Crossword Dictionary

What's The Definition Of Blow?

\Blow\ (bl[=o]), v. i. [imp. {Blew} (bl[=u]); p. p. {Blown} (bl[=o]n); p. pr. & vb. n. {Blowing}.] [OE. blowen, AS. bl[=o]wan to blossom; akin to OS. bl[=o]jan, D. bloeijen, OHG. pluojan, MHG. bl["u]ejen, G. bl["u]hen, 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. ``Such a blow of tulips.'' --Tatler.
\Blow\, n. [OE. blaw, blowe; cf. OHG. bliuwan, pliuwan, to beat, G. bl["a]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. ``They lose a province at a blow.'' --Dryden. {To come to blows}, to engage in combat; to fight; -- said of individuals, armies, and nations. Syn: Stroke; knock; shock; misfortune.
\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["a]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. 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 [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.
\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; -- 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[ae] 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; -- 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.] I have blown him up well -- nobody can say I wink at what he does. --G. Eliot. {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.