Literary notes about covert (AI summary)
In literature, the word covert carries multiple layers of meaning, ranging from the literal sense of shelter or a natural covering to the more abstract notion of hidden intent and secret communication. Authors have used it to evoke the image of a protective canopy—such as the biblical "covert of thy wings" that suggests divine shelter ([1], [2], [3])—while it simultaneously serves as a metaphor for clandestine operations or surreptitious behavior in contexts of political intrigue or personal interactions ([4], [5], [6]). Poets and novelists alike harness the term to depict quiet, furtive glances or subtle judgments imbued with secret meaning ([7], [8], [9]), and even legal and societal structures are reflected in its use when discussing the subjugation of women ([10], [11]). Thus, whether referring to the physical cover of a forest or the hidden nature of human motives, covert remains a flexible and evocative term that enriches the texture of literary language.
- In thy tabernacle I shall dwell for ever: I shall be protected under the covert of thy wings.
— from The Bible, Douay-Rheims, Complete - And he made darkness his covert, his pavilion round about him: dark waters in the clouds of the air.
— from The Bible, Douay-Rheims, Complete - And there shall be a tabernacle for a shade in the daytime from the heat, and for a security and covert from the whirlwind, and from rain.
— from The Bible, Douay-Rheims, Complete - In some cases, the belligerent powers used the identical radio transmission facilities for overt and covert propaganda.
— from Psychological Warfare by Paul Myron Anthony Linebarger - Another proposal was to appoint Rizal district health officer for Dapitan, but this was merely a covert government bribe.
— from Lineage, Life and Labors of José Rizal, Philippine Patriot by Austin Craig - It even throws up a bunch of "chaff" communications that are supposed to disguise the fact that you're doing anything covert.
— from Little Brother by Cory Doctorow - As we sat at the table, Otto Fuchs and I kept stealing covert glances at each other.
— from My Ántonia by Willa Cather - I cast a covert glance at Uncle Tom's photograph behind his back.
— from Right Ho, Jeeves by P. G. Wodehouse - As it was, he took her words for a covert judgment, and was certain that she thought his sketch detestable.
— from Middlemarch by George Eliot - The wife is regarded by all legal authorities as a " feme-covert ," placed wholly sub potestate viri .
— from History of Woman Suffrage, Volume I - When a woman marries, we call her condition coverture, and speak of her as a femme covert .
— from History of Woman Suffrage, Volume I