under the covers
19
2.3
- idiom
:
bajo las mantas
- After a long day, I love to relax under the covers with a good book.
- reading under the covers
I'll go back home and get in the bed, let the blinds down, right, Get under the cover and go to sleep, right?
- I'll go back home and get in the bed, let the blinds down, right, Get under the cover and go to sleep, right?
Examples
-
I would lie under the covers until I heard her settle back into the living room.
Academic text (2009) -
We were under the covers...
-
I just want to go under the covers, lock myself away, not see a soul.
-
Do you want to get under the covers?
-
Do you wanna get under the covers?
-
I want you to stay under the covers... eat your soup and drink your tea.
-
I ached for her life, just being there under the covers.
-
I went in to tell him that it was bedtime, and he was already under the covers.
-
I wouldn't mind huddling under the covers with somebody.
-
She's cuddled up like a mouse under the covers.
Synonyms
4
9.2
Asleep or resting in bed
3
7.2
You are in bed with the sheets pulled over you to be private or close with someone
Antonyms
How Covered
Surface Forms
Morphology
The figurative meaning 'hidden from view / operating behind the scenes' is directly derivable from combining 'under' (beneath) with 'cover' (something that conceals). This spatial-to-metaphorical composition is common cross-linguistically and follows an obvious logic, so a B1 learner who knows the constituent words would likely infer the intended meaning.
Etymology
Under the covers comes from the simple picture of being tucked beneath blankets. When you are under the covers, you are warm and hidden in bed, so the phrase means 'in bed and covered by blankets'.