from
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
Blow \Blow\, v. i. [imp. {Blew} (bl[=u]); p. p. {Blown}
(bl[=o]n); p. pr. & vb. n. {Blowing}.] [OE. blawen, blowen,
AS. bl[=a]wan to blow, as wind; akin to OHG. pl[=a]jan, G.
bl[aum]hen, to blow up, swell, L. flare to blow, Gr.
'ekflai`nein 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.
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Hark how it rains and blows ! --Walton.
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2. To send forth a forcible current of air, as from the mouth
or from a pair of bellows.
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3. To breathe hard or quick; to pant; to puff.
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Here is Mistress Page at the door, sweating and
blowing. --Shak.
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4. To sound on being blown into, as a trumpet.
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There let the pealing organ blow. --Milton.
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5. To spout water, etc., from the blowholes, as a whale.
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6. To be carried or moved by the wind; as, the dust blows in
from the street.
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The grass blows from their graves to thy own. --M.
Arnold.
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7. To talk loudly; to boast; to storm. [Colloq.]
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You blow behind my back, but dare not say anything
to my face. --Bartlett.
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8. To stop functioning due to a failure in an electrical
circuit, especially on which breaks the circuit; sometimes
used with out; -- used of light bulbs, electronic
components, fuses; as, the dome light in the car blew out.
[PJC]
9. To deflate by sudden loss of air; usually used with out;
-- of inflatable tires.
[PJC]
{To blow hot and cold} (a saying derived from a fable of
[AE]sop's), to favor a thing at one time and treat it
coldly at another; or to appear both to favor and to
oppose.
{To blow off}, to let steam escape through a passage provided
for the purpose; as, the engine or steamer is blowing off.
{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]
{To blow over}, to pass away without effect; to cease, or be
dissipated; as, the storm and the clouds have blown over.
{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. "The enemy's magazines blew up."
--Tatler.
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from
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
Blow \Blow\, v. t.
1. To force a current of air upon with the mouth, or by other
means; as, to blow the fire.
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2. To drive by a current air; to impel; as, the tempest blew
the ship ashore.
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Off at sea northeast winds blow
Sabean odors from the spicy shore. --Milton.
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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; to blow a horn.
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Hath she no husband
That will take pains to blow a horn before her?
--Shak.
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Boy, blow the pipe until the bubble rise,
Then cast it off to float upon the skies. --Parnell.
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4. To clear of contents by forcing air through; as, to blow
an egg; to blow one's nose.
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5. To burst, shatter, or destroy by an explosion; -- usually
with up, down, open, or similar adverb; as, to blow up a
building.
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6. To spread by report; to publish; to disclose; to reveal,
intentionally or inadvertently; as, to blow an agent's
cover.
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Through the court his courtesy was blown. --Dryden.
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His language does his knowledge blow. --Whiting.
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7. To form by inflation; to swell by injecting air; as, to
blow bubbles; to blow glass.
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8. To inflate, as with pride; to puff up.
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Look how imagination blows him. --Shak.
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9. To put out of breath; to cause to blow from fatigue; as,
to blow a horse. --Sir W. Scott.
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10. To deposit eggs or larv[ae] upon, or in (meat, etc.).
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To suffer
The flesh fly blow my mouth. --Shak.
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11. To perform an act of fellatio on; to stimulate another's
penis with one's mouth; -- usually considered vulgar.
[slang]
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12. to smoke (e. g. marijuana); to blow pot. [colloq.]
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13. to botch; to bungle; as, he blew his chance at a good job
by showing up late for the interview. [colloq.]
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14. to leave; to depart from; as, to blow town. [slang]
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15. to squander; as, he blew his inheritance gambling.
[colloq.]
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{To blow great guns}, to blow furiously and with roaring
blasts; -- said of the wind at sea or along the coast.
{To blow off}, to empty (a boiler) of water through the
blow-off pipe, while under steam pressure; also, to eject
(steam, water, sediment, etc.) from a boiler.
{To blow one's own trumpet}, to vaunt one's own exploits, or
sound one's own praises.
{To blow out}, to extinguish by a current of air, as a
candle.
{To blow up}.
(a) To fill with air; to swell; as, to blow up a bladder
or bubble.
(b) To inflate, as with pride, self-conceit, etc.; to
puff up; as, to blow one up with flattery. "Blown 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.]
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I have blown him up well -- nobody can say I
wink at what he does. --G. Eliot.
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{To blow upon}.
(a) To blast; to taint; to bring into discredit; to
render stale, unsavory, or worthless.
(b) To inform against. [Colloq.]
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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.
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A lady's maid whose character had been blown
upon. --Macaulay.
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