under cover

Idioms  

1. Protected by a shelter, as in It began to pour but fortunately we were under cover . [c. 1400]

2. under cover of . Also, under the cover of . Hidden or protected by, as in They sneaked out under cover of darkness , or, as it was put in a sermon in 1751: “Presumption which loves to conceal itself under the cover of humility” (John Jortin, Sermons on Different Subjects ).

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Example Sentences

But these elephants are no dopes: One of Ms. Argo’s coups is capturing a very well-organized raid—quietly executed, under cover of darkness—by a parade of males into a tomato plantation.

From The Wall Street Journal

Machado, meanwhile, has yet to return to Venezuela from where she disappeared under cover after months in hiding to receive the Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo in December.

From Barron's

As the sun went down and a phone notification warned of more rain, the women, donning elf aprons and Santa hats, scrambled to move the boxes under cover.

From Los Angeles Times

However, Newey is said to have given his former Red Bull colleague a tour of the Aston Martin factory under cover of darkness on Tuesday night.

From BBC

And when that longing becomes too acute, he starts to help them — gathering their firewood, repairing their fences, performing small miracles of labor under cover of night.

From Salon

Related Words

• confidentially
• covertly
• stealthily
• surreptitiously