a wet blanket
Preserved but no longer current.
A discouragement; , a . marplot or spoil-sport. A person is a wet blanket who discourages a proposed scheme. "Treated with a wet blanket,*' discouraged. "A wet blanket influence," etc. A wet blanket is used to smother fire, or to prevent one escaping from a fire from being burnt.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “a wet blanket” mean?
A discouragement; , a . marplot or spoil-sport. A person is a wet blanket who discourages a proposed scheme. "Treated with a wet blanket,*' discouraged. "A wet blanket influence," etc. A wet blanket is used to smother fire, or to prevent one escaping from a fire from being burnt.
Is “a wet blanket” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.