Definition of damp down

The phrase "damp down" originated in the context of controlling fires. In the early days of firefighting, prior to the use of modern fire engines, buckets of water were filled by hand and carried to the site of a fire. The firefighters would then "damp down" the area around the fire by sprinkling water over it to prevent any nearby combustibles from igniting and spreading the fire further. The term "damp down" comes from the fact that the water made the material around the fire wet, or "damp." By damping down the area, the firefighters could create a barrier of water-soaked fuel that would help prevent the fire from spreading. The term has since been used more broadly to refer to any action taken to reduce the intensity or spread of something, such as damping down a flame on a campfire or dampening noise levels in a busy workplace. In summary, the phrase "damp down" has its origins in firefighting and has been adopted more generally to refer to any action that helps to quell or contain something that might cause harm or damage.