English Dictionary: under cover | by the DICT Development Group |
1 result for under cover | |
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]: | |
Cover \Cov"er\ (k?v"?r), n. 1. Anything which is laid, set, or spread, upon, about, or over, another thing; an envelope; a lid; as, the cover of a book. 2. Anything which veils or conceals; a screen; disguise; a cloak. [bd]Under cover of the night.[b8] -- Macaulay. A handsome cover for imperfections. --Collier. 3. Shelter; protection; as, the troops fought under cover of the batteries; the woods afforded a good cover. Being compelled to lodge in the field . . . whilst his army was under cover, they might be forced to retire. --Clarendon. 4. (Hunting) The woods, underbrush, etc., which shelter and conceal game; covert; as, to beat a cover; to ride to cover. 5. That portion of a slate, tile, or shingle, which is hidden by the overlap of the course above. --Knight. 6. (Steam Engine) The lap of a slide valve. 7. [Cf. F. couvert.] A tablecloth, and the other table furniture; esp., the table furniture for the use of one person at a meal; as, covers were laid for fifty guests. {To break cover}, to start from a covert or lair; -- said of game. {Under cover}, in an envelope, or within a letter; -- said of a written message. Letters . . . dispatched under cover to her ladyship. --Thackeray. |