `Stop being such a wet blanket.' I'm sorry if I've been a wet blanket today.

See also: blanket, wet

throw a wet blanket over something

AMERICAN

If something throws a wet blanket over an event or situation, it makes it less successful or enjoyable. Cool, rainy weather has thrown a wet blanket over Michigan's tourism season.

See also: blanket, over, something, throw, wet

a security blanket

A security blanket is something that makes you feel safer and more confident. Everybody has a personal security blanket — it could be a handbag, a piece of jewellery or, if you're a guy, a moustache or a beard. For most of us, the lists we make act as security blankets, telling us what to do and how long to spend doing it. Note: A young child's security blanket is a piece of cloth or clothing which the child holds and often chews in order to feel comforted.

born on the wrong side of the blanket

illegitimate. dated

See also: blanket, born, of, on, side, wrong

a wet blanket

someone who has a depressing or discouraging effect on others.

A dampened blanket can be used to smother a fire; the image here is of a person extinguishing a lively or optimistic mood by their gloominess or negativity.

1991 Michael Curtin The Plastic Tomato Cutter When in the company of those of us who do succumb to the occasional dram Father Willie was never a wet blanket.

See also: blanket, wet

a ˌwet ˈblanket

(informal, disapproving) a person who is not enthusiastic about anything and who stops other people from enjoying themselves: She was such a wet blanket at the party that they never invited her again. OPPOSITE: a live wire

A wet blanket can be used to help put out a fire.

See also: blanket, wet

blanket drill

n. a night’s sleep; sleep. (Military.) Fred is still on blanket drill. He’s in for it.

wet blanket

n. someone who ruins a good time. (In the way that a wet blanket is used to put out a fire.) Oh, Martin! Why do you have to be such a wet blanket?

See also: blanket, wet

wet blanket, a

A person or thing that spoils the fun. This term, alluding to a device used to smother a fire, has been around since the early nineteenth century. Mrs. Anne Mathews used it in Tea-Table Talk (1857): “Such people may be the wet blankets of society.”

wrong side of the blanket, born on the

Illegitimate. This term was current in the eighteenth century and may well be obsolete. Tobias Smollett used it in Humphry Clinker (1771): “My mother was an honest woman. I didn’t come in on the wrong side of the blanket.”

blanket fever

A lumberjack expression for laziness, as if the woodsman had a medical reason for staying in bed instead of working.

wet blanket

A spreader of gloom. What could put more of a damper on lovely summer day picnic than a wet ground cloth—unless it's a person who, by word or deed, spoils everyone's fun? Such a spoilsport at any otherwise enjoyable event goes by the epithet “wet blanket,” better known to recent generations as a party pooper.

See also: blanket, wet

wrong side of the blanket

Illegitimacy. A child born out of wedlock was said to have been born on the wrong side of the blanket, as if being under the covers was a luxury to which only legitimate babies were entitled. Other obsolescent phrases for an illegitimate baby are “natural child” and “love child.”