blue blood

from WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006)
blue blood
    n 1: a member of the aristocracy [syn: {aristocrat}, {blue
         blood}, {patrician}]
    
from The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
Blood \Blood\ (bl[u^]d), n. [OE. blod, blood, AS. bl[=o]d; akin
   to D. bloed, OHG. bluot, G. blut, Goth. bl[=o][thorn], Icel.
   bl[=o][eth], Sw. & Dan. blod; prob. fr. the same root as E.
   blow to bloom. See {Blow} to bloom.]
   1. The fluid which circulates in the principal vascular
      system of animals, carrying nourishment to all parts of
      the body, and bringing away waste products to be excreted.
      See under {Arterial}.
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   Note: The blood consists of a liquid, the plasma, containing
         minute particles, the blood corpuscles. In the
         invertebrate animals it is usually nearly colorless,
         and contains only one kind of corpuscles; but in all
         vertebrates, except Amphioxus, it contains some
         colorless corpuscles, with many more which are red and
         give the blood its uniformly red color. See
         {Corpuscle}, {Plasma}.
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   2. Relationship by descent from a common ancestor;
      consanguinity; kinship.
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            To share the blood of Saxon royalty.  --Sir W.
                                                  Scott.
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            A friend of our own blood.            --Waller.
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   {Half blood} (Law), relationship through only one parent.

   {Whole blood}, relationship through both father and mother.
      In American Law, blood includes both half blood, and whole
      blood. --Bouvier. --Peters.
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   3. Descent; lineage; especially, honorable birth; the highest
      royal lineage.
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            Give us a prince of blood, a son of Priam. --Shak.
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            I am a gentleman of blood and breeding. --Shak.
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   4. (Stock Breeding) Descent from parents of recognized breed;
      excellence or purity of breed.
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   Note: In stock breeding half blood is descent showing one
         half only of pure breed. Blue blood, full blood, or
         warm blood, is the same as blood.
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   5. The fleshy nature of man.
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            Nor gives it satisfaction to our blood. --Shak.
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   6. The shedding of blood; the taking of life, murder;
      manslaughter; destruction.
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            So wills the fierce, avenging sprite,
            Till blood for blood atones.          --Hood.
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   7. A bloodthirsty or murderous disposition. [R.]
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            He was a thing of blood, whose every motion
            Was timed with dying cries.           --Shak.
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   8. Temper of mind; disposition; state of the passions; -- as
      if the blood were the seat of emotions.
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            When you perceive his blood inclined to mirth.
                                                  --Shak.
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   Note: Often, in this sense, accompanied with bad, cold, warm,
         or other qualifying word. Thus, to commit an act in
         cold blood, is to do it deliberately, and without
         sudden passion; to do it in bad blood, is to do it in
         anger. Warm blood denotes a temper inflamed or
         irritated. To warm or heat the blood is to excite the
         passions. Qualified by up, excited feeling or passion
         is signified; as, my blood was up.
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   9. A man of fire or spirit; a fiery spark; a gay, showy man;
      a rake.
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            Seest thou not . . . how giddily 'a turns about all
            the hot bloods between fourteen and five and thirty?
                                                  --Shak.
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            It was the morning costume of a dandy or blood.
                                                  --Thackeray.
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   10. The juice of anything, especially if red.
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             He washed . . . his clothes in the blood of grapes.
                                                  --Gen. xiix.
                                                  11.
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   Note: Blood is often used as an adjective, and as the first
         part of self-explaining compound words; as,
         blood-bespotted, blood-bought, blood-curdling,
         blood-dyed, blood-red, blood-spilling, blood-stained,
         blood-warm, blood-won.
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   {Blood baptism} (Eccl. Hist.), the martyrdom of those who had
      not been baptized. They were considered as baptized in
      blood, and this was regarded as a full substitute for
      literal baptism.

   {Blood blister}, a blister or bleb containing blood or bloody
      serum, usually caused by an injury.

   {Blood brother}, brother by blood or birth.

   {Blood clam} (Zool.), a bivalve mollusk of the genus Arca and
      allied genera, esp. {Argina pexata} of the American coast.
      So named from the color of its flesh.

   {Blood corpuscle}. See {Corpuscle}.

   {Blood crystal} (Physiol.), one of the crystals formed by the
      separation in a crystalline form of the h[ae]moglobin of
      the red blood corpuscles; h[ae]matocrystallin. All blood
      does not yield blood crystals.

   {Blood heat}, heat equal to the temperature of human blood,
      or about 981/2 [deg] Fahr.

   {Blood horse}, a horse whose blood or lineage is derived from
      the purest and most highly prized origin or stock.

   {Blood money}. See in the Vocabulary.

   {Blood orange}, an orange with dark red pulp.

   {Blood poisoning} (Med.), a morbid state of the blood caused
      by the introduction of poisonous or infective matters from
      without, or the absorption or retention of such as are
      produced in the body itself; tox[ae]mia.

   {Blood pudding}, a pudding made of blood and other materials.
      

   {Blood relation}, one connected by blood or descent.

   {Blood spavin}. See under {Spavin}.

   {Blood vessel}. See in the Vocabulary.

   {Blue blood}, the blood of noble or aristocratic families,
      which, according to a Spanish prover, has in it a tinge of
      blue; -- hence, a member of an old and aristocratic
      family.

   {Flesh and blood}.
       (a) A blood relation, esp. a child.
       (b) Human nature.

   {In blood} (Hunting), in a state of perfect health and vigor.
      --Shak.

   {To let blood}. See under {Let}.

   {Prince of the blood}, the son of a sovereign, or the issue
      of a royal family. The sons, brothers, and uncles of the
      sovereign are styled princes of the blood royal; and the
      daughters, sisters, and aunts are princesses of the blood
      royal.
      [1913 Webster]
    
from The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
Blue \Blue\ (bl[=u]), a. [Compar. {Bluer} (bl[=u]"[~e]r);
   superl. {Bluest}.] [OE. bla, blo, blew, blue, livid, black,
   fr. Icel.bl[=a]r livid; akin to Dan. blaa blue, Sw. bl[*a],
   D. blauw, OHG. bl[=a]o, G. blau; but influenced in form by F.
   bleu, from OHG. bl[=a]o.]
   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. "The blue firmament."
      --Milton.
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   2. Pale, without redness or glare, -- 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.
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   3. Low in spirits; melancholy; as, to feel blue.
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   4. Suited to produce low spirits; gloomy in prospect; as,
      thongs looked blue. [Colloq.]
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   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.
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   6. Literary; -- applied to women; -- an abbreviation of
      {bluestocking}. [Colloq.]
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            The ladies were very blue and well informed.
                                                  --Thackeray.
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   {Blue asbestus}. See {Crocidolite}.

   {Blue black}, of, or having, a very dark blue color, almost
      black.

   {Blue blood}. See under {Blood}.

   {Blue buck} (Zool.), a small South African antelope
      ({Cephalophus pygm[ae]us}); also applied to a larger
      species ({[AE]goceras leucoph[ae]us}); the blaubok.

   {Blue cod} (Zool.), the buffalo cod.

   {Blue crab} (Zool.), the common edible crab of the Atlantic
      coast of the United States ({Callinectes hastatus}).

   {Blue curls} (Bot.), a common plant ({Trichostema
      dichotomum}), resembling pennyroyal, and hence called also
      {bastard pennyroyal}.

   {Blue devils}, apparitions supposed to be seen by persons
      suffering with {delirium tremens}; hence, very low
      spirits. "Can Gumbo shut the hall door upon blue devils,
      or lay them all in a red sea of claret?" --Thackeray.

   {Blue gage}. See under {Gage}, a plum.

   {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}.

   {Blue jack}, {Blue stone}, blue vitriol; sulphate of copper.
      

   {Blue jacket}, a man-of war's man; a sailor wearing a naval
      uniform.

   {Blue jaundice}. See under {Jaundice}.

   {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.]

   {Blue light}, a composition which burns with a brilliant blue
      flame; -- used in pyrotechnics and as a night signal at
      sea, and in military operations.

   {Blue mantle} (Her.), one of the four pursuivants of the
      English college of arms; -- so called from the color of
      his official robes.

   {Blue mass}, a preparation of mercury from which is formed
      the blue pill. --McElrath.

   {Blue mold} or {Blue mould}, the blue fungus ({Aspergillus
      glaucus}) which grows on cheese. --Brande & C.

   {Blue Monday},
      (a) a Monday following a Sunday of dissipation, or itself
          given to dissipation (as the Monday before Lent).
      (b) a Monday considered as depressing because it is a
          workday in contrast to the relaxation of the weekend.
          

   {Blue ointment} (Med.), mercurial ointment.

   {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.

   {Blue pill}. (Med.)
      (a) A pill of prepared mercury, used as an aperient, etc.
      (b) Blue mass.

   {Blue ribbon}.
      (a) The ribbon worn by members of the order of the Garter;
          -- hence, a member of that order.
      (b) Anything the attainment of which is an object of great
          ambition; a distinction; a prize. "These
          [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.

   {Blue ruin}, utter ruin; also, gin. [Eng. Slang] --Carlyle.

   {Blue spar} (Min.), azure spar; lazulite. See {Lazulite}.

   {Blue thrush} (Zool.), a European and Asiatic thrush
      ({Petrocossyphus cyaneas}).

   {Blue verditer}. See {Verditer}.

   {Blue vitriol} (Chem.), sulphate of copper, a violet blue
      crystallized salt, used in electric batteries, calico
      printing, etc.

   {Blue water}, the open ocean.

   {Big Blue}, the International Business Machines corporation.
      [Wall Street slang.] PJC

   {To look blue}, to look disheartened or dejected.

   {True blue}, genuine and thorough; not modified, nor mixed;
      not spurious; specifically, of uncompromising
      Presbyterianism, blue being the color adopted by the
      Covenanters.
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            For his religion . . .
            'T was Presbyterian, true blue.       --Hudibras.
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from The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
Blue blood \Blue blood\ (bl[=u]"bl[u^]d`), n.
   1. a member of the nobility or aristocracy, or a person of
      high social status.
      [1913 Webster]

   2. the quality of status that qualifies one as a {blue
      blood}; -- used metaphorically, as "They have blue blood
      in their veins.".
      -- {Blue"-blood`ed}, adj.
      [PJC]
    
from Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0
60 Moby Thesaurus words for "blue blood":
      Brahman, ancestry, archduke, aristocracy, aristocrat,
      aristocraticalness, armiger, baron, baronet, birth, blood, carnage,
      count, daimio, distinction, duke, earl, elite, esquire, flower,
      genteelness, gentility, gentleman, gentry, grand duke, grandee,
      hidalgo, honorable descent, lace-curtain, laird, landgrave, lord,
      lordling, magnate, magnifico, margrave, marquis, nobility, noble,
      noble birth, nobleman, nobleness, optimate, palsgrave, patrician,
      peer, quality, rank, royalty, seigneur, seignior, silk-stocking,
      society, squire, swell, thoroughbred, upper class, upper-cruster,
      viscount, waldgrave

    

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