blanket

noun

1. A heavy, loosely woven fabric, usually large and woollen, used for warmth while sleeping or resting.

   “The baby was cold, so his mother put a blanket over him.”

   “The little boys in the front bedroom had thrown off their blankets and lay under the sheets.”

2. A covering layer of anything.

   “The city woke under a thick blanket of fog.”

   “In this case, the excavations were carried down to a depth of 3 ft. 9 in. below rail level, and pre-cast concrete slabs were laid between a 12 in. blanket of quarry waste and the ballast.”

   “There was no difficulty in sighting the semaphores from this timely warning to each one; but it would have been another matter if the driver had to peer continuously into that white blanket [fog] looking for them without any pre-warning.”

3. A thick rubber mat used in the offset printing process to transfer ink from the plate to the paper being printed.

   “A press operator must carefully wash the blanket whenever changing a plate.”

4. A streak or layer of blubber in whales.

adj

1. (attributive, not-comparable)General; covering or encompassing everything.

   “Another observer offered a less blanket criticism.”

   “Some others appear to be adopting a more blanket approach”

   “Disenchanted with socialism, they unleashed free enterprise (or tried to) and backed it up with a more-or-less blanket endorsement of the old ways.”

   “By contrast, any emotional or motivational explanation of autism would seem to predict too blanket a degree of social disinterest.”

   “The second reason offered for blanket nonprosecutions for crimes committed at the megabanks involves the possibility that such prosecutions could harm the economy.”

verb

1. (attributive, transitive)To cover with, or as if with, a blanket.

   “A fresh layer of snow blanketed the area.”

   “[…] / I will preſerue my ſelfe, and am bethought / To take the baſeſt and moſt pooreſt ſhape, / That euer penury in contempt of man, / Brought neare to beaſt, my face ile grime with filth, / Blanket my loynes, elſe all my haire with knots, / And with preſented nakedness outface, / The wind, and perſecution of the skie, / […]”

   “I see the moon go off watch and the darkness begin to blanket the river.”

   “The whole world was shut away outside in blood-red glory, as he rocked in his cradle on the immaculate sea, where the warm air blanketted him above the water sheets cold below.”

   “Leaping lightly on his back he led the grateful horse in an easy canter back to the stable where he waited and watched as the stable girl rubbed him down and blanketted him.”

2. (attributive, transitive)To traverse or complete thoroughly.

   “The salesman blanketed the entire neighborhood.”

3. (attributive, transitive)To toss in a blanket by way of punishment.

   “Hang him, poore grogran-raſcall, pray thee thinke not of him: I’le ſend for him to my lodging, and haue him blanketted when thou wilt, man.”

   “Wee'll haue our men blanket 'hem i' the hall.”

4. (attributive, transitive)To take the wind out of the sails of (another vessel) by sailing to windward of it.
5. (attributive, transitive)To nullify the impact of (someone or something).
6. (attributive)Of a radio signal: to override or block out another radio signal.