velvety blanket
- noun
- /ˈvɛlvəti ˈblæŋkɪt/
- Snow fell silently, covering the street in a velvety blanket of white.
Examples
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She wrapped herself in a velvety blanket of comfort after the long day.
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The cat curled up on the velvety blanket.
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A thick velvety blanket of mist drifted across the hills at dawn.
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She wrapped herself in a velvety blanket during the cold night.
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A thick velvety blanket of mist drifted across the hills at dawn.
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Snow fell silently, covering the street in a velvety blanket of white.
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She wrapped herself in a velvety blanket of comfort after the long day.
Synonyms
A thick layer that covers a surface, for example fog or snow
Antonyms
How Velvety
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly and transparently derived from combining 'velvety' (smooth and soft) with 'blanket' (a covering layer); a B1 learner who knows both words can infer it refers to a soft, smooth covering or a smooth, enveloping layer. The figurative uses (an enveloping appearance or sensation) are extensions of the literal composition and are therefore still predictable from the constituents.
Etymology
Velvety blanket comes from the image of a smooth velvet blanket lying over something. Velvet is very 'soft' and a blanket 'covers', so the phrase is used to say that mist, snow, or a feeling gently 'covers' an area in a smooth, comforting way.