It is a cover plate with just the hot, neutral and ground cut in it instead of the oval holes that exposes the outlet itself. That way if you are painting a room, remodeling or rehabbing a home and have old dingy and dirty outlets that stand out, you don't have to change them. Just replace the cover and you're done. I wrote an article a while back.....http://ezinearticles.com/?Rehabbing-a-Home-That-Has-Aluminum-Wiring----How-to-Cover-Your-Costs-and-Reduce-Liability&id=2095828 on the high costs of replacing outlets on houses with (13 comments)