wet blanket
7
5.6
- noun
- /wɛt ˈblæŋkɪt/
- Offensive
:
aguafiestas
- Ah, don't be a wet blanket.
- throw a wet blanket
- called him a wet blanket
Examples
-
We don't need another wet blanket dropping by.
-
I know it seems like I'm being a wet blanket.
Blog text (34) -
What are you always a wet blanket for?
-
Get rid of that wet blanket, and this thing will take off.
Blog text (27) -
Oh geez, you are still such a wet blanket.
-
Don't be such a wet blanket.
-
I wasn't trying to be a wet blanket or overly negative.
Blog text (16) -
At the risk of sounding like a bit of a wet blanket, though, I must remind you of the lesson of Concorde.
Blog text (5) -
"You're such a wet blanket," Jo Lynn said, her mouth a pronounced pout.
Fiction book (1997) -
Nobody likes a wet blanket who constantly criticizes our plans.
Synonyms
16
6.4
A person who ruins other people's fun at a party
8
6.9
A person who stops other people from having fun
4
6.5
A person who ruins other people's fun by complaining or refusing to join
A person who stops others from having fun by complaining
A person or thing that makes a situation less exciting
A person who is dull and has little energy or interest
Antonyms
How Discouraging
- Offensive
8
6.9
- Offensive
7
5.6
- Offensive
4
6.5
- Informal
16
6.4
Surface Forms
Morphology
wet + blanket
The parts 'wet' (to dampen) and 'blanket' (something that covers) point metaphorically to the idea of dampening or covering enjoyment, so a learner who knows the constituents can plausibly infer the general sense. However, the figurative extension to a person who discourages fun is a metaphorical, conventionalized meaning that is not fully predictable from the parts, and may require exposure to confirm, so it is best classified as semi-transparent.
Etymology
Wet blanket may come from the simple image of a wet blanket used to put out a fire. Because a wet blanket puts out flames and cools things, the phrase became a picture for someone who stops the fun, so a wet blanket means 'a person who discourages enjoyment'.