Chapter XX: Part 20

2. (Com.) A wastebook, in which entries of transactions are made as they take place. BlotÏtesque¶ (?), a. (Painting) Characterized by blots or heavy touches; coarsely depicted; wanting in delineation. Ruskin. Blot¶ting pa·per (?). A kind of thick, bibulous, unsized paper, used to absorb superfluous ink from freshly written manuscript, and thus prevent blots. Blouse (?), n. [F. blouse. Of unknown origin.] A light, loose overÏgarment, like a smock frock, worn especially by workingmen in France; also, a loose coat of any material, as the undress uniform coat of the United States army. Blow (?), v. i. [imp. Blew (?); p. p. Blown (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Blowing.] [OE. blowen, AS. bl?wan to blossom; akin to OS. bl?jan, D. bloeijen, OHG. pluojan, MHG. bl?ejen, G. blhen, L. florere to flourish, OIr. blath blossom. Cf. Blow to puff, Flourish.] To flower; to blossom; to bloom. How blows the citron grove. Milton. Blow, v. t. To cause to blossom; to put forth (blossoms or flowers). The odorous banks, that blow Flowers of more mingled hue. Milton. Blow, n. (Bot.) A blossom; a flower; also, a state of blossoming; a mass of blossoms. ½Such a blow of tulips.¸ Tatler. Blow, n. [OE. blaw, blowe; cf. OHG. bliuwan, pliuwan, to beat, G. bl„uen, Goth. bliggwan.] 1. A forcible stroke with the hand, fist, or some instrument, as a rod, a club, an ax, or a sword. Well struck ! there was blow for blow. Shak. 2. A sudden or forcible act or effort; an assault. A vigorous blow might win [Hanno's camp]. T. Arnold. 3. The infliction of evil; a sudden calamity; something which produces mental, physical, or financial suffering or loss (esp. when sudden); a buffet. A most poor man, made tame to fortune's blows. Shak. At a blow, suddenly; at one effort; by a single vigorous act. ½They lose a province at a blow.¸ Dryden. Ð To come to blows, to engage in combat; to fight; Ð said of individuals, armies, and nations. Syn. Ð Stroke; knock; shock; misfortune. Blow, v. i. [imp. Blew (?); p. p. Blown (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Blowing.] [OE. blawen, blowen, AS. bl?wan to blow, as wind; akin to OHG. pl?jan, G. bl„hen, to blow up, swell, L. flare to blow, Gr. ? to spout out, and to E. bladder, blast, inflate, etc., and perh. blow to bloom.] 1. To produce a current of air; to move, as air, esp. to move rapidly or with power; as, the wind blows. Hark how it rains and blows ! Walton. 2. To send forth a forcible current of air, as from the mouth or from a pair of bellows. 3. To breathe hard or quick; to pant; to puff. Here is Mistress Page at the door, sweating and blowing. Shak. 4. To sound on being blown into, as a trumpet. There let the pealing organ blow. Milton. 5. To spout water, etc., from the blowholes, as a whale. 6. To be carried or moved by the wind; as, the dust blows in from the street. The grass blows from their graves to thy own. M. Arnold. 7. To talk loudly; to boast; to storm. [Colloq.] You blow behind my back, but dare not say anything to my face. Bartlett. To blow hot and cold (a saying derived from a fable of ?sop's), to favor a thing at one time and treat it coldly at another; or to appear both to favor and to oppose. Ð To blow off, to let steam escape through a passage provided for the purpose; as, the engine or steamer is blowing off. Ð To blow out. (a) To be driven out by the expansive force of a gas or vapor; as, a steam cock or valve sometimes blows out. (b) To talk violently or abusively. [Low] Ð To blow over, to pass away without effect; to cease, or be dissipated; as, the storm and the clouds have blown over. Ð To blow up, to be torn to pieces and thrown into the air as by an explosion of powder or gas or the expansive force of steam; to burst; to explode; as, a powder mill or steam boiler blows up. ½The enemy's magazines blew up.¸ Tatler. Blow, v. t. 1. To force a current of air upon with the mouth, or by other means; as, to blow the fire. 2. To drive by a current air; to impel; as, the tempest blew the ship ashore. Off at sea northeast winds blow Sabean odors from the spicy shore. Milton. 3. To cause air to pass through by the action of the mouth, or otherwise; to cause to sound, as a wind instrument; as, to blow a trumpet; to blow an organ. Hath she no husband That will take pains to blow a horn before her? Shak. Boy, blow the pipe until the bubble rise, Then cast it off to float upon the skies. Parnell. 4. To clear of contents by forcing air through; as, to blow an egg; to blow one's nose. 5. To burst, shatter, or destroy by an explosion; Ð usually with up, down, open, or similar adverb; as, to blow up a building. 6. To spread by report; to publish; to disclose. Through the court his courtesy was blown. Dryden. His language does his knowledge blow. Whiting. 7. To form by inflation; to swell by injecting air; as, to blow bubbles; to blow glass. 8. To inflate, as with pride; to puff up. Look how imagination blows him. Shak. 9. To put out of breath; to cause to blow from fatigue; as, to blow a horse. Sir W. Scott. 10. To deposit eggs or larv‘ upon, or in (meat, etc.). To suffer The flesh fly blow my mouth. Shak. To blow great guns, to blow furiously and with roaring blasts; Ð said of the wind at sea or along the coast. Ð To blow off, to empty (a boiler) of water through the blowÏoff pipe, while under steam pressure; also, to eject (steam, water, sediment, etc.) from a boiler. Ð To blow one's own trumpet, to vaunt one's own exploits, or sound one's own praises. Ð To blow out, to extinguish by a current of air, as a candle. Ð To blow up. (a) To fill with air; to swell; as, to blow up a bladder or bubble. (b) To inflate, as with pride, selfÏconceit, etc.; to puff up; as, to blow one up with flattery. ½Blown up with high conceits engendering pride.¸ Milton. (c) To excite; as, to blow up a contention.(d) To burst, to raise into the air, or to scatter, by an explosion; as, to blow up a fort. (e) To scold violently; as, to blow up a person for some offense. [Colloq.] I have blown him up well Ð nobody can say I wink at what he does. G. Eliot. Ð To blow upon. (a) To blast; to taint; to bring into discredit; to render stale, unsavory, or worthless. (b) To inform against. [Colloq.] How far the very custom of hearing anything spouted withers and blows upon a fine passage, may be seen in those speeches from [Shakespeare's] Henry V. which are current in the mouths of schoolboys. C. Lamb. A lady's maid whose character had been blown upon. Macaulay. Blow (?), n. 1. A blowing, esp., a violent blowing of the wind; a gale; as, a heavy blow came on, and the ship put back to port. 2. The act of forcing air from the mouth, or through or from some instrument; as, to give a hard blow on a whistle or horn; to give the fire a blow with the bellows. 3. The spouting of a whale. 4. (Metal.) A single heat or operation of the Bessemer converter. Raymond. 5. An egg, or a larva, deposited by a fly on or in flesh, or the act of depositing it. Chapman. Blow¶ball· (?), n. The downy seed head of a dandelion, which children delight to blow away. B. Jonson. Blow¶en (?), Blow¶ess (?), } n. A prostitute; a courtesan; a strumpet. [Low] Smart. Blow¶er (?), n. 1. One who, or that which, blows. 2. (Mech.) A device for producing a current of air; as: (a) A metal plate temporarily placed before the upper part of a grate or open fire. (b) A machine for producing an artificial blast or current of air by pressure, as for increasing the draft of a furnace, ventilating a building or shaft, cleansing gram, etc. 3. A blowing out or excessive discharge of gas from a hole or fissure in a mine. 4. The whale; Ð so called by seamen, from the circumstance of its spouting up a column of water. 5. (Zo”l.) A small fish of the Atlantic coast (Tetrodon turgidus); the puffer. 6. A braggart, or loud talker. [Slang] Bartlett. Blow¶fly· (?), n. (Zo”l.) Any species of fly of the genus Musca that deposits its eggs or young larv‘ (called flyblows and maggots) upon meat or other animal products. Blow¶gun· (?), n. A tube, as of cane or reed, sometimes twelve feet long, through which an arrow or other projectile may be impelled by the force of the breath. It is a weapon much used by certain Indians of America and the West Indies; Ð called also blowpipe, and blowtube. See Sumpitan. Blow¶hole· (?), n. 1. A cavern in a cliff, at the water level, opening to the air at its farther extremity, so that the waters rush in with each surge and rise in a lofty jet from the extremity. 2. A nostril or spiracle in the top of the head of a whale or other cetacean. µ There are two spiracles or blowholes in the common whales, but only one in sperm whales, porpoises, etc. 3. A hole in the ice to which whales, seals, etc., come to breathe. 4. (Founding) An air hole in a casting. Blown (?), p. p. & a. 1. Swollen; inflated; distended; puffed up, as cattle when gorged with green food which develops gas. 2. Stale; worthless. 3. Out of breath; tired; exhausted. ½Their horses much blown.¸ Sir W. Scott. 4. Covered with the eggs and larv‘ of flies; fly blown. Blown, p. p. & a. Opened; in blossom or having blossomed, as a flower. Shak. Blow¶Ðoff· (?), n. 1. A blowing off steam, water, etc. Ð Also, adj.; as, a blowÐoff cock or pipe. 2. An outburst of temper or excitement. [Colloq.] Blow¶Ðout· (?), n. The cleaning of the flues of a boiler from scale, etc., by a blast of steam. Blow¶pipe· (?), n. 1. A tube for directing a jet of air into a fire or into the flame of a lamp or candle, so as to concentrate the heat on some object. µ It is called a mouth blowpipe when used with the mouth; but for both chemical and industrial purposes, it is often worked by a bellows or other contrivance. The common mouth blowpipe is a tapering tube with a very small orifice at the end to be inserted in the flame. The oxyhydrogen blowpipe, invented by Dr. Hare in 1801, is an instrument in which oxygen and hydrogen, taken from separate reservoirs, in the proportions of two volumes of hydrogen to one of oxygen, are burned in a jet, under pressure. It gives a heat that will consume the diamond, fuse platinum, and dissipate in vapor, or in gaseous forms, most known substances. 2. A blowgun; a blowtube. Blowpipe analysis (Chem.), analysis by means of the blowpipe. Ð Blowpipe reaction (Chem.), the characteristic behavior of a substance subjected to a test by means of the blowpipe. Blow¶point· (?), n. A child's game. [Obs.] Blowse , n. See Blowze. Blowth (?), n. [From Blow to blossom: cf. Growth.] A blossoming; a bloom. [Obs. or Archaic] ½In the blowth and bud.¸ Sir W. Raleigh. Blow¶tube· (?), n. 1. A blowgun. Tylor. 2. A similar instrument, commonly of tin, used by boys for discharging paper wads and other light missiles. 3. (Glassmaking) A long wrought iron tube, on the end of which the workman gathers a quantity of ½metal¸ (melted glass), and through which he blows to expand or shape it; Ð called also blowing tube, and blowpipe. Blow¶ valve· (?). (Mach.) See Snifting valve. Blow¶y (?), a. Windy; as, blowy weather; a blowy upland. Blowze (?), n. [Prob. from the same root as blush.] A ruddy, fatÏfaced woman; a wench. [Obs.] Shak. Blowzed (?), a. Having high color from exposure to the weather; ruddyÏfaced; blowzy; disordered. Huge women blowzed with health and wind. Tennyson. Blowz¶y (?), a. Coarse and ruddyÏfaced; fat and ruddy; high colored; frowzy. Blub (?), v. t. & i. [Cf. Bleb, Blob.] To swell; to puff out, as with weeping. [Obs.] Blub¶ber (?), n. [See Blobber, Blob, Bleb.] 1. A bubble. At his mouth a blubber stood of foam. Henryson. 2. The fat of whales and other large sea animals from which oil is obtained. It lies immediately under the skin and over the muscular flesh. 3. (Zo”l.) A large sea nettle or medusa. Blub¶ber, v. i. [imp. & p.p. Blubbered (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Blubbering.] To weep noisily, or so as to disfigure the face; to cry in a childish manner. She wept, she blubbered, and she tore her hair. Swift. Blub¶ber, v. t. 1. To swell or disfigure (the face) with weeping; to wet with tears. Dear Cloe, how blubbered is that pretty face! Prior. 2. To give vent to (tears) or utter (broken words or cries); Ð with forth or out. Blub¶bered (?), p. p. & a. Swollen; turgid; as, a blubbered lip. Spenser. Blub¶berÏing, n. The act of weeping noisily. He spake well save that his blubbering interrupted him. Winthrop. Blub¶berÏy (?), a. 1. Swollen; protuberant. 2. Like blubber; gelatinous and quivering; as, a blubbery mass. Blu¶cher (?), n. A kind of half boot, named from the Prussian general Blcher. Thackeray. Bludg¶eon (?), n. [Cf. Ir. blocan a little block, Gael. plocan a mallet, W. plocyn, dim. of ploc block; or perh. connected with E. blow a stroke. Cf. Block, Blow a stroke.] A short stick, with one end loaded, or thicker and heavier that the other, used as an offensive weapon. Blue (?), a. [Compar. Bluer (?); superl. Bluest.] [OE. bla, blo, blew, blue, Sw. bl?, D. blauw, OHG. bl?o, G. blau; but influenced in form by F. bleu, from OHG. bl¾o.] 1. Having the color of the clear sky, or a hue resembling it, whether lighter or darker; as, the deep, blue sea; as blue as a sapphire; blue violets. ½The blue firmament.¸ Milton. 2. Pale, without redness or glare, Ð said of a flame; hence, of the color of burning brimstone, betokening the presence of ghosts or devils; as, the candle burns blue; the air was blue with oaths. 3. Low in spirits; melancholy; as, to feel blue. 4. Suited to produce low spirits; gloomy in prospect; as, thongs looked blue. [Colloq.] 5. Severe or over strict in morals; gloom; as, blue and sour religionists; suiting one who is over strict in morals; inculcating an impracticable, severe, or gloomy mortality; as, blue laws. 6. Literary; Ð applied to women; Ð an abbreviation of bluestocking. [Colloq.] The ladies were very blue and well informed. Thackeray. Blue asbestus. See Crocidolite. Ð Blue black, of, or having, a very dark blue color, almost black. Ð Blue blood. See under Blood. Ð Blue buck (Zo”l.), a small South African antelope (Cephalophus pygm‘us); also applied to a larger species (?goceras leucoph‘us); the blaubok. Ð Blue cod (Zo”l.), the buffalo cod. Ð Blue crab (Zo”l.), the common edible crab of the Atlantic coast of the United States (Callinectes hastatus). Ð Blue curls (Bot.), a common plant (Trichostema dichotomum), resembling pennyroyal, and hence called also bastard pennyroyal. Ð Blue devils, apparitions supposed to be seen by persons suffering with delirium tremens; hence, very low spirits. ½Can Gumbo shut the hall door upon blue devils, or lay them all in a red sea of claret?¸ Thackeray. Ð Blue gage. See under Gage, a plum. Ð Blue gum, an Australian myrtaceous tree (Eucalyptus globulus), of the loftiest proportions, now cultivated in tropical and warm temperate regions for its timber, and as a protection against malaria. The essential oil is beginning to be used in medicine. The timber is very useful. See Eucalyptus. Ð Blue jack, Blue stone, blue vitriol; sulphate of copper. Ð Blue jacket, a manÏof war's man; a sailor wearing a naval uniform. Ð Blue jaundice. See under Jaundice. Ð Blue laws, a name first used in the eighteenth century to describe certain supposititious laws of extreme rigor reported to have been enacted in New Haven; hence, any puritanical laws. [U. S.] Ð Blue light, a composition which burns with a brilliant blue flame; Ð used in pyrotechnics and as a night signal at sea, and in military operations. Ð Blue mantle (Her.), one of the four pursuivants of the English college of arms; Ð so called from the color of his official robes. Ð Blue mass, a preparation of mercury from which is formed the blue pill. McElrath. Ð Blue mold, or mould, the blue fungus (Aspergillus glaucus) which grows on cheese. Brande & C. Ð Blue Monday, a Monday following a Sunday of dissipation, or itself given to dissipation (as the Monday before Lent). Ð Blue ointment (Med.), mercurial ointment. Ð Blue Peter (British Marine), a blue flag with a white square in the center, used as a signal for sailing, to recall boats, etc. It is a corruption of blue repeater, one of the British signal flags. Ð Blue pill. (Med.) (a) A pill of prepared mercury, used as an aperient, etc. (b) Blue mass. Ð Blue ribbon. (a) The ribbon worn by

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members of the order of the Garter; Ð hence, a member of that order. (b) Anything the attainment of which is an object of great ambition; a distinction; a prize. ½These [scholarships] were the blue ribbon of the college.¸ Farrar. (c) The distinctive badge of certain temperance or total abstinence organizations, as of the Blue ribbon Army. Ð Blue ruin, utter ruin; also, gin. [Eng. Slang] Carlyle. Ð Blue spar (Min.), azure spar; lazulite. See Lazulite. Ð Blue thrush (Zo”l.), a European and Asiatic thrush (Petrocossyphus cyaneas). Ð Blue verditer. See Verditer. Ð Blue vitriol (Chem.), sulphate of copper, a violet blue crystallized salt, used in electric batteries, calico printing, etc. Ð Blue water, the open ocean. Ð To look blue, to look disheartened or dejected. Ð True blue, genuine and thorough; not modified, nor mixed; not spurious; specifically, of uncompromising Presbyterianism, blue being the color adopted by the Covenanters. For his religion... 'T was Presbyterian, true blue. Hudibras. Blue (?), n. 1. One of the seven colors into which the rays of light divide themselves, when refracted through a glass prism; the color of the clear sky, or a color resembling that, whether lighter or darker; a pigment having such color. Sometimes, poetically, the sky. 2. A pedantic woman; a bluestocking. [Colloq.] 3. pl. [Short for blue devils.] Low spirits; a fit of despondency; melancholy. [Colloq.] Berlin blue, Prussian blue. Ð Mineral blue. See under Mineral. Ð Prussian blue. See under Prussian. Blue, v. t. [imp. & p.p. Blued (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Bluing.] To make blue; to dye of a blue color; to make blue by heating, as metals, etc. Blue¶back· (?), n. (Zo”l.) (a) A trout (Salmo oquassa) inhabiting some of the lakes of Maine. (b) A salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) of the Columbia River and northward. (c) An American river herring (Clupea ‘stivalis), closely allied to the alewife. Blue¶beard (?), n. The hero of a medi‘val French nursery legend, who, leaving home, enjoined his young wife not to open a certain room in his castle. She entered it, and found the murdered bodies of his former wives. Ð Also used adjectively of a subject which it is forbidden to investigate. The Bluebeard chamber of his mind, into which no eye but his own must look. Carlyle. Blue¶bell· (?), n. (Bot.) (a) A plant of the genus Campanula, especially the Campanula rotundifolia, which bears blue bellÏshaped flowers; the harebell. (b) A plant of the genus Scilla (Scilla nutans). Blue¶berry (?), n. [Cf. Blaeberry.] (Bot.) The berry of several species of Vaccinium, and ericaceous genus, differing from the American huckleberries in containing numerous minute seeds instead of ten nutlets. The commonest species are V. Pennsylvanicum and V. vacillans. V. corymbosum is the tall blueberry. Blue¶bill· (?), n. (Zo”l.) A duck of the genus Fuligula. Two American species (F. marila and F. affinis) are common. See Scaup duck. Blue¶bird· (?), n. (Zo”l.) A small song bird (Sialia sialis), very common in the United States, and, in the north, one of the earliest to arrive in spring. The male is blue, with the breast reddish. It is related to the European robin. Pairy bluebird (Zo”l.), a brilliant Indian or East Indian bird of the genus Irena, of several species. Blue¶ bon·net or Blue¶Ïbon·net (?), n. 1. A broad, flat Scottish cap of blue woolen, or one waring such cap; a Scotchman. 2. (Bot.) A plant. Same as Bluebottle. 3. (Zo”l.) The European blue titmouse (Parus c?ruleus); the bluecap. Blue¶ book· (?). 1. A parliamentary publication, so called from its blue paper covers. [Eng.] 2. The United States official ½Biennial Register.¸ Blue¶bot·tle (?), n. 1. (Bot.) A plant (Centaurea cyanus) which grows in grain fields. It receives its name from its blue bottleÐshaped flowers. 2. (Zo”l.) A large and troublesome species of blowfly (Musca vomitoria). Its body is steel blue. Blue¶breast· (?), n. (Zo”l.) (a) A small European bird; the blueÐthroated warbler. Blue¶cap· (?), n. 1. (Zo”l.) (a) The bluepoll. (b) The blue bonnet or blue titmouse. 2. A Scot; a Scotchman; Ð so named from wearing a blue bonnet. [Poetic] Shak. Blue¶coat· (?), n. One dressed in blue, as a soldier, a sailor, a beadle, etc. Blue¶Ðeye· (?), a. Having blue eyes. BlueÐeyed grass (Bot.), a grasslike plant (Sisyrinchium anceps), with small flowers of a delicate blue color. Blue¶fin· (?), n. (Zo”l.) A species of whitefish (Coregonus nigripinnis) found in Lake Michigan. Blue¶fish· (?), n. (Zo”l.) 1. A large voracious fish (Pomatomus saitatrix), of the family Carangid‘, valued as a food fish, and widely distributed on the American coast. On the New Jersey and Rhode Island coast it is called the horse mackerel, in Virginia saltwater tailor, or skipjack. 2. A West Indian fish (Platyglossus radiatus), of the family Labrid‘. µ The name is applied locally to other species of fishes; as the cunner, sea bass, squeteague, etc. Blue¶gown· (?), n. One of a class of paupers or pensioners, or licensed beggars, in Scotland, to whim annually on the king's birthday were distributed certain alms, including a blue gown; a beadsman. Blue¶ grass· (?). (Bot.) A species of grass (Poa compressa) with bluish green stems, valuable in thin gravelly soils; wire grass. Kentucky blue grass, a species of grass (Poa pratensis) which has running rootstocks and spreads rapidly. It is valuable as a pasture grass, as it endures both winter and drought better than other kinds, and is very nutritious. Blue¶ jay· (?). (Zo”l.) The common jay of the United States (Cyanocitta, or Cyanura, cristata). The predominant color is bright blue. Blue¶Ðjohn· (?), n. A name given to fluor spar in Derbyshire, where it is used for ornamental purposes. Blue¶ly, adv. With a blue color. Swift. Blue¶ness, n. The quality of being blue; a blue color. Boyle. Blue¶nose (?), n. A nickname for a Nova Scotian. Blue¶poll· (?), n. [Blue + poll head.] (Zo”l.) A kind of salmon (Salmo Cambricus) found in Wales. Blue¶print. See under Print. Blue¶stock·ing (?), n. 1. A literary lady; a female pedant. [Colloq.] µ As explained in Boswell's ½Life of Dr. Johnson¸, this term is derived from the name given to certain meetings held by ladies, in Johnson's time, for conversation with distinguished literary men. An eminent attendant of these assemblies was a Mr. Stillingfleet, who always wore blue stockings. He was so much distinguished for his conversational powers that his absence at any time was felt to be a great loss, so that the remark became common, ½We can do nothing without the blue stockings.¸ Hence these meetings were sportively called bluestocking clubs, and the ladies who attended them, bluestockings. 2. (Zo”l.) The American avocet (Recurvirostra Americana). Blue¶stock·ingÏism (?), n. The character or manner of a bluestocking; female pedantry. [Colloq.] Blue¶stone· (?), n. 1. Blue vitriol. Dunglison. 2. A grayish blue building stone, as that commonly used in the eastern United States. Blue¶throat· (?), n. (Zo”l.) A singing bird of northern Europe and Asia (Cyanecula Suecica), related to the nightingales; Ð called also blueÐthroated robin and blueÐthroated warbler. Blu¶ets (?), n. [F. bluet, bleuet, dim. of bleu blue. See Blue, a.] (Bot.) A name given to several different species of plants having blue flowers, as the Houstonia c?rulea, the Centaurea cyanus or bluebottle, and the Vaccinium angustifolium. Blue¶Ðveined· (?), a. Having blue veins or blue streaks. Blue¶wing· (?), n. (Zo”l.) The blueÐwinged teal. See Teal. Blue¶y (?), a. Bluish. Southey. Bluff (?), a. [Cf. OD. blaf flat, broad, blaffaert one with a broad face, also, a boaster; or G. verblffen to confuse, LG. bluffen to frighten; to unknown origin.] 1. Having a broad, flattened front; as, the bluff bows of a ship. ½Bluff visages.¸ Irving. 2. Rising steeply with a flat or rounded front. ½A bluff or bold shore.¸ Falconer. Its banks, if not really steep, had a bluff and precipitous aspect. Judd. 3. Surly; churlish; gruff; rough. 4. Abrupt; roughly frank; unceremonious; blunt; brusque; as, a bluff answer; a bluff manner of talking; a bluff sea captain. ½Bluff King Hal.¸ Sir W. Scott. There is indeed a bluff pertinacity which is a proper defense in a moment of surprise. I. Taylor. Bluff, n. 1. A high, steep bank, as by a river or the sea, or beside a ravine or plain; a cliff with a broad face. Beach, bluff, and wave, adieu. Whittier. 2. An act of bluffing; an expression of selfÐconfidence for the purpose of intimidation; braggadocio; as, that is only bluff, or a bluff. 3. A game at cards; poker. [U.S.] Bartlett. Bluff, v. t. [imp. & p.p. Bluffed (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Bluffing.] 1. (Poker) To deter (an opponent) from taking the risk of betting on his hand of cards, as the bluffer does by betting heavily on his own hand although it may be of less value. [U. S.] 2. To frighten or deter from accomplishing a purpose by making a show of confidence in one's strength or resources; as, he bluffed me off. [Colloq.] Bluff, v. i. To act as in the game of bluff. Bluff¶Ðbowed· (?), a. (Naut.) Built with the stem nearly straight up and down. Bluff¶ness, n. The quality or state of being bluff. Bluff¶y (?), a. 1. Having bluffs, or bold, steep banks. 2. Inclined to bo bluff; brusque. Blu¶ing (?), n. 1. The act of rendering blue; as, the bluing of steel. Tomlinson. 2. Something to give a bluish tint, as indigo, or preparations used by washerwomen. Blu¶ish (?), a. Somewhat blue; as, bluish veins. ½Bluish mists.¸ Dryden. Ð Blu¶ishÏly, adv. Ð Blu¶ishÏness, n. Blun¶der (?), v. i. [imp. & p.p. Blundered (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Blundering.] [OE. blunderen, blondren, to stir, confuse, blunder; perh. allied to blend to mix, to confound by mixture.] 1. To make a gross error or mistake; as, to blunder in writing or preparing a medical prescription. Swift. 2. To move in an awkward, clumsy manner; to flounder and stumble. I was never distinguished for address, and have often even blundered in making my bow. Goldsmith. Yet knows not how to find the uncertain place, And blunders on, and staggers every pace. Dryden. To blunder on. (a) To continue blundering. (b) To find or reach as if by an accident involving more or less stupidity, Ð applied to something desirable; as, to blunder on a useful discovery. Blun¶der, v. t. 1. To cause to blunder. [Obs.] ½To blunder an adversary.¸ Ditton. 2. To do or treat in a blundering manner; to confuse. He blunders and confounds all these together. Stillingfleet. Blun¶der, n. 1. Confusion; disturbance. [Obs.] 2. A gross error or mistake, resulting from carelessness, stupidity, or culpable ignorance. Syn. Ð Blunder, Error, Mistake, Bull. An error is a departure or deviation from that which is right or correct; as, an error of the press; an error of judgment. A mistake is the interchange or taking of one thing for another, through haste, inadvertence, etc.; as, a careless mistake. A blunder is a mistake or error of a gross kind. It supposes a person to flounder on in his course, from carelessness, ignorance, or stupidity. A bull is a verbal blunder containing a laughable incongruity of ideas. Blun¶derÏbuss (?), n. [Either fr. blunder + D. bus tube, box, akin to G. bchse box, gun, E. box; or corrupted fr. D. donderbus (literally) thunder box, gun, musket.] 1. A short gun or firearm, with a large bore, capable of holding a number of balls, and intended to do execution without exact aim. 2. A stupid, blundering fellow. Blun¶derÏer (?), n. One who is apt to blunder. Blun¶derÏhead· (?), n. [Blunder + head.] A stupid, blundering fellow. Blun¶derÏing, a. Characterized by blunders. Blun¶derÏingÏly, adv. In a blundering manner. Blunge (?), v. t. To amalgamate and blend; to beat up or mix in water, as clay. Blun¶ger (?), n. [Corrupted from plunger.] A wooden blade with a cross handle, used for mi?ing the clay in potteries; a plunger. Tomlinson. Blun¶ging (?), n. The process of mixing clay in potteries with a blunger. Tomlinson. Blunt (?), a. [Cf. Prov. G. bludde a dull or blunt knife, Dan. blunde to sleep, Sw. & Icel. blunda; or perh. akin to E. blind.] 1. Having a thick edge or point, as an instrument; dull; not sharp. The murderous knife was dull and blunt. Shak. 2. Dull in understanding; slow of discernment; stupid; Ð opposed to acute. His wits are not so blunt. Shak. 3. Abrupt in address; plain; unceremonious; wanting the forms of civility; rough in manners or speech. ½Hiding his bitter jests in blunt behavior.¸ ½A plain, blunt man.¸ Shak. 4. Hard to impress or penetrate. [R.] I find my heart hardened and blunt to new impressions. Pope. µ Blunt is much used in composition, as bluntÏedged, bluntÏsighted, bluntÏspoken. Syn. Ð Obtuse; dull; pointless; curt; short; coarse; rude; brusque; impolite; uncivil. Blunt, v. t. [imp. & p.p. Blunted; p. pr. & vb. n. Blunting.] 1. To dull the edge or point of, by making it thicker; to make blunt. Shak. 2. To repress or weaken, as any appetite, desire, or power of the mind; to impair the force, keenness, or susceptibility, of; as, to blunt the feelings. Blunt, n. 1. A fencer's foil. [Obs.] 2. A short needle with a strong point. See Needle. 3. Money. [Cant] Beaconsfield. Blunt¶ish, a. Somewhat blunt. Ð Blunt¶ishÏness, n. Blunt¶ly, adv. In a blunt manner; coarsely; plainly; abruptly; without delicacy, or the usual forms of civility. Sometimes after bluntly giving his opinions, he would quietly lay himself asleep until the end of their deliberations. Jeffrey. Blunt¶ness, n. 1. Want of edge or point; dullness; obtuseness; want of sharpness. The multitude of elements and bluntness of angles. Holland. 2. A bruptness of address; rude plainness. ½Bluntness of speech.¸ Boyle. Blunt¶Ðwit·ted (?), n. Dull; stupid. BluntÐwitted lord, ignoble in demeanor! Shak. Blur (?), v. t. [imp. & p.p. Blurred (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Blurring.] [Prob. of same origin as blear. See Blear.] 1. To render obscure by making the form or outline of confused and uncertain, as by soiling; to smear; to make indistinct and confused; as, to blur manuscript by handling it while damp; to blur the impression of a woodcut by an excess of ink. But time hath nothing blurred those lines of favor Which then he wore. Shak. 2. To cause imperfection of vision in; to dim; to darken. Her eyes are blurred with the lightning's glare. J. R. Drake. 3. To sully; to stain; to blemish, as reputation. Sarcasms may eclipse thine own, But can not blur my lost renown. Hudibras. Syn. Ð To spot; blot; disfigure; stain; sully.

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Blur (?), n. 1. That which obscures without effacing; a stain; a blot, as upon paper or other substance. As for those who cleanse blurs with blotted fingers, they make it worse. Fuller. 2. A dim, confused appearance; indistinctness of vision; as, to see things with a blur; it was all blur. 3. A moral stain or blot. Lest she ... will with her railing set a great blur on mine honesty and good name. Udall. Blur¶ry (?), a. Full of blurs; blurred. Blurt (?), v. t. [imp. & p.p. Blurted; p. pr. & vb. n. Blurting.] [Cf. Blare.] To utter suddenly and unadvisedly; to divulge inconsiderately; to ejaculate; Ð commonly with out. Others ... can not hold, but blurt out, those words which afterward they forced to eat. Hakewill. To blurt at, to speak contemptuously of. [Obs.] Shak. Blush (?) v. i. [imp. & p.p. Blushed (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Blushing.] [OE. bluschen to shine, look, turn red, AS. blyscan to glow; akin to blysa a torch, ¾bl?sian to blush, D. blozen, Dan. blusse to blaze, blush.] 1. To become suffused with red in the cheeks, as from a sense of shame, modesty, or confusion; to become red from such cause, as the cheeks or face. To the nuptial bower I led her blushing like the morn. Milton. In the presence of the shameless and unblushing, the young offender is ashamed to blush. Buckminster. He would stroke The head of modest and ingenuous worth, That blushed at its own praise. Cowper. 2. To grow red; to have a red or rosy color. The sun of heaven, methought, was loth to set, But stayed, and made the western welkin blush. Shak. 3. To have a warm and delicate color, as some roses and other flowers. Full many a flower is born to blush unseen. T. Gray. Blush, v. t. 1. To suffuse with a blush; to redden; to make roseate. [Obs.] To blush and beautify the cheek again. Shak. 2. To express or make known by blushing. I'll blush you thanks. Shak. Blush, n. 1. A suffusion of the cheeks or face with red, as from a sense of shame, confusion, or modesty. The rosy blush of love. Trumbull. 2. A red or reddish color; a rosy tint. Light's last blushes tinged the distant hills. Lyttleton. At first blush, or At the first blush, at the first appearance or view. ½At the first blush, we thought they had been ships come from France.¸ Hakluyt. This phrase is used now more of ideas, opinions, etc., than of material things. ½All purely identical propositions, obviously, and at first blush, appear.¸ etc. Locke. Ð To put to the blush, to cause to blush with shame; to put to shame. Blush¶er (?), n. One that blushes. Blush¶et (?), n. A modest girl. [Obs.] B. Jonson. Blush¶ful (?), a. Full of blushes. While from his ardent look the turning Spring Averts her blushful face. Thomson. Blush¶ing, a. Showing blushes; rosy red; having a warm and delicate color like some roses and other flowers; blooming; ruddy; roseate. The dappled pink and blushing rose. Prior. Blush¶ing, n. The act of turning red; the appearance of a reddish color or flush upon the cheeks. Blush¶ingÏly, adv. In a blushing manner; with a blush or blushes; as, to answer or confess blushingly. Blush¶less, a. Free from blushes; incapable of blushing; shameless; impudent. Vice now, secure, her blushless front shall raise. Dodsley. Blush¶y (?), a. Like a blush; having the color of a blush; rosy. [R.] ½A blushy color.¸ Harvey. Blus¶ter (?), v. i. [imp. & p.p. Blustered (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Blustering.] [Allied to blast.] 1. To blow fitfully with violence and noise, as wind; to be windy and boisterous, as the weather. And everÏthreatening storms Of Chaos blustering round. Milton. 2. To talk with noisy violence; to swagger, as a turbulent or boasting person; to act in a noisy, tumultuous way; to play the bully; to storm; to rage. Your ministerial directors blustered like tragic tyrants. Burke. Blus¶ter, v. t. To utter, or do, with noisy violence; to force by blustering; to bully. He bloweth and blustereth out ... his abominable blasphemy. Sir T. More. As if therewith he meant to bluster all princes into a perfect obedience to his commands. Fuller. Blus¶ter, n. 1. Fitful noise and violence, as of a storm; violent winds; boisterousness. To the winds they set Their corners, when with bluster to confound Sea, air, and shore. Milton. 2. Noisy and violent or threatening talk; noisy and boastful language. L'Estrange. Syn. Ð Noise; boisterousness; tumult; turbulence; confusion; boasting; swaggering; bullying. Blus¶terÏer (?), n. One who, or that which, blusters; a noisy swaggerer. Blus¶terÏing, a. 1. Exhibiting noisy violence, as the wind; stormy; tumultuous. A tempest and a blustering day. Shak. 2. Uttering noisy threats; noisy and swaggering; boisterous. ½A blustering fellow.¸ L'Estrange. Blus¶terÏingÏly, adv. In a blustering manner. Blus¶terÏous (?), a. Inclined to bluster; given to blustering; blustering. Motley. Blus¶trous (?), a. Blusterous. Shak. Bo (?), interj. [Cf. W. bw, an interj. of threatening or frightening; n., terror, fear, dread.] An exclamation used to startle or frighten. [Spelt also boh and boo.] Bo¶a (?), n.; pl. Boas. [L. boa a kind of water serpent. Perh. fr. bos an ox.] 1. (Zo”l.) A genus of large American serpents, including the boa constrictor, the emperor boa of Mexico (B. imperator), and the chevalier boa of Peru (B. eques). µ The name is also applied to related genera; as, the dogÐheaded boa (Xiphosoma caninum). 2. A long, round fur tippet; Ð so called from its resemblance in shape to the boa constrictor. Bo¶a conÏstrict¶or (?). [NL. See Boa, and Constrictor.] (Zo”l.) A large and powerful serpent of tropical America, sometimes twenty or thirty feet long. See Illustration in Appendix. µ It has a succession of spots, alternately black and yellow, extending along the back. It kills its prey by constriction. The name is also loosely applied to other large serpents which crush their prey, particularly to those of the genus Python, found in Asia and Africa. Ø Bo·aÏner¶ges (?). [Gr. ?, fr. Heb. bn? hargem sons of thunder. Ð an appellation given by Christ to two of his disciples (James and John). See Mark iii. 17.] Any declamatory and vociferous preacher or orator. Boar (?), n. [OE. bar, bor, bore, AS. b¾r; akin to OHG. p?r, MHG. b?r, G. b„r, boar (but not b„r bear), and perh. Russ. borov' boar.] (Zo”l.) The uncastrated male of swine; specifically, the wild hog. Board (?), n. [OE. bord, AS. bord board, shipboard; akin to bred plank, Icel. bor? board, side of a ship, Goth. f?tuÐbaurd footstool, D. bord board, G. brett, bort. See def. 8. ?92.] 1. A piece of timber sawed thin, and of considerable length and breadth as compared with the thickness, Ð used for building, etc. µ When sawed thick, as over one and a half or two inches, it is usually called a plank. 2. A table to put food upon. µ The term board answers to the modern table, but it was often movable, and placed on trestles. Halliwell. Fruit of all kinds ... She gathers, tribute large, and on the board Heaps with unsparing hand. Milton. 3. Hence: What is served on a table as food; stated meals; provision; entertainment; Ð usually as furnished for pay; as, to work for one's board; the price of board. 4. A table at which a council or court is held. Hence: A council, convened for business, or any authorized assembly or meeting, public or private; a number of persons appointed or elected to sit in council for the management or direction of some public or private business or trust; as, the Board of Admiralty; a board of trade; a board of directors, trustees, commissioners, etc. Both better acquainted with affairs than any other who sat then at that board. Clarendon. We may judge from their letters to the board. Porteus. 5. A square or oblong piece of thin wood or other material used for some special purpose, as, a molding board; a board or surface painted or arranged for a game; as, a chessboard; a backgammon board. 6. Paper made thick and stiff like a board, for book covers, etc.; pasteboard; as, to bind a book in boards. 7. pl. The stage in a theater; as, to go upon the boards, to enter upon the theatrical profession. 8. [In this use originally perh. a different word meaning border, margin; cf. D. boord, G. bord, shipboard, and G. borte trimming; also F. bord (fr. G.) the side of a ship. Cf. Border.] The border or side of anything. (Naut.) (a) The side of a ship. ½Now board to board the rival vessels row.¸ Dryden. See On board, below. (b) The stretch which a ship makes in one tack. µ Board is much used adjectively or as the last part of a compound; as, fir board, clapboard, floor board, shipboard, sideboard, ironing board, chessboard, cardboard, pasteboard, seaboard; board measure. The American Board, a shortened form of ½The American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions¸ (the foreign missionary society of the American Congregational churches). Ð Bed and board. See under Bed. Ð Board and board (Naut.), side by side. Ð Board of control, six privy councilors formerly appointed to superintend the affairs of the British East Indies. Stormonth. Ð Board rule, a figured scale for finding without calculation the number of square feet in a board. Haldeman. Ð Board of trade, in England, a committee of the privy council appointed to superintend matters relating to trade. In the United States, a body of men appointed for the advancement and protection of their business interests; a chamber of commerce. Ð Board wages. (a) Food and lodging supplied as compensation for services; as, to work hard, and get only board wages. (b) Money wages which are barely sufficient to buy food and lodging. (c) A separate or special allowance of wages for the procurement of food, or food and lodging. Dryden. Ð By the board, over the board, or side. ½The mast went by the board.¸ Totten. Hence (Fig.), To go by the board, to suffer complete destruction or overthrow. Ð To enter on the boards, to have one's name inscribed on a board or tablet in a college as a student. [Cambridge, England.] ½Having been entered on the boards of Trinity college.¸ Hallam. Ð To make a good board (Naut.), to sail in a straight line when closeÐhauled; to lose little to leeward. Ð To make short boards, to tack frequently. Ð On board. (a) On shipboard; in a ship or a boat; on board of; as, I came on board early; to be on board ship. (b) In or into a railway car or train. [Colloq. U. S.] Ð Returning board, a board empowered to canvass and make an official statement of the votes cast at an election. [U.S.] Board, v. t. [imp. & p.p. Boarded; p. pr. & vb. n. Boarding.] 1. To cover with boards or boarding; as, to board a house. ½The boarded hovel.¸ Cowper. 2. [Cf. Board to accost, and see Board, n.] To go on board of, or enter, as a ship, whether in a hostile or a friendly way. You board an enemy to capture her, and a stranger to receive news or make a communication. Totten. 3. To enter, as a railway car. [Colloq. U. S.] 4. To furnish with regular meals, or with meals and lodgings, for compensation; to supply with daily meals. 5. To place at board, for compensation; as, to board one's horse at a livery stable. Board (?), v. i. To obtain meals, or meals and lodgings, statedly for compensation; as, he boards at the hotel. We are several of us, gentlemen and ladies, who board in the same house. Spectator. Board, v. t. [F. aborder. See Abord, v. t.] To approach; to accost; to address; hence, to woo. [Obs.] I will board her, though she chide as loud As thunder when the clouds in autumn crack. Shak. Board¶aÏble (?), a. That can be boarded, as a ship. Board¶er (?), n. 1. One who has food statedly at another's table, or meals and lodgings in his house, for pay, or compensation of any kind. 2. (Naut.) One who boards a ship; one selected to board an enemy's ship. Totten. Board¶ing, n. 1. (Naut.) The act of entering a ship, whether with a hostile or a friendly purpose. Both slain at one time, as they attempted the boarding of a frigate. Sir F. Drake. 2. The act of covering with boards; also, boards, collectively; or a covering made of boards. 3. The act of supplying, or the state of being supplied, with regular or specified meals, or with meals and lodgings, for pay. Boarding house, a house in which boarders are kept. Ð Boarding nettings (Naut.), a strong network of cords or ropes erected at the side of a ship to prevent an enemy from boarding it. Ð Boarding pike (Naut.), a pike used by sailors in boarding a vessel, or in repelling an attempt to board it. Totten. Ð Boarding school, a school in which pupils receive board and lodging as well as instruction. Boar¶fish· (?), n. (Zo”l.) (a) A Mediterranean fish (Capros aper), of the family Caproid‘; Ð so called from the resemblance of the extended lips to a hog's snout. (b) An Australian percoid fish (Histiopterus recurvirostris), valued as a food fish. Boar¶ish, a. Swinish; brutal; cruel. In his anointed flesh stick boarish fangs. Shak. Boast (?), v. i. [imp. & p.p. Boasted; p. pr. & vb. n. Boasting.] [OE. bosten, boosten, v., bost, boost, n., noise, boasting; cf. G. bausen, bauschen, to swell, pusten, Dan. puste, Sw. pusta, to blow, Sw. p”sa to swell; or W. bostio to boast, bost boast, Gael. bosd. But these last may be from English.] 1. To vaunt one's self; to brag; to say or tell things which are intended to give others a high opinion of one's self or of things belonging to one's self; as, to boast of one's exploits courage, descent, wealth. ? grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of your selves: .. not of works, lest any man should boast. Eph. ii. 8, 9. 2. To speak in exulting language of another; to glory; to exult. In God we boast all the day long. Ps. xiiv. 8 Syn. Ð To brag; bluster; vapor; crow; talk big. Boast, v. t. 1. To display in ostentatious language; to speak of with pride, vanity, or exultation, with a view to selfÐcommendation; to extol. Lest bad men should boast Their specious deeds. Milton. 2. To display vaingloriously. 3. To possess or have; as, to boast a name. To boast one's self, to speak with unbecoming confidence in, and approval of, one's self; Ð followed by of and the thing to which the boasting relates. [Archaic] Boast not thyself of toÏmorrow. Prov. xxvii.? Boast, v. t. [Of uncertain etymology.] 1. (Masonry) To dress, as a stone, with a broad chisel. Weale. 2. (Sculp.) To shape roughly as a preparation for the finer work to follow; to cut to the general form required. Boast, n. 1. Act of boasting; vaunting or bragging. Reason and morals? and where live they most, In Christian comfort, or in Stoic boast! Byron. 2. The cause of boasting; occasion of pride or exultation, Ð sometimes of laudable pride or exultation. The boast of historians. Macaulay. Boast¶ance (?), n. Boasting. [Obs.] Chaucer. Boast¶er (?), n. One who boasts; a braggart. Boast¶er, n. A stone mason's broadÐfaced chisel. Boast¶ful (?), a. Given to, or full of, boasting; inclined to boast; vaunting; vainglorious; selfÐpraising. Ð Boast¶fulÏly, adv. Ð Boast¶fulÏness, n. Boast¶ing, n. The act of glorying or vaunting; vainglorious speaking; ostentatious display. When boasting ends, then dignity begins. Young. Boast¶ingÏly, adv. Boastfully; with boasting. ½He boastingly tells you.¸ Burke. Boast¶ive (?), a. Presumptuous. [R.] Boast¶less, a. Without boasting or ostentation. Boat (?), n. [OE. boot, bat, AS. b¾t; akin to Icel. b¾tr, Sw. b†t, Dan. baad, D.& G. boot. Cf. Bateau.] 1. A small open vessel, or water craft, usually moved by cars or paddles, but often by a sail. µ Different kinds of boats have different names; as, canoe, yawl, wherry, pinnace, punt, etc. 2. Hence, any vessel; usually with some epithet descriptive of its use or mode of propulsion; as, pilot boat, packet boat, passage boat, advice boat, etc. The term is sometimes applied to steam vessels, even of the largest class; as, the Cunard boats. 3. A vehicle, utensil, or dish, somewhat resembling a boat in shape; as, a stone boat; a gravy boat.

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