Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
The Collaborative International Dictionary
drop cloth \drop" cloth`\ n. a sheet of material used to cover objects or surfaces while painting a ceiling or wall of a house, so as to protect objects from being marred by drops of paint splashed inadvertantly in the painting process. Originally such drop cloths were made of cloth, but more recently paper or plastic have also commonly been used.
Wiktionary
n. An impermeable sheet of material meant to catch paint or other hard-to-clean substances.
WordNet
n. a curtain that can be lowered and raised onto a stage from the flies; often used as background scenery [syn: drop curtain, drop]
a large piece of cloth laid over the floor or furniture while a room is being painted
Usage examples of "drop cloth".
A plasterer's drop cloth covered half the floor, and a tall spidery ladder reached to the unfinished patchwork on the ceiling.
No, wait, here was something really useful, almost within reach: a drop cloth.
Rinaldo Pazzi was bound upright with the drop cloth canvas and rope, stiff as a grandfather clock, strapped to the tall hand truck the workers had used to move the podium.
Cass spoke fiercely as he yanked a fresh plastic drop cloth from under the front seat, unfolded it, and spread it to cover every possible inch of space in the back.
Here was the seismometer, like a paint can on top of a silver drop cloth.
He wiped his booted feet carefully on the drop cloth Patsy had dug out to placate Neal, and then handed his outer garments to Stephanie, as if she were a maid.