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Blackout (see Black Out TV)

Meaning: during the Second World War bombers from Germany were coming to England.  To make it hard for the bombers to find their targets, the government would order a blackout.  That meant that no lights (including street lights and car headlights) were allowed to be showing.  Everyone had to cover their windows with special blackout curtains.  Volunteers would check that everybody followed the rules.  Sometimes governments, even today will order a news blackout.  That means that no news about an event is to be released.  This is rare in democratic countries, but does occur in other countries where the press is not free to publish whatever they want to. 
How to use in a sentence: When bombers were expected over England, the government would order a blackout. 

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