Blanket

[Fr. blanchet, the blanket of a printing pre . ( Com. ) A soft, loosely-woven woollen stuff, principally used for bed-coverings and wrappers; also, as a covering for horses, . (Printing.) A woollen cloth or fine baize, which is laid between the tympans of a pre . (Hort.) A delicious variety of pear. It is sometimes written blanquet, and in French, blanquette. (Hist.) To to in a blanket, [which happened to the unfortunate esquire of Don Quixote , as every one knows,] is a very ancient custom, and was applied by way of punishment. The Emperor Otho used to go forth upon dark nights, and if he found a drunken man, he would order the discipline of the blanket to be administered.Formerly, B. were used in theatres instead of curtains. (See Macbeth i. 5.) Blanco, CAPE, a celebrated cape on the W. coast of Africa; Lat. 20° 46′ 26" N., Lon. 17° 4′ 10′′ W. cape, which was discovered by the Portuguese in 1441, forms the extremity of a rocky ridge, called the Geb -el- reid, or White Mountain, projecting into the sea in a S. direction. Inside the cape is a spacious bay, which has -v. a. To cover with a blanket. on its S.E. side the bank and town of Arguin.