wet blanket

¹ American  

noun

1. a blanket dampened with water so as to extinguish a fire.

2. a person or thing that dampens enthusiasm or enjoyment.

   Nobody asked him to join the group because he's such a wet blanket.

---

wet-blanket ² American  

[wet-blang-kit] / ˈwɛtˈblæŋ kɪt /

verb (used with object)

1. to extinguish (a fire) with a wet blanket.

2. to dampen the enthusiasm or enjoyment of (a person, group, etc.).

---

wet blanket British  

noun

1. informal a person whose low spirits or lack of enthusiasm have a depressing effect on others

---

wet blanket Cultural  

1. Someone who dampens enthusiasm: “We were all having a good time until Harold walked in and started acting like a wet blanket.”

---

wet blanket Idioms  

1. A person who discourages enjoyment or enthusiasm, as in Don't be such a wet blanket—the carnival will be fun! This expression alludes to smothering a fire with a wet blanket. [Early 1800s]

---

Etymology

Origin of wet blanket¹

First recorded in 1655–65

Origin of wet-blanket¹

First recorded in 1865–70

Example Sentences

Awoken by the flames, they managed to escape by covering themselves in wet blankets and running in the dark towards an exit at the rear.

From BBC

The title character, named Cassandra Webb and played by Dakota Johnson, is a wet blanket possessing few social skills and negligible personal warmth.

From Seattle Times

Alison King, an artist in her mid-30s, cowers under a wet blanket on her bathroom floor as a “blazing fury” descends on Lake Bend, a fictional small town outside Melbourne.

From Los Angeles Times

She said she knows people at work roll their eyes and maybe think she’s kind of a wet blanket with all of her hand-wringing about plastic waste.

From Los Angeles Times

“I don’t want to throw a wet blanket on it; the concept is great, and we have to put the plants back in the ground,” Tallamy said.

From Seattle Times