wet blanket

¹

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

[ wet-blang-kit ]

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

noun

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

wet blanket

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of wet blanket¹

First recorded in 1655–65

Origin of wet blanket²

First recorded in 1865–70

Idioms and Phrases

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]

Example Sentences

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

“The reality is the anti-carbon agenda is the wet blanket on our economy. The reality is more people are dying of bad climate change policies than they are of actual climate change.”

From Washington Times