Question

Select the meaning of the given phrase/ idiom.
A wet blanket
A) A blanket which is wet
B) A discouraging person
C) A black sheep
D) A heavy blanket

Answer 1

Hint: In the given question, we need to find out the correct meaning of the Idiom. Firstly, understand the meaning of the idiom- It is an expression different from its language and has non literal, metaphorical and imaginative meaning as compared to the meaning of the individual words used in the phrase.

Complete answer:
The idiom “A wet blanket” is used to describe the behaviour of a person who refuses to attend an enjoyable activity and stops others from having fun by disapproving the plans.
For Example- I would like to go on the trip but due to my fever I am afraid I would be a wet blanket. Here, she is disapproving of the plan of a trip and spoiling the fun of others also.

Let’s analyse the options to find the correct meaning-
Option(A) A blanket which is wet- It is an incorrect answer: A blanket is one of the bed clothes and the phrase is saying that it is wet or moist right now. But it has nothing to do with the behaviour of a person. Hence, it is an inappropriate choice.

Option(B) A discouraging person- It is the correct answer: A discouraging person can be defined as one who refuses to join some enjoyable plan with someone and also discourages others for the same. In other words, who is sad-sack, bore, spoil sport etc. It has a similar meaning with the given idiom. Therefore, it is suitable.

Option(C) A black sheep- It is an incorrect answer: A black sheep is an idiom which is used to describe a member of a team/ family who is useless or less worthy as compared to the others. The meaning of the given idiom is completely different. Hence, it is unsuitable.

Option(D) A heavy blanket- It is an incorrect answer: It conveys that a blanket which is a piece of bed cloth has a large amount of weight. In simple words, massive in nature. The meaning of heavy blanket has no relations with human behaviour. Therefore, it is incorrect.

Thus the correct answer is option ‘B’ i.e, “A wet blanket” means a discouraging person.

Note: A small trick for the students to solve these types of questions is that in the case of Idioms, you cannot predict the true meanings because the definitions are totally different from the meaning of the individual words. So, start reading a few idioms daily and try to remember them and use them in your daily routine to enrich your vocabulary as well as to solve the questions accurately.