cover the field

Idioms and Phrases

Also, cover the territory or waterfront . Be comprehensive. For example, The review course will cover the field very well , or Bob's new assignment really covers the territory , or The superintendent's speech covered the waterfront on the drug problem . These expressions all employ the verb cover in the sense of “extend over” or “include,” a usage dating from the late 1700s, with the nouns ( field, ground, territory, waterfront ) each meaning “whole area.”