Expression wet blanket what does it mean

Someone who is over-emotional. One who dwells on their negativity. Someone or something that could have utility but chooses not to. This is from the idea that a blanket could be a wanted item , but is no longer wanted when wet.

Mike is a really fun guy but ever since he started dating Sarah he became a wet blanket. The term began being used in a figurative sense that is, where no actual blankets or fires were present in the late 18th century. A report of the French invasion of Switzerland, in the English newspaper, The Kentish Gazette , December , includes a story where a wet blanket is used to douse a figurative fire:.

There was no man so besotted as to not believe that the Swiss would heartily join in the cause, if a general confederacy was formed on the Continent. But if this motion were to be adopted, we should throw a wet blanket on the fire, which was otherwise about to spread through Europe.

Send us feedback. See more words from the same year. Accessed 11 Nov. More Definitions for wet blanket. See the full definition for wet blanket in the English Language Learners Dictionary. Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free! Log in Sign Up. Save Word. Definition of wet blanket. Synonyms for wet blanket Synonyms drag , grinch , killjoy , party pooper , spoilsport Visit the Thesaurus for More.

Examples of wet blanket in a Sentence I'd love to go to the party, but with my cold, I'm afraid I'd just be a wet blanket.