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under cover
under cover
1. Protected by a shelter, as in It began to pour but fortunately we were under cover. [c. 1400]
2. under cover of. Also, under the cover of. Hidden or protected by, as in They sneaked out under cover of darkness, or, as it was put in a sermon in 1751: "Presumption which loves to conceal itself under the cover of humility" (John Jortin, Sermons on Different Subjects).
under cover
1. In an enclosure for mailing.
2. Being hidden or protected, as by darkness.