▪ I. cover, v.1
(ˈkʌvə(r))
Forms: 3 cuuer-en, 3–6 couer(e, 4– cover. Also 4–5 covyr(e, covir, 4–6 kever(e, keuer(e, 5 kouer(e, kyuer(e, cufere, couure, couvre, 6 couour; also 4–5 cure, 6 cour, 8 Sc. coor: see cure v.2
[a. OF. cuvr-ir, covr-ir, later couvr-ir = Pr. cobrir, cubrir, Sp. cubrir, It. coprire:—L. cooperīre, f. co- = com- intensive + operīre to cover, cover up, conceal. The OF. stressed form cuevre, queuvre, of the pres. sing. gave the English variant kever, kiver, still extensively used in the dialects.]
I. 1. trans. To put or lay something over (an object), with the effect of hiding from view, protecting, or enclosing; to overlay, overspread with.
| a 1300 Cursor M. 3678 (Cott.) Wit a rugh skin sco hidd his hals And couerd þar-wit his hands als. c 1400 Destr. Troy 9616 Priam a prise towmbe prestly gart make, And the bodyes..buried þerin..Couert hom clanly, closet hom togedur. 14.. E.E. Misc. (Warton Club) 68 Kever the rotes aȝene with same erthe. 1582 J. Hester Secr. Phiorav. iii. xxxiii. 47 Put it into a greate Tubbe, and keeuer it with water. 1590 Spenser F.Q. ii. viii. 9 Where finding life not yet dislodged quight He much rejoyst, and courd it tenderly. 1664 Evelyn Kal. Hort. (1729) 197 Cover with dry Straw..your young exposed Evergreens. 1752 C. Stewart in Scots Mag. (1753) June 291/2 The people..were covering potatoes. 1800 tr. Lagrange's Chem. I. 410 Cover the whole with a stratum of charcoal. |
2. To put a covering of some specified kind on.
The addition or accession of the covering, rather than the condition of the object covered, is the prominent notion.
a. To put a cover or lid upon (a vessel, etc.), or over (its contents); also to overlay (a pie or the like) with paste.
| 1382 Wyclif Ex. xxi. 33 If eny man open a cystern..and not couerith it, and oxe or asse fal into it. c 1430 Two Cookery-bks. 45 Keuere þin cofyns with þe same past. Ibid. 52 Kyuere hym [þe Lampray] fayre with a lede. 1577 Googe Heresbach's Husb. (1586) 26 To cover every pot with one cover. 1703 Maundrell Journ. Jerus. (1732) 77 They [coffins] had been at first cover'd with handsome lids. 1853 A. Soyer Pantroph. 63 Cover the saucepan for an instant, uncover, and serve. |
† b. To put a roof upon or over; to roof. Obs. (but see cover in, 20).
| 1393 Langl. P. Pl. C. iv. 64 Ich shal keuery ȝoure kirke and ȝoure cloistre maken. 1482 Caxton Trevisa's Higden xli. (1527) 42 b, Brent tyle to covere [1387 Trevisa hele] with houses and chirches. 1630 R. Johnson's Kingd. & Commw. 116 Their houses..are.. covered with straw or reed. 1642 Perkins Prof. Bk. x. §666 To cover the house of another stranger. 1734 G. Sale Koran Prelim. Disc. i. (Chandos) 4 Covered with a cupola. |
c. To put a surface layer of something on for ornament or use; to overlay, overspread with.
| c 1400 Mandeville (Roxb.) xxi. 94 Þe walles within er couerd with plates of gold. 1563 Fulke Meteors (1640) 31 The Sea-Calfe is never hurt with lightning: wherefore the Emperours tents were woont to be covered with their skinnes. 1665 Pepys Diary 21 Sept., Most of the house is..covered with lead, and gilded. 1860 Tyndall Glac. i. iii. 29 Pines..covered with the freshly-fallen snow. 1872 E. Peacock Mabel Heron I. viii. 132 The roof was covered with wooden shingles. |
d. To spread a cloth or the like over the upper surface of (a table); esp. in preparation for a meal, to lay the cloth. Often absol.
| 1563 Winȝet Bk. Questions in Cert. Tractates (1888) I. 84 Quhy couer ȝe ȝour table with a quhyte clayth at ȝour communioun? 1568 Grafton Chron. II. 290 When the houre of Supper was come, and the tables covered. c 1590 Greene Fr. Bacon (1861) 169 To cover courtly for a king. 1596 Shakes. Merch. V., iii. v. 63. 1653 H. Cogan tr. Pinto's Trav. lxxix. 320 Having caused a table to be covered for us, and on it placed store of excellent good meat. 1877 R. J. More Under the Balkans, A low stool covered by a handkerchief, on which were placed the religious books. |
e. To overspread with something which marks or occupies the whole surface; to strew with.
| 1382 Wyclif Ezek. xxiv. 7 He shedde it not out vpon erthe, that it may be keuered with dust. c 1430 Lydg. Min. Poems (Percy Soc.) 22 The thorne is sharp kevered with fresshe colours. 1653 H. Cogan tr. Pinto's Trav. i. 2 Our bodies covered..with the stripes of the lashes. Ibid. lxviii. 276 Covered all over with pearls, and chains. 1784 Cowper Task ii. 829 Gardens, fields and plains Were cover'd with the pest. 1874 Green Short Hist. ii. 60 Art and literature covered England with great buildings and busy schools. 1875 Jevons Money (1878) 58 The whole surface could not be covered with a design. |
† f. to cover his feet (a Hebraism): to ease himself. Obs.
| 1535 Coverdale 1 Sam. xxiv. 3 There was a caue, and Saul wente in to couer his fete. 1560 Bible (Genev.) Judg. iii. 24 Surely he doeth his easement [marg. note he couereth his feete]. 1611 ibid., Surely he couereth his feet in his Summer chamber. |
g. Calico-printing. To print over with a pattern, etc. (Cf. cover n.1 1 c.)
| 1874 Crookes Dyeing 564 The piece is then printed over—technically called ‘covered’—with a fine pattern, in purple or light chocolate, and dyed up with madder. Ibid. 578 The pieces are then ‘covered’ with iron liquor..to produce the small design in dark purple. |
h. To affix the covering of cloth, leather, or other material on the boards of (a book) in binding.
| 1836 L. Hebert Engin. & Mech. Encycl. I. 226 The book is then ready for covering, with leather, if to be whole bound. 1876 Encycl. Brit. IV. 43/2 The materials used for covering are very various; but for the greater part of modern books calf-skin dyed of various colours is employed. |
i. To make a cover version (cover n.1 1 f) of (a song, etc.).
| 1965 L. Huntley Lang. Music Business 90 A phonograph record company is said to cover the recording of another phonograph record company when it releases a competitive recording of the same song. 1975 R. S. Denisoff Solid Gold i. 10 Many acts popular in MOR..have made it a practice to ‘cover’ or copy the current hits in their more traditional styles. 1977 Chapple & Garofalo Rock'n'Roll is here to Stay ii. 238 Mercury's Georgia Gibbs covered Etta James' ‘Wallflower’ with a cleaned up version called ‘Dance with Me Henry’. |
3. a. To clothe (the body); to wrap, wrap up, invest, envelop.
| c 1340 Cursor M. 25465 (Fairf.) Ne palle to couer mi bane. c 1394 P. Pl. Crede 116 Cloþ to coveren wiþ our bones. c 1400 Destr. Troy 5530 He was..couert as a capull all the corse ouer. 1483 Caxton Gold. Leg. 125/1 Y{supu} haddest pite of my nakidnesse. For whan I was a cold thou couerdest me. c 1511 1st Eng. Bk. Amer. (Arb.) Introd. 28/1 Ledder to kyuer theyr members with. 1611 Bible Isa. xxxvii. 1 Hee..couered himselfe with sackecloth. ― Ezek. xvi. 10, I couered thee with silke. 1674 tr. Scheffer's Lapland xvii. 90 They cover themselves in the Summer with blankets. |
b. fig. and transf.
| 1382 Wyclif Ps. cviii[i]. 29 Be thei couered as with a double mantil with ther confusion. 1611 Bible Ps. cix. 29 Let them couer them selues with their owne confusion, as with a mantle. 1667 Milton P.L. ii. 267 Heav'ns all-ruling Sire..with the Majesty of darkness round Covers his Throne. 1749 Fielding Tom Jones vi. viii, He stood..covered with confusion. 1845 M. Pattison Ess. (1889) I. 19 You..cover yourselves with the renown of a good name. |
4. to cover (one's head): to put on or wear one's hat or other head-covering; spec. after it has been taken off as a mark of reverence or respect; also to be covered, and absol. to cover.
| c 1340 Hampole Prose Tr. 27 It es no wyrchipe to Godd for to couer His heuede and leue His body bare. 1483 Caxton Gold. Leg. 207/1 Thy veyl or keuerchief wyth whiche thou kouerst thy hede. 1530 Palsgr. 499/1 Cover your heed. 1600 Shakes. A.Y.L. v. i. 18 Good eu'n gentle friend. Couer thy head..Nay prethee bee couer'd. 1611 Bible 1 Cor. xi. 6 If the woman be not couered, let her also bee shorne. 1656 Sir J. Finett For. Ambass. 194 Whether he would now, at his leave taking, cover in presence of her Majesty. 1667 Pepys Diary (1879) IV. 412 Here I stood bare, not challenging to be covered. 1800 in Nicolas Disp. Nelson VII. p. cxcvii, The Order has the particular privilege of being covered in the King's presence. |
5. a. Said of the instrument: To lie or be over (an object) so as to hide, protect, or enclose it; to serve as a covering to.
| a 1300 Cursor M. 9998 (Cott.) Þe colur..Þat cuuers al abute þe wal..es rede. c 1340 E.E. Psalter (E.E.T.S.) xliii[i]. 21 Shadew of deþ couered vs. 1490 Caxton Eneydos xix. 70 The nyght obscure couereth the landes. 1526 Pilgr. Perf. (W. de W. 1531) 142 The rofe y{supt} couereth all is the theologicall vertue, hope. 1611 Bible Ex. xl. 34 A cloud couered the Tent of the Congregation. 1760–72 tr. Juan & Ulloa's Voy. (ed. 3) I. 76 The shell which covers the coco nut. c 1820 Shelley Fugitives viii, One boat-cloak did cover The loved and the lover. 1823 F. Clissold Ascent M. Blanc 16 A smooth broad sheet of ice covered the whole of the declivity. 1883 G. Lloyd Ebb & Flow II. xxv. 82 Dreary swamps cover what was once the city of Classis. |
b. Said of garments and the like.
| 1401 Pol. Poems (1859) II. 71 The scapelarie also that kevereth the schuldris. 1533 More Apol. xxii. Wks. 882 Clothes that shal only kever them and not kepe them warme. 1577 B. Googe Heresbach's Husb. iii. (1586) 127 He [the Camalleopard] is covered like a fallow Deare. c 1600 Shakes. Sonn. xxii, All that beauty that doth cover thee Is but the seemly raiment of my heart. 1674 tr. Scheffer's Lapland xvii. 88 A cap which..covers part of their shoulders. |
c. To extend or abound thickly over the face of; to occupy the entire surface of; to strew, occupy.
| c 1340 Cursor M. 5931 (Trin.) Frogges þat no tonge coude tel..Al þe erþe þei couered so. 1382 Wyclif Num. xxii. 5 A peple..that couereth the vttermoost of the erthe. a 1533 Ld. Berners Huon lviii. 201 The feldes were coueryd with deed men. 1611 Bible Ex. viii. 6 Frogges came vp, and couered the land of Egypt. 1667 Milton P.L. i. 312 So thick bestrown..lay these, covering the Flood. 1818 Jas. Mill Brit. India II. iv. iii. 97 The bands..then covering the upper provinces of Hindustan. 1872 Yeats Growth Comm. 31 Phœnician and Greek vessels covered the eastern Mediterranean. |
† d. To enclose as an envelope. Obs.
| 1801 in Nicolas Disp. Nelson IV. 364 Your Excellency's letter..covering two letters from Lord Carysfort. |
e. fig.
| 1819 Shelley Cenci ii. ii. 75 Words are but holy as the deeds they cover. |
6. a. Of a stallion: To copulate with (the mare); rarely of other animals. Also absol. and causally.
| 1535 Act 27 Hen. VIII c. 6 §1 Horses and nagges..to couour mares and felys of very small stature. 1575 Turberv. Venerie xvii. 45 [The stag] which hath the mastrie..casting himselfe with a full leape vpon the Hynde to couer hir. 1577 B. Googe Heresbach's Husb. iii. (1586) 126. 1604 Shakes. Oth. i. i. 111. 1621–51 Burton Anat. Mel. iii. ii. vi. v. 576 Like that generous Mare..she was contented at last to be covered by an Ass. 1704 Swift Mech. Operat. Spirit, The Persian Beast acquired his Faculty, by covering a Mare the Day before. 1790 T. Bewick Quadrupeds 5 Eclipse..now covers by subscription forty mares at thirty guineas each. 1810 Sporting Mag. XXXVI. 60 A stallion..[which] covers this season at Dringhouses. 1842 H. Stephens Bk. of Farm (1851) II. 155 Covering her with another horse, or another kind of horse. 1859 Todd Cycl. Anat. V. 567/1 A bitch which had never been covered. |
† b. Of a bird: To sit upon (eggs). Obs.
| 1607 Topsell Four-f. Beasts (1673) 145 Egges covered by the Hen. 1711 Addison Spect. No. 128 ¶3 Whilst the Hen is covering her Eggs. |
7. a. To place a coin, etc. of equal value upon another, as in wagering.
| 1857 Borrow Romany Rye (1858) II. xiii. 193 ‘This is slow work,’ said Jack, banging down a guinea on the table; ‘can you cover that, old fellow?’ 1862 Trollope Orley F. III. 166 (Hoppe) I'll put that [10l. note] in K's hand, and do you cover it. Mod. We must do something to help him. I will give a sovereign if you will cover it. |
b. To play a card of higher value upon (one already played).
| 1885 Proctor Whist ii. 34 If a high card is led, and you hold a higher..it is generally best to cover. Ibid. 35 When King is led, second player, if he holds Ace, puts it on (‘covers’, is the technical expression). |
II. To protect, screen, etc.
8. a. To shield, protect, shelter. Also fig.
| a 1275 Prov. ælfred 595 in O.E. Misc. 135 Þe woke gume þu coveren. a 1300 Cursor M. 1798 (Gött.) Was nan fra dede þat mith him couer. c 1400 Mandeville (Roxb.) xxi. 97 A grete target, with whilk þai couer all þaire body. 1568 Grafton Chron. II. 90 They brought him into a seller..and so covered him from the people. 1602 Sir R. Boyle Diary Ser. ii. (1887) I. 41 Tyrrell..to cover his estates he maketh semblance to come to submission. 1678 tr. Gaya's Art of War ii. 112 Parapet, a casting up of Earth to cover the Defender. 1684 Scanderbeg Rediv. v. 120 That he Commanded the Tartars to keep near him to cover his March. 1734 tr. Rollin's Anc. Hist. (1827) II. ii. ii. 9 Conveyed to his camp by a body of horse, who covered him with their arms and bodies. 1841 Macaulay in Trevelyan Life & Lett. (1876) II. ix. 130 Any measure which he chooses to cover with his authority. 1855 ― Hist. Eng. III. 236 Leake..exposed his frigate to cover the merchantmen. 1887 A. B. Ellis Tshi-speaking Peoples xvi. 230 The swamp..is..inhabited by a powerful god who covers the approach to the capital. |
b. Said also of the material instrument: To serve as a defence, protection, or shelter to; spec. a fortress, or its guns, are said to cover the territory within their range. Also fig.; cf. command.
| c 1420 Anturs of Arth. xli, He keruet of the cantel that couurt the knyȝte. c 1449 Pol. Poems (1859) II. 221 Our welevette hatte..keueryd us from mony stormys browne. 1726 Leoni tr. Alberti's Archit. I. 75 b, A Port..covered with some high steep hill, that may..serve as a land-mark for the Sailors. 1735 J. Seacome Hist. Ho. Stanley 110 Cannon..to cover the Ships in the Harbour. 1758 Ann. Register 55 Some woods..which covered their retreat. 1838–43 Arnold Hist. Rome II. xxiv. 537 High ground, covered in front by the deep bed of the Anio. |
c. Said of a ship's flag, and papers; of a law, constitution, etc.
| 1786 Nelson in Nicolas Disp. I. 180 She was an American Vessel, although covered by British Papers. 1788 T. Jefferson Writ. (1859) II. 470 Such a constitution..as will..cover its friends, and make its enemies tremble. 1849–50 Alison Hist. Europe V. xxxiii. §7. 484 That the flag should cover the merchandise. |
d. to cover a siege, etc.: to protect the besieging army from attack.
| 1693 Mem. Ct. Teckely ii. 162 The King at last consented to stay and cover the Siege. a 1715 Burnet Own Time (1766) II. 6 The siege went on in form; And the king lay with an army covering it. 1811 Wellington in Gurw. Desp. VII. 620 By which the operation can be covered if it should be possible to continue it, or the siege can be raised if it should be necessary to raise it. |
9. To hide or screen from view; to conceal. a. Said of the agent. to cover the buckle: see buckle n. 1 b.
| a 1300 Cursor M. 2046 (Gött.) A mantil fra his neck he toke..And him [Noah] þar wid couerid þai. 1340 Hampole Pr. Consc. 2408 Nathyng here swa covered and hydde Þat sal noght þan be shewed and kydde. c 1435 Torr. Portugal 129 Gret olyvys..Coverd in levys smale. 1530 Palsgr. 499/2, I covered me behynde yonder hangyng and herde all their counsayle. 1611 Bible Matt. x. 26 There is nothing couered, that shall not be reueiled. 1697 Dryden Virg. Georg. ii. 697 Lead me to some solitary Place, And cover my Retreat from human Race. 1774 Goldsm. Nat. Hist. III. 119 He [the stag] will often cover himself under water, so as to shew nothing but the tip of his nose. 1819 Shelley Cenci i. iii. 154 Cover thy face from every living eye. |
b. To conceal or screen (actions, facts, qualities, and other immaterial objects).
| 1382 Wyclif 2 Esdras iv. 5 Ne couere thou the wickenesse of hem. c 1384 Chaucer H. Fame 275 Ther may be vnder godelyhede Keuered many a shrewde vice. 1481 Caxton Godfrey xliii. 83 He made no semblaunt therof, as he that wel coude couure his courage. 1586 A. Day Eng. Secretary (1625) A iij b, If..you..finde any thing blame-worthy, cover it I pray you. 1630 R. Johnson's Kingd. & Commw. 249 With great care they will cover their losses. 1734 tr. Rollin's Anc. Hist. (1827) IX. 64 They covered their voyage with the pretext of ransoming prisoners. 1883 G. Lloyd Ebb & Flow II. 268 Frank laughed to cover his anxiety. |
c. Said also of the instrument.
| 1601 Bp. W. Barlow Serm. Paules Crosse 34 Would to God the same earth..could also cover the sinne. 1603 Knolles Hist. Turkes (1621) 1358 By reason of a little mountain that covered them. 1773 F. Burney Early Diary (1889) I. 187 His voice is so sweet, that it wants no instruments to cover it. a 1843 Southey Vis. Maid Orl. 265 That thou shalt wish The earth might cover thee. |
10. a. Of a pickpocket's confederate: To screen the operations of (a principal).
| 1819 J. H. Vaux Mem. I. xii. 140 He only required me and the third man to cover him. 1858 Glasgow Gaz. 13 Nov. (Farmer), I saw Merritt..thrust his hand into the pocket..Jordan and O'Brien were covering Merritt. 1859 Sala Tw. round Clock (1861) 422 He had missed the confederate who usually ‘covered’ him. |
b. To shield from legal penalties.
| 1888 Lancet 8 Aug. 297/2 He holds in his own name the appointment of a surgeon..He covers himself by employing a qualified assistant..to sign certificates. Ibid., Cover Assistant.—A qualified man ‘covering’ one unqualified at a distance of six or seven miles lays himself open to censure by the Medical Council. |
11. to cover (with a gun, pistol, etc.): to present a gun or pistol at (something) so as to have it directly in the line of fire; to aim directly at.
| 1687 Congreve Old Bach. i. iv, 'Tis his diversion to set, 'tis mine to cover the partridge. 1830 Chron. in Ann. Reg. (1831) 138/1 He [a duellist] levelled his pistol, and covered Mr. O'Grady for a few seconds. 1888 Century Mag. XXXVI. 40/1, I covered him with the rifle and made him move off. |
12. Mil. To stand in line with from a point of sight or of attention.
| 1796–7 Instr. & Reg. Cavalry (1813) 6 That those several leaders may the more accurately and easily cover each other, when the march is in a straight alignement. 1853 Stocqueler Mil. Encycl., To cover..to stand in such a position in file, that when [a man] looks exactly forward to the neck of the man who leads him, he cannot see the second man from him. 1859 F. A. Griffiths Artil. Man. (ed. 9) 155 The subaltern officers see that both the picket and tent pole numbers [i.e. men] cover correctly. 1867 Smyth Sailor's Word-bk. s.v., In the field exercise and drill of troops, one body is said to cover another exactly in rear of it. |
13. a. Cricket. To take up such a position behind (another man) as to be able to stop the balls missed by him.
| 1840 J. Nyren Cricketer's Guide (ed. 2) 35–6 Long Field to cover the Middle Wicket and Point..must learn to judge the direction in which the batter..will strike the ball, and..he should be off to meet, or cover it. 1850 ‘Bat’ Crick. Manual 44 The long-slip is placed to cover the short-slip. 1870 D. P. Blaine Encycl. Rur. Sports §456 A man to cover the middle-wicket and the point, stands on the off-side of the striker. It is his duty to save those balls that either of the above may have missed. |
b. Lawn Tennis. To defend by or have within the scope of one's play.
| 1889 H. W. W. Wilberforce Lawn Tennis xi. 35 The man at the net covers far more of the court. 1907 P. A. Vaile Mod. Lawn Tennis 111 You cannot cover the whole court, and you must go where you have the best chance of meeting the ball. 1920 W. T. Tilden Art Lawn Tennis 44 Your position should always strive to be such that you can cover the greatest possible area of court without sacrificing safety, since the straight shot is the surest, most dangerous, and must be covered. |
c. In various sports, to mark (an opponent) or guard (an area of the field) as a tactic of defence.
| 1907 Washington Star 23 Nov. 9/3 The announcement of his selection was taken that Harvard would play a wide open game, relying upon the ends to cover it. 1921 C. D. Daly Amer. Football iv. 67 The remainder of the backfield all move over to cover more securely the ground vacated by the opposite end when he goes through. 1934 Crisler & Wieman Pract. Football xiii. 198 The man-to-man defense, in which each defensive man has a definite assignment to cover a particular opponent. 1950 D. Faurot Football xix. 226 With two men in a pass zone, cover the deeper one. 1972 G. Green Great Moments in Sport: Soccer ii. 37 England's centre-half..was left high and dry, with no one positive to cover. 1981 N.Y. Times 16 Sept. b11/6 Larry Milbourne..broke from his shortstop position to cover second. |
14. To take charge of (a class, lesson, etc.) in place of an absent colleague. Also absol. See cover for in sense 19 (b).
| 1970 in Fremdsprachen (1973) XVII. 63/2 Thanks are due to colleagues who covered classes at short notice. 1984 Times 12 Dec. 11/5 Yesterday I covered a lesson with a bottom-band, fifth-year class. 1986 Teacher 26 May 8/3 It is one of four authorities..which were taken to court by the NUT for making deductions from teachers' pay for refusing to cover. |
III. To extend or stretch over, to pass over.
15. a. To be extensive enough to include or comprehend; to include within its application or scope; to provide for.
| 1793 Burke Cond. Minority Wks. 1842 I. 618 Mr. Fox's general principle fully covered all this. 1885 Sir N. Lindley in Law Times Rep. LII. 319/2 The words are sufficiently wide to cover them. 1891 Law Times XCII. 104/2 In cases which are not covered by the statutory provisions of the Divorce Acts. |
b. To include, comprise, extend over.
| 1868 Gladstone Juv. Mundi iii. (1870) 90 The name may be one covering some of the allied contingents. 1885 Manch. Exam. 12 Aug. 5/2 The sixteenth annual report..which covers the year 1884. |
c. To report (an event, meeting, etc.) for a newspaper, broadcast, or the like; to attend, investigate, etc., as a reporter. orig. U.S.
| 1893 M. Philips Making of Newsp. 6 [The news editor] has been preparing to ‘cover’ such important events as are ‘in sight’. 1898 Westm. Gaz. 3 June 8/1 There was a licensed victuallers' dinner at Aston, and one of the reporting staff was sent to cover it. 1928 Strand Mag. LXXV. 84/2 In covering the consecration of Liverpool Cathedral for a broadcast which lasted for about an hour, there were five microphones in use. 1935 Auden & Isherwood Dog beneath Skin i. ii, Officially, I'm covering the Danube floods. 1958 Spectator 27 June 827/3 Both BBC and ITV must know where they stand if they wish to cover the election on the same basis as the newspapers do. 1969 New Yorker 29 Mar. 27/3 Once again television had become the event, instead of merely covering it. |
d. To photograph the whole of an area from the air.
| 1919 C. C. Turner Struggle in Air xv. 205 Thousands of exposures had to be made by scores of pilots who had to ‘cover’ the ground allotted to them. 1958 C. Babington Smith Evid. in Camera 35 Large areas of the Siegfried Line were ‘covered’ for the first time. |
16. To extend over, be co-extensive with, occupy, comprise: a. a space; also fig.
| 1874 Green Short Hist. v. 215 His [Chaucer's] tales cover the whole field of mediæval poetry. 1879 Sala in Daily Tel. 21 July, Meux's brewery covers nearly four acres of ground. 1887 C. C. Abbott Waste-Land Wanderings vi. 160 This [remark] covers the ground completely. |
b. a period of time.
| 1862 Stanley Jew. Ch. (1877) I. xviii. 334 The life..of Samuel covers the whole of this period of perplexity and doubt. 1874 Green Short Hist. ix. 602 The long life of Hobbes covers a memorable space in our history. |
c. In other fig. uses, in which it is sometimes combined with other senses. Cf. to overtake.
| 1883 Manch. Exam. 6 Nov. 5/4 The work..was found to be more than its existing staff at the ports could cover. 1890 Times (Weekly Ed.) 28 Feb. 1/2 The..Loan has been covered many times over by subscriptions. |
17. To pass over (ground); to get over, complete, or traverse (a given distance).
| 1818 W. H. Scott Brit. Field Sports 510 Other racers..loiter on the ground..losing time while they cover space. 1869 E. A. Parkes Pract. Hygiene (ed. 3) 269 In the same Kaffir war..1000 miles were covered in seventy-one days. 1881 Daily Tel. 4 Apr., Wanted, by manufacturer..Part Services of a Gentleman covering Beds, Berks, Bucks, Herts, and Oxon. 1891 Field 28 Nov. 832/2 The distance covered was close on twenty miles. |
18. a. To be sufficient to defray (a charge, or expense), or to meet (a liability or risk of loss); to counterbalance or compensate (a loss or risk) so as to do away with its incidence; to be or make an adequate provision against (a liability); to protect by insurance or the like.
| 1828 Scott Jrnl. (1890) II. 147 This..will prettily cover [the expense of] my London journey. 1866 Crump Banking v. 132 A promissory note received from a customer and his surety to cover a running balance. 1875 Jevons Money (1878) 119 A small charge..to cover the trouble and risk. 1884 Sir C. S. C. Bowen in Law Times Rep. 19 Apr. 218/1 The bill of sale shall cover..the whole 400l. 1885 Manch. Exam. 15 May 5/7 An obvious saving in time and labour which must go a long way to cover their original cost. |
b. absol. To provide cover; to meet the liability incurred in a speculative sale; to insure oneself.
| 1870 J. K. Medbery Men & Myst. Wall Street 227 (Bartlett), On dividing the assets it was discovered that the Treasurer had used up all the funds in a frantic effort to cover. 1882 Manch. Guard. 18 Oct. 4 The avowed expectation on the part of producers that they will be able to ‘cover’ later on to better advantage. 1884 St. James's Gaz. 15 Mar. 3/2 He can always ‘cover’ in Havre or Paris or Hamburg, where..much English business is already done. |
c. to cover short sales, or ‘shorts’ (Stock Exch.): to buy in such stocks as have been sold short (i.e. without being actually held by the seller), in order to meet his engagements on the day of delivery, or to protect himself against loss.
| 1878 Fables from N.Y. World 14 Who had realized at the turn of the market, and was now trying to cover his shorts. 1892 Times 23 Aug. 3 The closing was strong, Reading advancing to 30, on covering by the ‘shorts.’ |
d. to cover into the Treasury (U.S.): to cover or write off the balance in a balance-sheet by a transfer of the amount into the Treasury; hence, to pay into the Treasury.
| 1884 Harper's Mag. June 53/2 The bribe was ‘covered into the Treasury’. 1887 Pall Mall G. 3 Dec. 7/2 No heirs appeared, and the money was covered in time into the State treasury. 1892 Public Ledger (Philadelphia) 7 Jan., The work was done for $1900 less than the appropriation, and that amount was covered into the State Treasury. |
IV. With adverbs and preps.
19. cover for. (a) To cover up for (a wrongdoer): see sense 22 d; (b) to carry out the essential duties of (a fellow employee, esp. a teacher or hospital doctor, absent through sickness, etc.) in addition to one's own job; to act as a substitute for.
| 1968 S. Bellow in Playboy Jan. 244/1 She said that Zaikas had covered for Isaac, who was a party to the state-hospital scandal. 1976 Times 30 Mar. 4/1 Yesterday the National Union of Teachers extended to Devon and to Oldham, Lancashire, its campaign of refusing to cover for teachers who are absent for more than three days. 1980 A. Newman Mackenzie 294 I'd had to ring Judy from a call-box and ask her to cover for me, just in case. 1985 Times Educ. Suppl. 25 Jan. 1/1 Teachers who refuse to cover for absent colleagues or attend staff meetings are likely to have pay deducted from now on. |
20. cover in. To complete the covering of (anything) by adding the upper layer or part; to add the roof to a building; to fill in the earth in a grave or excavation. (Also said of the roof, etc.)
| 1726 Leoni tr. Alberti's Archit. I. 57 a, Various methods of covering in a Building. 1762 Sterne Tr. Shandy (1885) V. iv. 318 The gilded dome which covers in the fabric. 1819 Shelley Julian & M. 316 Would the dust Were covered in upon my body now! 1856 Kane Arct. Expl. I. v. 50 The little knoll which we cleared away to cover in our storehouse of valuables. Mod. The house is fairly dry; it was covered in before the winter. |
21. cover over. To cover the whole surface of, cover completely, overlay; to cover with anything that overhangs.
| 1530 Palsgr. 499/2 Saynt Thomas shrine is covered over with golde. 1583 Stanyhurst æneis iii. (Arb.) 77 Vnder a rock arched, with trees thick couered ouer. 1590 Shakes. Com. Err. iv. i. 104 The Deske That's couer'd o're with Turkish Tapistrie. a 1776 Lass of Lochroyan v. in Child Ball. iii. lxxvi, A bonny ship..a' cored o'er with pearl. |
22. cover up. a. To wrap up so as to conceal; to cover over.
| 1872 E. Peacock Mabel Heron I. viii. 131 The idea of covering up any portion of the rich garden loam with buildings. 1881 W. M. Thayer Log Cabin to White Ho. iv, Often..feeling cold after having kicked off the bedclothes, he would say in his sleep: ‘Tom, cover me up’. |
b. trans. To conceal (a crime, etc.).
| 1926 G. Hunting Vicarion xi. 189 It was the scenes she'd just looked at in the theater—something she'd done and thought was covered up, but is found out now! 1928 E. O'Neill Strange Interlude iv, A distressingly obvious attempt to cover up a chronic state of..guilty conscience. |
c. intr. Cricket. To protect one's wicket with one's pads or legs from a ball that is turning in.
| 1927 M. A. Noble Those ‘Ashes’ 16 The ball must not be pitched outside the leg stump, because the batsman can cover up without danger. |
d. intr. To conceal a misdeed, deception, etc.; to assist a wrongdoer to escape detection.
| 1942 Berrey & Van den Bark Amer. Thes. Slang §489/3 Cover (for), cover up (for).., to assist a confederate. 1958 Spectator 15 Aug. 225/1 Real or imaginary names are put to scripts imported from America... British writers are employed at starvation wages to ‘cover up’. 1961 in J. Barzun Delights of Detection 312 A woman who wouldn't commit a murder might be willing to help cover up after it had been committed. 1970 Daily Tel. 21 Oct. 2 Two police constables wrote out their resignation..because they were so sickened at attempts by senior officers to ‘cover up’ for a superintendent involved in a fatal road accident. |
▪ II. † ˈcover, v.2 Obs.
Forms: 3–5 couer-en, cover-en. Also 4 couir, -yr, coouer, ceuer, kuuer, kuver, keurie, keouerie, 4–5 keuere(n), kever, 5 keuyr, kouer; 5 cowre, cure, 8 Sc. coor, cowr.
[In part at least aphetic f. acover to recover, q.v.; but reinforced by the cognate OF. covrer, couvrer, to get, acquire = Pr. and Sp. cobrar, a word which contains the radical part of F. re-couvrer, Sp. re-cobrar, L. recuperāre to regain, recover; cuperare appears also in med.L.: cf. cuperamentum acquisition, in Du Cange = OF. covrance, couvrance (Godef.).
French influence is evident in the vowel-change in the form kever, the 3rd sing. pres. of couvrer being regularly cuevre, keuvre, as in cover v.1 Numerous examples of the OF. covrer, couvrer are given by Godefroy under combrer. Like cover v.1, this word was sometimes reduced to a monosyllable cowr, cour, coor, esp. in Sc.]
1. trans. To get, gain, obtain, attain.
| a 1250 Prov. ælfred 342 in O.E. Misc. 122 Þe mon þe hi [god wymmon] may icheose, and icouere over oþre [v.r. chesen hire from oþere]. a 1300 Cursor M. 964 (Cott.) Tell me..I sal couer [MS. T. gete] þi saghteling. c 1305 Judas Iscariot 136 in E.E.P. (1862) 110 Þat he [Judas] þe teoþing of þulke boxes to him keouerie miȝte. c 1325 E.E. Allit. P. C. 485 I keuered me a cumfort þat now is caȝt fro me. c 1400 Destr. Troy 269 An yle, Þat no creature might keuer for course of the see. c 1477 Caxton Jason 37, I had moche leuer couere a litill blame thenne [etc.]. |
b. with inf. To attain or get to be.
| c 1350 Will. Palerne 128 Þat it no schuld neuer Kuuere to be king þer as þe kinde eyre. |
c. intr. To attain, make one's way, get (to, out of).
| c 1325 E.E. Allit. P. A. 319 Er moste þou ceuer to oþer counsayl. c 1340 Gaw. & Gr. Knt. 2221 Syþen he keuerez bi a cragge, & comez of a hole. c 1350 Will. Palerne 3625 William at last keuered with þe kinges sone out of þe kene prese. Ibid. 3647 For ouȝt þat here enimys ever worche miȝt, Þei keuered with clene strengþe with him to towne. c 1490 Promp. Parv. 99 Cowryn, or strechynge [v.r. curyn, or astretchyn; P. aretchyn], attingo. |
d. to cover up: to get up, succeed in rising.
| c 1300 K. Alis. 4269 His hors..keoverid up abowe the flod; And swam to that othir syde. c 1430 Syr Gener. (Roxb.) 5898 Vp he keuered on his fete. |
2. trans. To recover, get back, regain.
| c 1250 Gen. & Ex. 1240 Wende ȝhe it [ðe child] coueren neuere mor. a 1300 Cursor M. 26034 Samson..couerd siþen his fax. c 1400 Destr. Troy 12949 His cuntre to kouer, & his kid rewme. c 1425 Seven Sag. (P.) 357, I scholde covere agayn my syght. |
3. To recover, restore, relieve (a person, etc. from, of, out of); to heal (a wound).
| a 1300 Cursor M. 2630 (Cott.) Godd sal couer þe of þi care. Ibid. 15575 (Cott.) Þou sal couer & confort ham Þat sitis in sorou. c 1325 E.E. Allit. P. B. 1700 [He] cowþe vche kyndam to-kerue & keuer when hym lyked. c 1350 Will. Palerne 1521 Ȝour comfort mai him keuere & his sorwe slake. c 1440 York Myst. xxiv. 199 Þat þus has couered vs of oure care. c 1450 Merlin xxviii. 574 The kynge delyuered hem leches to couer theire woundes. |
b. refl. To recover oneself.
| a 1300 Cursor M. 19705 (Cott.) Saulus him couerd in a stund, þe Iuus fast can he confund. c 1475 Rauf Coilȝear 924 Wald thow conuert the in hy, and couer the of sin. |
4. intr. (for refl.) To recover (from sickness, fainting, or the like); to regain health; to be restored, to be relieved.
| 1297 R. Glouc. (1724) 392 Kyng Wyllam keuerede aȝen to hele al to sone. a 1300 Cursor M. 8624 (Gött.) Þis child..miht not couer to lijf a-gayn. 1340 Hampole Pr. Consc. 811 Þan er men in dout..Wethir he sal ever cover agayn. 1382 Wyclif Heb xi. 34 Thei keuereden of syknesse. c 1435 Torr. Portugal 334 Thus he covyrd owt of care. c 1450 Myrc 858 Gef that they to lyf keuere. 1470–1570 Henry Wallace x. 26, vij thowsand..Dede on the bent, that recoueryt [ed. 1570 cowerit] neuir mar. 1768 Ross Helenore 37 (Jam.) Say, ye're in love, and but her cannot cowr. |
▪ III. cover, n.1
(ˈkʌvə(r))
Forms: 4 cuvur, 4–5 couere, 5–7 couer, 5– cover: see also cure n.2
[Mainly f. cover v.1; but it is possible that in early use the word represented F. covert, which had in nom. sing. and in pl. couers, whence an Eng. sing. cover was natural. Sense 7 represents mod. F. couvert.]
I. 1. a. That which covers: anything that is put or laid over, or that naturally overlies or overspreads an object, with the effect of hiding, sheltering, or enclosing it; often a thing designed or appropriated for the purpose.
| c 1320 Sir Beues 4611 (MS. C) Of golde he made þe ryche couere [v.r. cornere]. c 1380 Wyclif Wks. (1880) 55 Þe arke or couere of god was conquerid into enemyes hondis. 1592 Shakes. Rom. & Jul. i. iv. 60 Her Waggon Spokes made of long Spinners legs: the Couer of the wings of Grashoppers. 1593 ― Rich. II, iii. ii. 154 That small Modell of the barren Earth, Which serues as Paste, and Couer to our Bones. 1607 Topsell Serpents (1653) 754 They climbe up to the sieling, or cover of the house. 1684 Burnet Th. Earth (J.), The fountains..strengthened..by making a strong cover or arch over them. 1691 Ray Creation (J.), With your hand or any other cover you stop the vessel. 1793 Washington Let. 12 Dec. Wks. 1891 XII. 362 To the building of such houses, there would be no limitation, nor to that of thatch for the cover of them. 1793 Smeaton Edystone L. §115 Having a good deal of cover of earth, &c. upon them, they were then chiefly wrought underground. 1823 W. Buckland Reliq. Diluv. 185 The alluvial cover which rests upon the rocks of this district. |
b. Often as the second element in combinations.
| 1653 H. More Antid. Ath. iii. iii. (1662) 93 The violent flapping of a Chest-cover, no hand touching it. 1843 Mrs. Carlyle Lett. I. 264 Needlework..in the shape of chair-covers, sofa-covers. |
c. Calico-printing. A design that is printed over another design in resist-work. Also cover pattern.
| 1874 Crookes Dyeing 564 The rest is taken up with the fine cover pattern. 1884 J. Gardner Bleaching, Dyeing, etc. iii. 101 Mordants, Discharges, Reserves, Covers, &c. 1957 Encycl. Brit. XXII. 7/1 The fine patterns printed over resists are called covers and the plain grounds pads. |
d. Cricket. = cover-point 1. So the covers: cover-point and extra cover-point.
| 1836 New Sporting Mag. July 195 Next follows a little about the mode of hitting to cover. 1897 K. S. Ranjitsinhji Jubilee Bk. Cricket 48 A fine exhibition of fielding at cover. Ibid. 49 Like third-man, cover must be ever on the alert to dash in any direction. 1904 P. F. Warner Recov. Ashes vii. 111 Tyldesley, whether he was..forcing a short ball between the covers, hooking or glancing to leg, was perfect in his timing of the ball. 1950 N. Cardus Second Innings 93 With time left for the batsman to make a drive past cover. 1955 Times 5 July 4/1 Walshe played some surprising shots through the covers off the back foot. |
e. Lawn Tennis. (Cf. cover v.1 13 b.)
| 1907 P. A. Vaile Mod. Lawn Tennis 123 You must remember..that he cannot do it [sc. drive down the side line] every time with sufficient accuracy to pass in the small margin over ‘cover’ which you will allow him. |
f. In full cover version. A recording of a song, etc., which has already been recorded by someone else.
| 1966 Melody Maker 23 July 12/2 This is a cover version of the new Beach Boys single from some friends and admirers, the Castaways. 1968 Listener 7 Nov. 622/3 The jackal thinking behind cover versions, which are near copies of original recordings, is predicated on the belief that so much money is showered in the general direction of hit records that any performance of the song will collect if sufficiently adjacent. Ibid., It's a popular misconception that the original version of a song must be better than a cover. 1970 Melody Maker 19 Dec. 31 Among the biggest sellers this Christmas will be the ‘Hits’ albums—cover versions of Top 30 records. Ibid. 31/7 Lewis was an originator of these ‘covers’. |
2. spec. a. The lid of any vessel, receptacle, or aperture, whether detached or not.
| 1459 Paston Lett. I. 475 One white stondyng cuppe with a cover of silver. 1577 B. Googe Heresbach's Husb. (1586) 26 You shall but seeke to cover every pot with one cover. 1626 Bacon Sylva §99 Take the Vessel from the Fire, and take off the Cover. 1694 Sev. Late Voy. ii. (1711) 130 He hath a great many small holes on the Cover of his Gills. 1726 G. Shelvocke Voy. round World (1757) 253 The..covers of the ship's coppers, were converted into frying-pans. 1874 J. T. Micklethwaite Mod. Par. Churches 39 The font requires a cover to keep out the dust. |
† b. A defensive or protective covering for the body; a piece of armour; an article of clothing. cover of the eyes: the visor (of a helmet). Obs.
| c 1300 K. Alis. 2359 He hitte Amanas..In the cubur [? error for cuvur] of the eyghe. 1540 R. Hyrde tr. Vives' Instr. Chr. Wom. i. ix (R.), This apparell..is the couer of antichrist. 1674 tr. Scheffer's Lapland xvii. 88 Of the skin of the bird called Loom..they make not an unbecoming cover for the head. 1796 Morse Amer. Geog. II. 20 They expose themselves..without any cover upon their breasts. |
c. Of a book: (a) The binding, wrapper, or case, as a whole; (b) each of the boards or sides, as in from cover to cover; (c) the quantity of cloth required for a case.
| 1592 Shakes. Rom. & Jul. i. iii. 88 This precious Booke of Loue..onely lacks a Couer. 1628 Earle Microcosm. vii. (1811) 23 A manuscript [he] pores on everlastingly, especially if the cover be all moth eaten. 1710 Hearne Collect. (Oxf. Hist. Soc.) III. 9 Bound up in Past-Board Covers. 1875 Ure Dict. Arts I. 422 These three materials are then passed on to the case-makers: one of whom takes possession of the pile of cloth covers. 1891 Law Times XCII. 99/1 The books are beautiful specimens of scrivenery, and from cover to cover may be searched without finding a blot. |
d. The wrapper of a letter or of any postal packet. spec. in Philately, an envelope, etc., bearing a stamp, postmark, or label of particular historical or commemorative interest; esp. first day cover (see quot. 1950).
Hence, to address to (a person) under cover to (another). In a general sense including an envelope (which is a special kind of cover); but spec. used of a wrapper cut and folded differently from an envelope, as in the ‘Mulready covers’.
| 1748 Richardson Clarissa Wks. 1883 IV. 374, I acknowledge her goodness to me, with a pencil only, on the cover of a letter sealed up. 1798 Jane Austen Northang. Abb. (1833) II. xiii. 191 Direct to me at Lord Longtown's..under cover to Alice. 1804 Pitt in G. Rose's Diaries (1860) II. 75, I send this under Hammond's cover to the Postmaster. 1876 World V. 11 The task of addressing the covers to the subscribers does not devolve upon him [the Editor]. 1923 F. J. Melville Aero-Stamp Collecting ii. 14 A flown cover of each of the outstanding pioneer flights in each country is of undeniable interest. 1934 S. Phillips Beginner's Bk. Stamp Collecting xix. 214 Cover, a term applied to an envelope or wrapper. ‘On cover’ means on a complete envelope or wrapper, as opposed to ‘on piece’. 1938 D. G. Armstrong Collecting Stamps 47 First-day cover, a postage stamp or stamps used on entire upon the first day that the stamps in question were officially placed on sale. First flight cover, an envelope which has been carried by air mail on the first flight between any two given points. 1950 L. N. & M. Williams Collecting Postage Stamps xiii. 71 One fashion with little to recommend it that has become prevalent in recent years is the collection of what are known as First Day Covers, or letters bearing stamps posted on the first day of their issue and bearing an appropriate dated postmark. 1968 J. Mackay Cover Collecting iv. 35 Although a souvenir cover bearing stamps used on the first day of issue has been recorded from the United States as early as 1909 (in connection with the Hudson Fulton 2c. stamp), the First Day Cover craze did not make any headway in America until the late 1920s. |
e. In various technical uses.
| 1823 P. Nicholson Pract. Build. 583 Cover, in slating; the part of the slate that is hidden; the exposed part being called the margin. 1839 R. S. Robinson Naut. Steam Eng. 100 That part of the sliding faces projecting beyond the depth of the port, is called the cover, and is much greater on the steam side of the port than on the eduction side. 1858 Simmonds Dict. Trade, Cover, a miner's box in which ore is removed from the rock or strata. 1874 Knight Dict. Mech., Cover (machinery), the cap-head or end-plate of a cylinder. |
f. The outer covering of a pneumatic tyre.
| 1898 Science Siftings 5 Nov. 46/2 All tendency to cracking of the outer covers is obviated. 1902 A. C. Harmsworth Motors & Motor-Driving 237 Even the covers of the driving wheels were quite smooth and unimpaired. 1904 A. B. F. Young Compl. Motorist 248 Two spare tubes should always be carried and one spare cover. Ibid. 251 When the tyre has been replaced and slightly inflated, the Continental ‘cover plaster’, a kind of long band or puttie, is wound round the tyre. |
3. a. That which serves for shelter or concealment; a shelter, a hiding-place.
| 14.. Stasyons of Jerus. 400 (Horstm.) Þan ranne we ferre & nere As conys doth to þer couere. 1611 Bible Wisd. x. 17 Wisedome..was vnto them for a couer by day. 1751 Narr. of Wager 28 The Tree..not proving so good a Cover from the Rains as we wished. 1776 N. Greene in Sparks Corr. Amer. Rev. (1853) I. 298 As the state of the barracks is, they would find exceeding good cover for the men. 1827 F. Cooper Prairie I. iii. 49 They will be here afore you can find a cover. 1884 L'pool Mercury 3 Mar. 5/2 When driven from their entrenchments they clung to every bit of cover the surface of the country afforded them. |
† b. fig. Support, countenance. Obs.
| 1581 J. Bell Haddon's Answ. Osor. 24 Beggerly fragmentes of mans invention, beyng without all cover of Scriptures, yea rather contrary to the same. |
c. † in cover: in concealment (obs.). under cover: under a screening or sheltering eminence, roof, etc. under (the) cover of: under the protection or shelter of.
| c 1400 Destr. Troy 10513 Kepis you in couer, cleane out of sight! 1573 in Picton L'pool Munic. Rec. (1883) I. 110 Sydenham..was in cover all the while. 1647 Clarendon Hist. Reb. viii. (1843) 508/2 [They] being compelled to lodge in the field, which grew now to be very cold, whilst his army was under cover. 1726 G. Shelvocke Voy. round World (1757) 219 Whilst others got up water-buts, and slept in them under the cover of a tree. 1794 Mrs. Radcliffe Myst. Udolpho xxxi, We can glide under cover of the woods with less hazard of being seen. 1838–43 Arnold Hist. Rome III. xliii. 143 These feed..under cover of the darkness. 1885 Grant Mem. xx. I. 274 The troops..lay crouched under cover of the river bank. |
d. fig. Something that hides, conceals, or screens; a cloak, screen, disguise, pretence. Phr. under (the) cover of.
| 1599 Shakes. Much Ado iv. i. 117 Death is the fairest couer for her shame. 1643 J. Burroughes Exp. Hosea vii. (1652) 277, I will take their covers from their..eyes..Wicked men have divers covers for their lewdnesse. 1751 Jortin Serm. (1771) VI. iv. 70 Presumption which loves to conceal itself under the cover of humility. 1762 Hume Hist. Eng. (1806) IV. lxi. 564 Precautions, which were probably nothing but covers to his ambition. 1875 Jowett Plato (ed. 2) II. 272 Under the cover of rhetoric much higher themes are introduced. |
e. Concealment, disguise; underhand or deceitful conduct. rare.
| 1796 Burke Regic. Peace i. Wks. VIII. 198 We ourselves with a little cover, others more directly, pay a tribute to the republick of Algiers. 1848 C. Brontë J. Eyre (1857) 7, I never saw a girl of her age with so much cover. |
f. Thieves' slang. A confederate who screens the operations of a thief or pickpocket.
| 1812 J. H. Vaux Flash Dict. s.v. Cover, Any body whose dress or stature renders him particularly eligible for this purpose [covering a thief] is said to be a good cover. 1863 B. Jerrold Signals of Distress 106 The ranks of..the passers of base coin, shofulmen, ‘wires’, and ‘covers’ will be sensibly strengthened. |
g. Protection from attack; esp. that afforded by the presence or fire of a supporting force; also, a force providing such protection. Freq. with defining word, as air cover (air n.1 B. III. 2), fighter cover. Cf. cover v.1 8 d.
| 1802 C. James Mil. Dict., Cover, a term in war to express security or protection: thus, to land under cover of the guns, is to advance offensively against an enemy who dares not approach on account of the fire from ships, boats or batteries. 1950 Truman in N.Y. Times 28 June 1/6, I have ordered United States air and sea forces to give the Korean Government troops cover and support. 1964 T. White tr. P. Leulliette's St. Michael 210 Rapidly, under the cover of armoured cars, we crossed the whole devastated and deserted town. |
4. a. Hunting. Woods, undergrowth, and bushes, that serve to shelter or conceal wild animals and game; = covert 3. Also in comb., as fox-cover.
| 1719 De Foe Crusoe i. xi, Never frighted Hare fled to Cover..with more terror of mind than I to this retreat. 1781 P. Beckford Hunting (1802) 264 You hunt a cover that is full of foxes. 1796 A. Duncan Mariner's Chron. (1805) III. 275 The rhinoceros..broke cover at last and appeared on the plain. a 1839 Praed Poems (1864) II. 55 She wields the gun, or beats the cover. 1887 Sir R. H. Roberts In the Shires ii. 22 The fox trots out..but, not liking the aspect of affairs, turns back to the cover. |
b. The vegetation covering the surface of the ground; spec. in Ecology, the area covered by the individuals of one species, often expressed as a percentage of the area being studied.
| 1909 Cent. Dict. Suppl. s.v., Forest cover, in forestry, all trees and other plants in a forest. 1932 Fuller & Conard tr. Braun-Blanquet's Plant Sociol. iii. 31 The degree of dominance..is expressed..by the cover, that is, the area covered by the individuals of one species. 1937 Discovery May 140/1 This denudation of forest cover is due to human interference. 1959 J. D. Clark Prehist. S. Afr. ii. 42 A discontinuous grass cover such as we find in so much of Africa. 1961 Hanson & Churchill Plant Community iii. 102 Cover, or specifically herbage cover, signifies primarily the area of ground occupied by the leaves, stems, and inflorescences. |
5. a. Comm. Funds adequate to cover or meet a liability or secure against contingent loss.
| 1883 Manch. Guardian 17 Oct. 5/1 Warden supplying the necessary cover when losses were reported, in order to avert failure. 1884 Law Rep. 13 Q. Bench Div. 104 Gledhill deposited the certificate with..his stockbroker, by way of cover of security for all..advances in the course of business. Mod. The Shanghai branch remits bills of exchange as cover for its own drafts on London. Having reason to expect a rise in Mexicans he bought {pstlg}1,000 stock, and deposited {pstlg}10 as {pstlg}1 per cent. cover; contrary to expectation the stock declined, and he lost his {pstlg}10 cover. |
b. Adequate insurance against loss, damage, etc.; = coverage sense a.
| 1913 G. B. Shaw Let. 15 July (1952) 133 Is that car insured? If not..say you want ‘cover’ at once. 1955 Times 10 May 18/4 The striving to meet a demand for extended insurance cover is not new. |
6. See cover v.1 6.
| 1842 H. Stephens Bk. of Farm (1851) II. 155 Retaining the horse all night, and offering her a fresh cover in the morning. |
II. [After F. couvert, (1) ‘the covering or furniture of a Table for the meale of a prince’ (Cotgr.), the cloth, plates, knives, forks, etc. with which a table is covered or laid; (2) the portion of these appropriated to each guest.]
7. The utensils laid for each person's use at table; the plate, napkin, knife, fork, spoon, etc.
| a 1612 Harington Nugæ Ant. (1779) II. 213, I muste go before the breakfastinge covers are placede. 1705 Lond. Gaz. No. 4116/1, 4 large Tables, with 50 Covers each. 1848 Thackeray Van. Fair vi, Covers were laid for four. 1870 Lowell Study Wind. 99 We get a card of invitation to a dinner of sixty covers at John Hamock's. |
III. 8. Combinations: attrib. and appositional, as (sense 2 c) cover-design; (sense 3 d) cover-name, cover-organization; (sense 5) cover-money; cover-boat (see quot.); cover charge, a charge for service added to the basic charge in a restaurant (cf. sense 7); cover-clay, a bed of clay covering the strata of a quarry, mine, etc.; cover crop, a crop (often leguminous) sown to protect the soil or to enrich it by being ploughed under; cover-day, a day on which the covers are shot over for game; cover-drive Cricket, a drive (drive n. 1 d) past cover-point; hence cover-drive v.; cover-feather = covert 5; cover-girl orig. U.S., a young woman whose picture appears on the front cover of a magazine; also attrib.; formerly (U.S.) magazine-cover girl; cover-glass, a glass used as a cover, spec. a slip of glass used to cover a microscopical preparation; cover-hack, a horse ridden in a cover (for game); cover-hole, a hole provided with a lid or cover; cover note (see quot. 1919); also, a note which declares the holder to have a current insurance policy; cover-pan, a pan having a cover; cover paper, strong paper suitable for the covers of pamphlets, booklets, etc.; cover-plate, a plate serving as a cover; the removable plate of a lock, a cap-plate or cap; cover-shooting, shooting (of game) in a cover; cover-side, the side of a fox-cover, where the hunters congregate; cover story, (a) an account of one's actions fabricated to support an assumed identity; (b) orig. U.S., in a magazine: a news story that is illustrated or advertised on the front cover; cover-way, ‘the recess or internal angle left in a piece of masonry or brickwork to receive the roofing’ (Gwilt).
| 1884 Pall Mall Budget 22 Aug. 9/1 (Queensland Labour-traffic) The second boat..called the ‘*cover’ boat, keeps a short distance outside the surf, in order to cover the retreat of the trading boat. |
| 1921 Nation (N.Y.) 21 Sept. 320/2 As levied here, the *cover charge is a compulsory blanket assessment for nothing in particular; it commonly includes bread and butter. 1933 J. B. Priestley Wonder Hero iv. 147 They..add another ten bob to the cover charge. 1961 P. Ustinov Loser xiii. 291 There's no extra cover charge here. Drinks cost the same at a table. |
| 1789 J. Williams Mineral Kingd. (1810) 146 In some places this species of compounded *cover-clay contains specimens of all the strata found in the neighbourhood. |
| 1909 Cent. Dict. Suppl. s.v. Crop, *Cover crop. 1926 Contemp. Rev. Dec. 765 The humble covercrops of purple vetch and millelotus clover. 1943 J. S. Huxley TVA vi. 28 The prevention of erosion on arable land by new methods such as contour ploughing, or new cover-crop plants. |
| 1902 Daily Chron. 22 Aug. 9/6 Only outlying birds are shot before the big ‘*cover days’ of November, December, and January. |
| 1910 J. London Let. 9 Feb. (1966) 299, I never know what the *cover-design of any of my books is going to be until I get advance-copy of the market edition. 1925 D. H. Lawrence Let. 25 Apr. (1962) II. 838, I am sending you a copy of Birds, Beasts and Flowers today... We made the cover-design between us. 1938 R. G. Collingwood Princ. Art v. 84 The magazine and newspaper, where cover-designs, news-items, fiction, and advertisement are steeped in materials of the same kind. |
| 1898 K. S. Ranjitsinhji With Stoddart's Team (ed. 4) iv. 71 Donnan made some excellent ‘*cover’ drives and cuts. 1955 Times 11 July 4/2 Occasionally he produced an exquisitely timed force off his legs or cover drive. 1960 J. Fingleton 4 Chukkas to Australia 135 He cover-drove Lindwall. |
| 1769 J. Wallis Nat. Hist. Northumb. I. ix. 336 The plumage..is white, except the quill and the *cover feathers of the wings. |
| 1915 Harper's Wkly. 25 Sept. 303 (caption) Unveiling the statue of Charles Dana Gibson at the annual picnic of the magazine *cover girls at Lakewood. 1944 Times 12 June 8/2 Cover Girl..is one of those smooth, beautifully coloured ‘musicals’ which Hollywood can manage with such a sure..touch. 1948 C. Isherwood in Penguin New Writing XXXIV. 132 On the walls a coloured print of the Virgin and a cover-girl from a U.S. magazine. 1957 W. Camp Prosp. Love 150 Here was a girl who was just as pretty as Lucinda, though not in the same pert, really rather ordinary, literally ‘cover girl’ sort of way. |
| 1881 Darwin in Life & Lett. (1887) III. 347 If slices of root under a *cover-glass are irrigated. 1883 Med. News IV. 163 Place a drop of Canada-balsam on the cover-glass and mount carefully. |
| 1841 J. T. J. Hewlett Parish Clerk I. 228 Six hunters and two *cover-hacks. |
| 1669 Phil. Trans. IV. 1066 Houses..open up to the thatch with a *Cover-hole or two to vent the steam of the panns. |
| 1909 Daily Chron. 14 Oct. 7/4 The *cover money required is temptingly small. |
| 1948 Ann. Reg. 1947 350 A new party which called itself ‘National Liberation’ (a ‘*cover-name’ for the Communist Party). 1950 Koestler God that Failed 41, I pressed Edgar to let me join a cell where nobody knew me except under my cover-name. |
| 1919 W. Thomson Dict. Banking (ed. 2) 178/2 *Cover note, a note issued by an insurance company when the first premium has been paid declaring (e.g., in a proposal for insurance against fire) that the proposer is ‘covered’ in the meantime until the policy is issued. 1966 B. Kimenye Kalasanda Revisited 105 The insurance expired four days ago, and since I was away there isn't even a cover note. |
| 1944 M. Laski Love on Supertax xii. 118 The Black Market which I run..is no more than a *cover-organisation for something infinitely more important. |
| 1866 J. Blackwood Let. 21 Dec. in Geo. Eliot's Lett. (1956) IV. 323 *Coverpaper Binding and Sewing the Parts. 1914 E. A. Dawe Paper xvii. 119 Cover Papers.— The term is applied to a large class of fancy papers, made in many shades, substances and sizes, suitable for the covers of pamphlets, booklets, [etc.]. |
| 1703 Moxon Mech. Exerc. 27 Place the *Cover-plate..so as the Centre of the Cover-plate, may stand directly over and against the Centre of the Main-plate. 1833 J. Holland Manuf. Metal II. 194 The cover-plate..which will just cover the opening of the box. |
| 1864 Reader No. 88. 294/3 Better exercise than *cover-shooting. 1881 J. Grant Cameronians I. i. 2 I'll have..Cecil Falconer over here, for a few days' cover-shooting. |
| 1810 Sporting Mag. XXXVI. 269 To ride to the *cover side and see the fox found. 1882 Gentleman's Ann. 103 More highly esteemed at the cover⁓side, on the cricket-field and the river. |
| 1945 G. Millar Maquis i. 11 Have you got your false papers and your *cover story? 1948 Time 19 July 6/1 My gratitude and appreciation to the man who wrote the cover story on Hamlet. 1950 L. A. G. Strong Which I Never vii. 195, I have my cover story, a thin one, but it'll do—just. 1954 Koestler Invis. Writing xxix. 315 We then worked out a cover story on the following lines. 1968 Globe & Mail (Toronto) 3 Feb. 35/1 Some editor has decided Time had better invent hockey, which is why the cover story on Hull. 1983 Listener 1 Sept. 2/1 Michael Tracey's cover story, from the Channel 4 programme Opinions, asks what will become of public broadcasting if cable television expands and succeeds. |
| 1823 P. Nicholson Pract. Build. Gloss. 583 *Cover-way in roofing. |
▸ cover band n. Music a band (usually a pop group) whose repertoire consists of cover versions rather than original material.
| 1981 Sounds 10 Jan. 22/1 But the basic hardware still sounds very different from their own (especially, poor Dave, the synthesisers) lending them the air of a Top of The Pops Stranglers *cover band. 2000F. Minganti in H. Fehrenbach & U. G. Poiger Transactions, Transgressions, Transformations vii. 153 Hundreds of cover bands were born who spread the new sounds across the Italian peninsula. |
▸ coverline n. a headline on the front cover of a magazine advertising a story or feature inside.
| 1941 N.Y. Times 5 Oct. ix. 4/1 He initiated the incendiary *cover line or magazine headline. 1996 Sunday Tel. 4 Feb. 29/1 Today the coverlines of glossy women's magazines share a certain monotony (‘You can survive a sex famine’, ‘One woman, two lovers’, ‘My night with a male hooker’). |
▸ covers band n. Music = cover band n. at Additions.
| [1990 Chicago Tribune (Nexis) 30 Mar. (Friday section) p. q, The band started as an all-covers band but now performs 14 of its own songs.] 1991 Q Sept. 39 Nor did his first efforts at forming a NWOBHM [= New Wave of British Heavy Metal] *covers band strike a chord with the ‘American boneheads’ who answered his Musicians Wanted ads. 1999 Daily News (Taranaki, N.Z.) (Electronic ed.) 30 Sept. Twenty years ago the covers bands held sway, with punters flocking to the pubs to hear their favourite local bands doing versions of the chart hits of the day. |
▪ IV. ‖ cover, n.2 Wales.
(ˈkʌvə(r))
[Anglicized spelling of Welsh cyfair.]
The ordinary measure of land in South Wales, being 2/3 of an imperial acre.
| 1709 Lond. Gaz. No. 4516/4 The Estate..containing 551 Acres, Statute Measure, being 828 Welch Covers. |
▪ V. cover, n.3 Cornwall.
(ˈkəʊvə(r))
[f. cove n.1 + -er1.]
One who lives in a cove.
| 1905 Westm. Gaz. 13 Apr. 8/3 This action has been deeply resented by the ‘Covers’, who a short time since removed these obstructions. 1913 Quiller-Couch News fr. Duchy 183 The ‘Covers’, or native fishermen. |