4. A large or long building divided into separate houses or shops, or a number of houses or shops built in contact with each other so as to form one building; a row of houses or shops.
5. A square, or portion of a city inclosed by streets, whether occupied by buildings or not. The new city was laid out in rectangular blocks, each block containing thirty building lots. Such an average block, comprising 282 houses and covering nine acres of ground, exists in Oxford Street. Lond. Quart. Rev.
6. A grooved pulley or sheave incased in a frame or shell which is provided with a hook, eye, or strap, by which it may be attached to an object. It is used to change the direction of motion, as in raising a heavy object that can not be conveniently reached, and also, when two or more such sheaves are compounded, to change the rate of motion, or to exert increased force; — used especially in the rigging of ships, and in tackles.
7. (Falconry)
Defn: The perch on which a bird of prey is kept.
8. Any obstruction, or cause of obstruction; a stop; a hindrance; an obstacle; as, a block in the way.
9. A piece of box or other wood for engravers' work.
10. (Print.)
Defn: A piece of hard wood (as mahogany or cherry) on which a stereotype or electrotype plate is mounted to make it type high.
11. A blockhead; a stupid fellow; a dolt. [Obs.] What a block art thou ! Shak.
12. A section of a railroad where the block system is used. See Block system, below. A block of shares (Stock Exchange), a large number of shares in a stock company, sold in a lump. Bartlett. — Block printing. (a) A mode of printing (common in China and Japan) from engraved boards by means of a sheet of paper laid on the linked surface and rubbed with a brush. S. W. Williams. (b) A method of printing cotton cloth and paper hangings with colors, by pressing them upon an engraved surface coated with coloring matter. — Block system on railways, a system by which the track is divided into sections of three or four miles, and trains are so run by the guidance of electric signals that no train enters a section or block before the preceding train has left it.
BLOCKBlock, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Blocked; p. pr. & vb. n. Blocking.] Etym:[Cf. F. bloquer, fr. bloc block. See Block, n.]
1. To obstruct so as to prevent passage or progress; to prevent passage from, through, or into, by obstructing the way; — used both of persons and things; — often followed by up; as, to block up a road or harbor. With moles . . . would block the port. Rowe. A city . . . besieged and blocked about. Milton.
2. To secure or support by means of blocks; to secure, as two boards at their angles of intersection, by pieces of wood glued to each.
3. To shape on, or stamp with, a block; as, to block a hat. To block out, to begin to reduce to shape; to mark out roughly; to lay out; as, to block out a plan.
BLOCKADEBlock*ade", n. Etym: [Cf. It. bloccata. See Block, v. t. ]
1. The shutting up of a place by troops or ships, with the purpose of preventing ingress or egress, or the reception of supplies; as, the blockade of the ports of an enemy.
Note: Blockade is now usually applied to an investment with ships or vessels, while siege is used of an investment by land forces. To constitute a blockade, the investing power must be able to apply its force to every point of practicable access, so as to render it dangerous to attempt to enter; and there is no blockade of that port where its force can not be brought to bear. Kent.
2. An obstruction to passage. To raise a blockade. See under Raise.
BLOCKADEBlock*ade", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Blockaded; p. pr. & vb. n.Blockading.]
1. To shut up, as a town or fortress, by investing it with troops or vessels or war for the purpose of preventing ingress or egress, or the introduction of supplies. See note under Blockade, n. "Blockaded the place by sea." Gilpin.
2. Hence, to shut in so as to prevent egress. Till storm and driving ice blockade him there. Wordsworth.
3. To obstruct entrance to or egress from. Huge bales of British cloth blockade the door. Pope.
BLOCKADERBlock*ad"er, n.
1. One who blockades.
2. (Naut.)
Defn: A vessel employed in blockading.
BLOCKAGEBlock"age, n.
Defn: The act of blocking up; the state of being blocked up.
BLOCK BOOKBlock" book` (.
Defn: A book printed from engraved wooden blocks instead of movable types.
BLOCK CHAINBlock chain. (Mach.)
Defn: A chain in which the alternate links are broad blocks connected by thin side links pivoted to the ends of the blocks, used with sprocket wheels to transmit power, as in a bicycle.
BLOCKHEADBlock"head` (, n. Etym: [Block + head.]
Defn: A stupid fellow; a dolt; a person deficient in understanding. The bookful blockhead, ignorantly read, With loads of learned lumber in his head. Pope.
BLOCKHEADEDBlock"head`ed, a.
Defn: Stupid; dull.
BLOCKHEADISMBlock"head*ism, n.
Defn: That which characterizes a blockhead; stupidity. Carlyle.
BLOCKHOUSEBlock"house` (, n. Etym: [Block + house: cf. G. blockhaus.]
1. (Mil.)
Defn: An edifice or structure of heavy timbers or logs for military defense, having its sides loopholed for musketry, and often an upper story projecting over the lower, or so placed upon it as to have its sides make an angle wit the sides of the lower story, thus enabling the defenders to fire downward, and in all directions; — formerly much used in America and Germany.
2. A house of squared logs. [West. & South. U. S.]
BLOCKINGBlock"ing, n.
1. The act of obstructing, supporting, shaping, or stamping with a block or blocks.
2. Blocks used to support (a building, etc.) temporarily.
BLOCKING COURSEBlock"ing course` (. (Arch.)
Defn: The finishing course of a wall showing above a cornice.
BLOCKISHBlock"ish, a.
Defn: Like a block; deficient in understanding; stupid; dull."Blockish Ajax." Shak.— Block"ish*ly, adv.— Block"ish*ness, n.
BLOCKLIKEBlock"like` (, a.
Defn: Like a block; stupid.
BLOCK SIGNALBlock signal. (Railroads)
Defn: One of the danger signals or safety signals which guide the movement of trains in a block system. The signal is often so coupled with a switch that act of opening or closing the switch operates the signal also.
BLOCK SYSTEMBlock system. (Railroads)
Defn: A system by which the track is divided into short sections, as of three or four miles, and trains are so run by the guidance of electric, or combined electric and pneumatic, signals that no train enters a section or block until the preceding train has left it, as in absolute blocking, or that a train may be allowed to follow another into a block as long as it proceeds with excessive caution, as in permissive blocking.
BLOCK TINBlock" tin` (.
Defn: See under Tin.
BLOEDITEBloe"dite, n. Etym: [From the chemist Blöde.] (Min.)
Defn: A hydrous sulphate of magnesium and sodium.
BLOLLY Blol"ly, n. (Bot.) (a) A shrub or small tree of southern Florida and the West Indies (Pisonia obtusata) with smooth oval leaves and a hard, 10-ribbed fruit. (b) The rubiaceous shrub Chicocca racemosa, of the same region.
BLOMARYBlom"a*ry, n.
Defn: See Bloomery.
BLONCKET; BLONKET Blonc"ket, Blon"ket, a. Etym: [OF. blanquet whitish, dim. of blanc white. Cf. Blanket.]
Defn: Gray; bluish gray. [Obs.]Our bloncket liveries been all too sad. Spenser.
BLOND; BLONDEBlond, Blonde, a. Etym: [F., fair, light, of uncertain origin; cf.AS. blonden-feax gray-haired, old, prop. blended-haired, as a mixtureof white and brown or black. See Blend, v. t. ]
Defn: Of a fair color; light-colored; as, blond hair; a blond complexion.
BLONDEBlonde, n. Etym: [F.]
1. A person of very fair complexion, with light hair and light blue eyes. [Written also blond.]
2. Etym: [So called from its color.]
Defn: A kind of silk lace originally of the color of raw silk, now sometimes dyed; — called also blond lace.
BLOND METALBlond" met`al.
Defn: A variety of clay ironstone, in Staffordshire, England, used for making tools.
BLONDNESSBlond"ness, n.
Defn: The state of being blond. G. Eliot.
BLOODBlood, n. Etym: [OE. blod, blood, AS. bl; akin to D. bloed, OHG.bluot, G. blut, Goth, bl, Sw. & Dan. blod; prob. fr. the same root asE. 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.
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.
2. Relationship by descent from a common ancestor; consanguinity;kinship.To share the blood of Saxon royalty. Sir W. Scott.A friend of our own blood. Waller.Half blood (Law), relationship through only one parent.— Whole blood, relationship through both father and mother. InAmerican Law, blood includes both half blood, and whole blood.Bouvier. Peters.
3. Descent; lineage; especially, honorable birth; the highest royallineage.Give us a prince of blood, a son of Priam. Shak.I am a gentleman of blood and breeding. Shak.
4. (Stock Breeding)
Defn: Descent from parents of recognized breed; excellence or purity of breed.
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.
5. The fleshy nature of man. Nor gives it satisfaction to our blood. Shak.
6. The shedding of blood; the taking of life, murder; manslaughter;destruction.So wills the fierce, avenging sprite, Till blood for blood atones.Hood.
7. A bloodthirsty or murderous disposition. [R.] He was a thing of blood, whose every motion Was timed with dying cries. Shak.
8. Temper of mind; disposition; state of the passions; — as if the blood were the seat of emotions. When you perceive his blood inclined to mirth. Shak.
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.
9. A man of fire or spirit; a fiery spark; a gay, showy man; a rake. Seest thou not . . . how giddily 'a turns about all the hot bloods between fourteen and five and thirty Shak. It was the morning costume of a dandy or blood. Thackeray.
10. The juice of anything, especially if red. He washed . . . his clothes in the blood of grapes. Gen. xiix. 11.
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. 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 (Zoöl.), 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 hæmoglobin of the red blood corpuscles; hæmatocrystallin. All blood does not yield blood crystals. — Blood heat, heat equal to the temperature of human blood, or about 98½ º 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; toxæmia. — 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.
BLOODBlood, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Blooded; p. pr. & vb. n. Blooding.]
1. To bleed. [Obs.] Cowper.
2. To stain, smear or wet, with blood. [Archaic] Reach out their spears afar, And blood their points. Dryden.
3. To give (hounds or soldiers) a first taste or sight of blood, asin hunting or war.It was most important too that his troops should be blooded.Macaulay.
4. To heat the blood of; to exasperate. [Obs.] The auxiliary forces of the French and English were much blooded one against another. Bacon.
BLOODBIRDBlood"bird` (, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: An Australian honeysucker (Myzomela sanguineolata); — so called from the bright red color of the male bird.
BLOOD-BOLTEREDBlood"-bol`tered, a. Etym: [Blood + Prov. E. bolter to mat in tufts.Cf. Balter.]
Defn: Having the hair matted with clotted blood. [Obs. & R.]The blood-boltered Banquo smiles upon me. Shak.
BLOODEDBlood"ed, a.
Defn: Having pure blood, or a large admixture or pure blood; of approved breed; of the best stock.
Note: Used also in composition in phrases indicating a particular condition or quality of blood; as, cold-blooded; warm-blooded.
BLOODFLOWERBlood"flow`er, n. Etym: [From the color of the flower.] (Bot.)
Defn: A genus of bulbous plants, natives of Southern Africa, named Hæmanthus, of the Amaryllis family. The juice of H. toxicarius is used by the Hottentots to poison their arrows.
BLOODGUILTYBlood"guilt`y, a.
Defn: Guilty of murder or bloodshed. "A bloodguilty life." Fairfax.— Blood"guilt`i*ness (, n.— Blood"guilt`less, a.
BLOODHOUNDBlood"hound` (, n.
Defn: A breed of large and powerful dogs, with long, smooth, and pendulous ears, and remarkable for acuteness of smell. It is employed to recover game or prey which has escaped wounded from a hunter, and for tracking criminals. Formerly it was used for pursuing runaway slaves. Other varieties of dog are often used for the same purpose and go by the same name. The Cuban bloodhound is said to be a variety of the mastiff.
BLOODILYBlood"i*ly, adv.
Defn: In a bloody manner; cruelly; with a disposition to shed blood.
BLOODINESSBlood"i*ness, n.
1. The state of being bloody.
2. Disposition to shed blood; bloodthirstiness. All that bloodiness and savage cruelty which was in our nature. Holland.
BLOODLESSBlood"less, a. Etym: [AS. bl.]
1. Destitute of blood, or apparently so; as, bloodless cheeks; lifeless; dead. The bloodless carcass of my Hector sold. Dryden.
2. Not attended with shedding of blood, or slaughter; as, a bloodless victory. Froude.
3. Without spirit or activity.Thou bloodless remnant of that royal blood ! Shak.— Blood"less*ly, adv.— Blood"less*ness, n.
BLOODLETBlood"let` (, v. t. Etym: [AS. bl; bl blood + l to let.]
Defn: bleed; to let blood. Arbuthnot.
BLOODLETTERBlood"let`ter, n.
Defn: One who, or that which, lets blood; a phlebotomist.
BLOODLETTINGBlood"let`ting, n. (Med.)
Defn: The act or process of letting blood or bleeding, as by opening a vein or artery, or by cupping or leeches; — esp. applied to venesection.
BLOOD MONEYBlood" mon`ey.
1. Money paid to the next of kin of a person who has been killed by another.
2. Money obtained as the price, or at the cost, of another's life; — said of a reward for supporting a capital charge, of money obtained for betraying a fugitive or for committing murder, or of money obtained from the sale of that which will destroy the purchaser.
BLOODROOTBlood"root` (, n. (Bot.)
Defn: A plant (Sanguinaria Canadensis), with a red root and red sap, and bearing a pretty, white flower in early spring; — called also puccoon, redroot, bloodwort, tetterwort, turmeric, and Indian paint. It has acrid emetic properties, and the rootstock is used as a stimulant expectorant. See Sanguinaria.
Note: In England the name is given to the tormentil, once used as a remedy for dysentery.
BLOODSHEDBlood"shed` (, n. Etym: [Blood + shed]
Defn: The shedding or spilling of blood; slaughter; the act of shedding human blood, or taking life, as in war, riot, or murder.
BLOODSHEDDERBlood"shed`der, n.
Defn: One who sheds blood; a manslayer; a murderer.
BLOODSHEDDINGBlood"shed`ding, n.
Defn: Bloodshed. Shak.
BLOODSHOTBlood"shot` (, a. Etym: [Blood + shot, p. p. of shoot to variegate.]
Defn: Red and inflamed; suffused with blood, or having the vessels turgid with blood, as when the conjunctiva is inflamed or irritated. His eyes were bloodshot, . . . and his hair disheveled. Dickens.
BLOOD-SHOTTENBlood"-shot`ten, a.
Defn: Bloodshot. [Obs.]
BLOODSTICKBlood"stick", n. (Far.)
Defn: A piece of hard wood loaded at one end with lead, and used to strike the fleam into the vein. Youatt.
BLOODSTONE Blood"stone` (, n. (Min.) (a) A green siliceous stone sprinkled with red jasper, as if with blood; hence the name; — called also heliotrope. (b) Hematite, an ore of iron yielding a blood red powder or "streak."
BLOODSTROKEBlood"stroke` (, n. Etym: [Cf. F. coup de sang.]
Defn: Loss of sensation and motion from hemorrhage or congestion in the brain. Dunglison.
BLOODSUCKERBlood"suck`er, n.
1. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Any animal that sucks blood; esp., the leech (Hirudo medicinalis), and related species.
2. One who sheds blood; a cruel, bloodthirsty man; one guilty of bloodshed; a murderer. [Obs.] Shak.
3. A hard and exacting master, landlord, or money lender; an extortioner.
BLOODTHIRSTYBlood"thirst`y, a.
Defn: Eager to shed blood; cruel; sanguinary; murderous.— Blood"thirst`i*ness (n.
BLOODULFBlood"ulf, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: The European bullfinch.
BLOOD VESSELBlood" ves`sel. (Anat.)
Defn: Any vessel or canal in which blood circulates in an animal, as an artery or vein.
BLOODWITE; BLOODWIT Blood"wite`, Blood"wit` (, n. Etym: [AS. bl; bl blood, + wite wite, fine.] (Anc. Law)
Defn: A fine or amercement paid as a composition for the shedding of blood; also, a riot wherein blood was spilled.
BLOODWOODBlood"wood, n. (Bot.)
Defn: A tree having the wood or the sap of the color of blood.
Note: Norfolk Island bloodwood is a euphorbiaceous tree (Baloghia lucida), from which the sap is collected for use as a plant. Various other trees have the name, chiefly on account of the color of the wood, as Gordonia Hæmatoxylon of Jamaica, and several species of Australian Eucalyptus; also the true logwood ( Hæmatoxylon campechianum).
BLOODWORTBlood"wort` (, n. (Bot.)
Defn: A plant, Rumex sanguineus, or bloody-veined dock. The name is applied also to bloodroot (Sanguinaria Canadensis), and to an extensive order of plants (Hæmodoraceæ), the roots of many species of which contain a red coloring matter useful in dyeing.
BLOODYBlood"y, a. Etym: [AS. bl.]
1. Containing or resembling blood; of the nature of blood; as, bloody excretions; bloody sweat.
2. Smeared or stained with blood; as, bloody hands; a bloody handkerchief.
3. Given, or tending, to the shedding of blood; having a cruel, savage disposition; murderous; cruel. Some bloody passion shakes your very frame. Shak.
4. Attended with, or involving, bloodshed; sanguinary; esp., marked by great slaughter or cruelty; as, a bloody battle.
5. Infamous; contemptible; — variously used for mere emphasis or as a low epithet. [Vulgar] Thackeray.
BLOODYBlood"y, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bloodied (; p. pr. & vb. n. Bloodying.]
Defn: To stain with blood. Overbury.
BLOODYBONESBlood"y*bones` (, n.
Defn: A terrible bugbear.
BLOODY FLUXBlood"y flux`.
Defn: The dysentery, a disease in which the flux or discharge from the bowels has a mixture of blood. Arbuthnot.
BLOODY HANDBlood"y hand` (.
1. A hand stained with the blood of a deer, which, in the old forest laws of England, was sufficient evidence of a man's trespass in the forest against venison. Jacob.
2. (Her.)
Defn: A red hand, as in the arms of Ulster, which is now the distinguishing mark of a baronet of the United Kingdom.
BLOODY-MINDEDBlood"y-mind"ed, a.
Defn: Having a cruel, ferocious disposition; bloodthirsty. Dryden.
BLOODY SWEATBlood"y sweat` (.
Defn: A sweat accompanied by a discharge of blood; a disease, called sweating sickness, formerly prevalent in England and other countries.
BLOOM Bloom, n. Etym: [OE. blome, fr. Icel. bl, bl; akin to Sw. blom, Goth. bl, OS. bl, D. bloem, OHG. bluomo, bluoma, G. blume; fr. the same root as AS. bl to blow, blossom. See Blow to bloom, and cf. Blossom.]
1. A blossom; the flower of a plant; an expanded bud; flowers, collectively. The rich blooms of the tropics. Prescott.
2. The opening of flowers in general; the state of blossoming or of having the flowers open; as, the cherry trees are in bloom. "Sight of vernal bloom." Milton.
3. A state or time of beauty, freshness, and vigor; an opening to higher perfection, analogous to that of buds into blossoms; as, the bloom of youth. Every successive mother has transmitted a fainter bloom, a more delicate and briefer beauty. Hawthorne.
4. The delicate, powdery coating upon certain growing or newly- gathered fruits or leaves, as on grapes, plums, etc. Hence: Anything giving an appearance of attractive freshness; a flush; a glow. A new, fresh, brilliant world, with all the bloom upon it. Thackeray.
5. The clouded appearance which varnish sometimes takes upon the surface of a picture.
6. A yellowish deposit or powdery coating which appears on well- tanned leather. Knight.
7. (Min.)
Defn: A popular term for a bright-hued variety of some minerals; as, the rose-red cobalt bloom.
BLOOMBloom, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Bloomed; p. pr. & vb. n. Blooming.]
1. To produce or yield blossoms; to blossom; to flower or be in flower. A flower which once In Paradise, fast by the tree of life, Began to bloom. Milton.
2. To be in a state of healthful, growing youth and vigor; to show beauty and freshness, as of flowers; to give promise, as by or with flowers. A better country blooms to view, Beneath a brighter sky. Logan.
BLOOMBloom, v. t.
1. To cause to blossom; to make flourish. [R.] Charitable affection bloomed them. Hooker.
2. To bestow a bloom upon; to make blooming or radiant. [R.] Milton. While barred clouds bloom the soft-dying day. Keats.
BLOOM Bloom, n. Etym: [AS. bl a mass or lump, isenes bl a lump or wedge of iron.] (Metal.) (a) A mass of wrought iron from the Catalan forge or from the puddling furnace, deprived of its dross, and shaped usually in the form of an oblong block by shingling. (b) A large bar of steel formed directly from an ingot by hammering or rolling, being a preliminary shape for further working.
BLOOMARYBloom"a*ry, n.
Defn: See Bloomery.
BLOOMER Bloom"er, n. Etym: [From Mrs. Bloomer, an American, who sought to introduce this style of dress.]
1. A costume for women, consisting of a short dress, with loose trousers gathered round ankles, and (commonly) a broad-brimmed hat.
2. A woman who wears a Bloomer costume.
BLOOMERYBloom"er*y, n. (Manuf.)
Defn: A furnace and forge in which wrought iron in the form of blooms is made directly from the ore, or (more rarely) from cast iron.
BLOOMINGBloom"ing, n. (Metal.)
Defn: The process of making blooms from the ore or from cast iron.
BLOOMINGBloom"ing, a.
1. Opening in blossoms; flowering.
2. Thriving in health, beauty, and vigor; indicating the freshness and beauties of youth or health.
BLOOMINGLYBloom"ing*ly, adv.
Defn: In a blooming manner.
BLOOMINGNESSBloom"ing*ness, n.
Defn: A blooming condition.
BLOOMLESSBloom"less, a.
Defn: Without bloom or flowers. Shelley.
BLOOMYBloom"y, a.
1. Full of bloom; flowery; flourishing with the vigor of youth; as, a bloomy spray. But all the bloomy flush of life is fled. Goldsmith.
2. Covered with bloom, as fruit. Dryden.
BLOOTHBlooth, n.
Defn: Bloom; a blossoming. [Prov. Eng.]All that blooth means heavy autumn work for him and his hands. T.Hardy.
BLORE Blore, n. Etym: [Perh. a variant of blare, v. i.; or cf. Gael. & Ir. blor a loud noise.]
Defn: The act of blowing; a roaring wind; a blast. [Obs.]A most tempestuous blore. Chapman.
BLOSMYBlos"my, a.
Defn: Blossomy. [Obs.] Chaucer.
BLOSSOMBlos"som, n. Etym: [OE. blosme, blostme, AS. bl, bl, blossom; akin toD. bloesem, L. fios, and E. flower; from the root of E. blow toblossom. See Blow to blossom, and cf. Bloom a blossom.]
1. The flower of a plant, or the essential organs of reproduction, with their appendages; florescence; bloom; the flowers of a plant, collectively; as, the blossoms and fruit of a tree; an apple tree in blossom.
Note: The term has been applied by some botanists, and is also applied in common usage, to the corolla. It is more commonly used than flower or bloom, when we have reference to the fruit which is to succeed. Thus we use flowers when we speak of plants cultivated for ornament, and bloom in a more general sense, as of flowers in general, or in reference to the beauty of flowers. Blossoms flaunting in the eye of day. Longfellow.
2. A blooming period or stage of development; something lovely that gives rich promise. In the blossom of my youth. Massinger.
3. The color of a horse that has white hairs intermixed with sorrel and bay hairs; — otherwise called peach color. In blossom, having the blossoms open; in bloom.
BLOSSOMBlos"som, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Blossomed; p. pr. & vb. n. Blossoming.]Etym: [AS. bl. See Blossom, n.]
1. To put forth blossoms or flowers; to bloom; to blow; to flower. The moving whisper of huge trees that branched And blossomed. Tennyson.
2. To flourish and prosper. Israel shall blossom and bud, and full the face of the world with fruit. Isa. xxvii. 6.
BLOSSOMLESSBlos"som*less, a.
Defn: Without blossoms.
BLOSSOMYBlos"som*y, a.
Defn: Full of blossoms; flowery.
BLOTBlot, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Blotted; p. pr. & vb. n. Blotting.] Etym:[Cf. Dan. plette. See 3d Blot.]
1. To spot, stain, or bespatter, as with ink. The brief was writ and blotted all with gore. Gascoigne.
2. To impair; to damage; to mar; to soil. It blots thy beauty, as frosts do bite the meads. Shak.
3. To stain with infamy; to disgrace. Blot not thy innocence with guiltless blood. Rowe.
4. To obliterate, as writing with ink; to cancel; to efface; — generally with out; as, to blot out a word or a sentence. Often figuratively; as, to blot out offenses. One act like this blots out a thousand crimes. Dryden.
5. To obscure; to eclipse; to shadow. He sung how earth blots the moon's gilded wane. Cowley.
6. To dry, as writing, with blotting paper.
Syn. — To obliterate; expunge; erase; efface; cancel; tarnish; disgrace; blur; sully; smear; smutch.
BLOTBlot, v. i.
Defn: To take a blot; as, this paper blots easily.
BLOTBlot, n. Etym: [Cf. Icel. blettr, Dan. plet.]
1. A spot or stain, as of ink on paper; a blur. "Inky blots and rotten parchment bonds." Shak.
2. An obliteration of something written or printed; an erasure. Dryden.
3. A spot on reputation; a stain; a disgrace; a reproach; a blemish. This deadly blot in thy digressing son. Shak.
BLOT Blot, n. Etym: [Cf. Dan. blot bare, naked, Sw. blott, d. bloot, G. bloss, and perh. E. bloat.]
1. (Backgammon) (a) An exposure of a single man to be taken up. (b) A single man left on a point, exposed to be taken up. He is too great a master of his art to make a blot which may be so easily hit. Dryden.
2. A weak point; a failing; an exposed point or mark.
BLOTCH Blotch, n. Etym: [Cf. OE. blacche in blacchepot blacking pot, akin to black, as bleach is akin to bleak. See Black, a., or cf. Blot a spot.]
1. A blot or spot, as of color or of ink; especially a large or irregular spot. Also Fig.; as, a moral blotch. Spots and blotches . . . some red, others yellow. Harvey.
2. (Med.)
Defn: A large pustule, or a coarse eruption.Foul scurf and blotches him defile. Thomson.
BLOTCHEDBlotched, a.
Defn: Marked or covered with blotches.To give their blotched and blistered bodies ease. Drayton.
BLOTCHYBlotch"y, a.
Defn: Having blotches.
BLOTEBlote, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bloted; p. pr. & vb. n. Bloting.] Etym:[Cf. Sw. blöt-fisk soaked fish, fr. blöta to soak. See 1st Bloat.]
Defn: To cure, as herrings, by salting and smoking them; to bloat.[Obs.]
BLOTLESSBlot"less, a.
Defn: Without blot.
BLOTTERBlot"ter, n.
1. One who, or that which blots; esp. a device for absorbing superfluous ink.
2. (Com.)
Defn: A wastebook, in which entries of transactions are made as they take place.
BLOTTESQUEBlot*tesque" (, a. (Painting)
Defn: Characterized by blots or heavy touches; coarsely depicted; wanting in delineation. Ruskin.
BLOTTING PAPERBlot"ting pa`per.
Defn: A kind of thick, bibulous, unsized paper, used to absorb superfluous ink from freshly written manuscript, and thus prevent blots.
BLOUSEBlouse, n. Etym: [F. blouse. Of unknown origin.]
Defn: A light, loose over-garment, 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 Blow, v. i. [imp. Blew; p. p. Blown; p. pr. & vb. n. Blowing.] Etym: [OE. blowen, AS. bl to blossom; akin to OS. bl, D. bloeijen, OHG. pluojan, MHG. bl, G. blühen, L. florere to flourish, OIr. blath blossom. Cf. Blow to puff, Flourish.]
Defn: To flower; to blossom; to bloom.How blows the citron grove. Milton.
BLOWBlow, v. t.
Defn: To cause to blossom; to put forth (blossoms or flowers).The odorous banks, that blow Flowers of more mingled hue. Milton.
BLOWBlow, n. (Bot.)
Defn: A blossom; a flower; also, a state of blossoming; a mass of blossoms. "Such a blow of tulips." Tatler.
BLOWBlow, n. Etym: [OE. blaw, blowe; cf. OHG. bliuwan, pliuwan, to beat,G. bläuen, 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.
BLOWBlow, v. i. [imp. Blew; p. p. Blown; p. pr. & vb. n. Blowing.] Etym:[OE. blawen, blowen, AS. bl to blow, as wind; akin to OHG. pl, G.blähen, to blow up, swell, L. flare to blow, Gr. to spout out, and toE. 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 Etym: (a saying derived from a fable of , 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.
BLOWBlow, 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 shipashore.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 larvæ 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.
BLOWBlow, 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.)
Defn: 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.
BLOWBALLBlow"ball` (, n.
Defn: The downy seed head of a dandelion, which children delight to blow away. B. Jonson.
BLOWEN; BLOWESSBlow"en, Blow"ess, n.
Defn: A prostitute; a courtesan; a strumpet. [Low] Smart.
BLOWERBlow"er, n.
1. One who, or that which, blows.
2. (Mech.)
Defn: 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; — so called by seamen, from the circumstance of its spouting up a column of water.
5. (Zoöl.)
Defn: A small fish of the Atlantic coast (Tetrodon turgidus); the puffer.
6. A braggart, or loud talker. [Slang] Bartlett.
BLOWFLYBlow"fly`, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Any species of fly of the genus Musca that deposits its eggs or young larvæ (called flyblows and maggots) upon meat or other animal products.
BLOWGUNBlow"gun`, n.
Defn: 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; — called also blowpipe, and blowtube. See Sumpitan.
BLOWHOLEBlow"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.
Note: 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)
Defn: An air hole in a casting.
BLOWNBlown, 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. "Their horses much blown." Sir W. Scott.
4. Covered with the eggs and larvæ of flies; fly blown.
BLOWNBlown, p. p. & a.
Defn: Opened; in blossom or having blossomed, as a flower. Shak.
BLOW-OFFBlow"-off` (, n.
1. A blowing off steam, water, etc.; — Also, adj.
Defn: as, a blow-off cock or pipe.
2. An outburst of temper or excitement. [Colloq.]
BLOW-OUTBlow"-out` (, n.
Defn: The cleaning of the flues of a boiler from scale, etc., by a blast of steam.
BLOWPIPEBlow"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.
Note: 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. — Blowpipe reaction (Chem.), the characteristic behavior of a substance subjected to a test by means of the blowpipe.
BLOWPOINTBlow"point` (, n.
Defn: A child's game. [Obs.]
BLOWSEBlowse, n.
Defn: See Blowze.
BLOWTHBlowth, n. Etym: [From Blow to blossom: cf. Growth.]
Defn: A blossoming; a bloom. [Obs. or Archaic] "In the blowth and bud." Sir W. Raleigh.
BLOWTUBEBlow"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)
Defn: A long wrought iron tube, on the end of which the workman gathers a quantity of "metal" (melted glass), and through which he blows to expand or shape it; — called also blowing tube, and blowpipe.
BLOW VALVEBlow" valve` (. (Mach.)
Defn: See Snifting valve.
BLOWYBlow"y, a.
Defn: Windy; as, blowy weather; a blowy upland.
BLOWZEBlowze, n. Etym: [Prob. from the same root as blush.]
Defn: A ruddy, fat-faced woman; a wench. [Obs.] Shak.
BLOWZEDBlowzed, a.
Defn: Having high color from exposure to the weather; ruddy-faced;blowzy; disordered.Huge women blowzed with health and wind. Tennyson.
BLOWZYBlowz"y, a.
Defn: Coarse and ruddy-faced; fat and ruddy; high colored; frowzy.
BLUBBlub, v. t. & i. Etym: [Cf. Bleb, Blob.]
Defn: To swell; to puff out, as with weeping. [Obs.]
BLUBBERBlub"ber, n. Etym: [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. (Zoöl.)
Defn: A large sea nettle or medusa.
BLUBBERBlub"ber, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Blubbered; p. pr. & vb. n. Blubbering.]
Defn: To weep noisily, or so as to disfigure the face; to cry in achildish manner.She wept, she blubbered, and she tore her hair. Swift.
BLUBBERBlub"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); — with forth or out.
BLUBBEREDBlub"bered, p. p. & a.
Defn: Swollen; turgid; as, a blubbered lip. Spenser.
BLUBBERINGBlub"ber*ing, n.
Defn: The act of weeping noisily.He spake well save that his blubbering interrupted him. Winthrop.
BLUBBERYBlub"ber*y, a.
1. Swollen; protuberant.
2. Like blubber; gelatinous and quivering; as, a blubbery mass.
BLUCHERBlu"cher, n.
Defn: A kind of half boot, named from the Prussian general Blücher.Thackeray.
BLUDGEON Bludg"eon, n. Etym: [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.]
Defn: A short stick, with one end loaded, or thicker and heavier that the other, used as an offensive weapon.
BLUEBlue, a. [Compar. Bluer; superl. Bluest.] Etym: [OE. bla, blo, blew,blue, Sw. bl, D. blauw, OHG. bl, G. blau; but influenced in form byF. bleu, from OHG. blao.]
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.
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.
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; — applied to women; — an abbreviation of bluestocking. [Colloq.] The ladies were very blue and well informed. Thackeray. Blue asbestus. See Crocidolite. — Blue black, of, or having, a very dark blue color, almost black. — Blue blood. See under Blood. — Blue buck (Zoöl.), a small South African antelope (Cephalophus pygmæus); also applied to a larger species (Ægoceras leucophæus); the blaubok. — Blue cod (Zoöl.), the buffalo cod. — Blue crab (Zoöl.), 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 mould, the blue fungus (Aspergillus glaucus) which grows on cheese. Brande & C. — Blue Monday, a Monday following a Sunday of dissipation, or itself given to dissipation (as the Monday before Lent). — 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 (Zoöl.), 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. — 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.
For his religion . . . 'T was Presbyterian, true blue. Hudibras.
BLUEBlue, 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. Etym: [Short for blue devils.]
Defn: Low spirits; a fit of despondency; melancholy. [Colloq.] Berlinblue, Prussian blue.— Mineral blue. See under Mineral.— Prussian blue. See under Prussian.
BLUEBlue, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Blued; p. pr. & vb. n. Bluing.]
Defn: To make blue; to dye of a blue color; to make blue by heating, as metals, etc.
BLUEBACK Blue"back`, n. (Zoöl.) (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 æstivalis), closely allied to the alewife.
BLUEBEARDBlue"beard, n.
Defn: The hero of a mediæval 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. — 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.
BLUEBELL Blue"bell`, n. (Bot.) (a) A plant of the genus Campanula, especially the Campanula rotundifolia, which bears blue bell-shaped flowers; the harebell. (b) A plant of the genus Scilla (Scilla nutans).
BLUEBERRYBlue"berry, n. Etym: [Cf. Blaeberry.] (Bot.)
Defn: 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.
BLUEBILLBlue"bill`, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: A duck of the genus Fuligula. Two American species (F. marila and F. affinis) are common. See Scaup duck.
BLUEBIRDBlue"bird`, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: A small song bird (Sialia sialis), very common in the UnitedStates, and, in the north, one of the earliest to arrive in spring.The male is blue, with the breast reddish. It is related to theEuropean robin. Pairy bluebird (Zoöl.), a brilliant Indian or EastIndian bird of the genus Irena, of several species.
BLUE BONNET; BLUE-BONNETBlue" bon`net or Blue"-bon`net, n.
1. A broad, flat Scottish cap of blue woolen, or one waring such cap; a Scotchman.
2. (Bot.)
Defn: A plant. Same as Bluebottle.
3. (Zoöl.)
Defn: The European blue titmouse (Parus coeruleus); the bluecap.
BLUE BOOKBlue" book`.
1. A parliamentary publication, so called from its blue paper covers. [Eng.]
2. The United States official "Biennial Register."
BLUEBOTTLEBlue"bot`tle, n.
1. (Bot.)
Defn: A plant (Centaurea cyanus) which grows in grain fields. It receives its name from its blue bottle-shaped flowers.
2. (Zoöl.)
Defn: A large and troublesome species of blowfly (Musca vomitoria).Its body is steel blue.
BLUEBREASTBlue"breast`, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: A small European bird; the blue-throated warbler.
BLUECAPBlue"cap`, n.
1. (Zoöl.) (a) The bluepoll. (b) The blue bonnet or blue titmouse.
2. A Scot; a Scotchman; — so named from wearing a blue bonnet. [Poetic] Shak.
BLUECOATBlue"coat`, n.
Defn: One dressed in blue, as a soldier, a sailor, a beadle, etc.
BLUE-EYEBlue"-eye`, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: The blue-cheeked honeysucker of Australia.
BLUE-EYEDBlue"-eyed`, a.
Defn: Having blue eyes.
BLUE-EYED GRASSBlue-eyed grass (Bot.)
Defn: a grasslike plant (Sisyrinchium anceps), with small flowers of a delicate blue color.
BLUEFINBlue"fin`, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: A species of whitefish (Coregonus nigripinnis) found in LakeMichigan.
BLUEFISHBlue"fish`, n. (Zoöl.)
1. A large voracious fish (Pomatomus saitatrix), of the family Carangidæ, 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 Labridæ.
Note: The name is applied locally to other species of fishes; as the cunner, sea bass, squeteague, etc.
BLUEGOWNBlue"gown`, n.
Defn: 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 GRASSBlue" grass`. (Bot.)
Defn: 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-GRASS STATEBlue-grass State.
Defn: The Sate of Kentucky; — a nickname alluding to the blue-grass region, where fine horses are bred.
BLUE HEN STATEBlue Hen State.
Defn: The State of Delaware; — a popular sobriquet. It is said, though the story lacks proof, to have taken its origin from the insistence of a Delaware Revolutionary captain, named Caldwell, that no cock could be truly game unless the mother was a blue hen, whence Blue Hen's Chickens came to be a nickname for the people of Delaware.
BLUE JAYBlue" jay`. (Zoöl.)
Defn: The common jay of the United States (Cyanocitta, or Cyanura, cristata). The predominant color is bright blue.
BLUE-JOHNBlue"-john`, n.