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Webster 1913 Edition

Blow

Blow

(blō)
,
Verb.
I.
[
imp.
Blew
(blū)
;
p. p.
Blown
(blōn)
;
p. pr. & vb. n.
Blowing
.]
[OE.
blowen
, AS.
blōwan
to blossom; akin to OS.
blōjan
, D.
bloeijen
, OHG.
pluojan
, MHG.
blüejen
, G.
blühen
, 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

,
Verb.
T.
To cause to blossom; to put forth (blossoms or flowers).
The odorous banks, that
blow

Flowers of more mingled hue.
Milton.

Blow

,
Noun.
(Bot.)
A blossom; a flower; also, a state of blossoming; a mass of blossoms.
“Such a blow of tulips.”
Tatler.

Blow

,
Noun.
[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
.
Shakespeare
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
.
Shakespeare
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

,
Verb.
I.
[
imp.
Blew
(blū)
;
p. p.
Blown
(blōn)
;
p. pr. & vb. n.
Blowing
.]
[OE.
blawen
,
blowen
, AS.
blāwan
to blow, as wind; akin to OHG.
plājan
, G.
blähen
, to blow up, swell, L.
flare
to blow, Gr.
ἐκφλαίνειν
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
.
Shakespeare
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 Æsop'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

,
Verb.
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; to
blow
a horn
.
Hath she no husband
That will take pains to
blow
a horn before her?
Shakespeare
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; to reveal, intentionally or inadvertently;
as, to
blow
an agent's cover
.
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.
Shakespeare
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.
Shakespeare
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

,
Noun.
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.

Webster 1828 Edition

Blow

BLOW

,
Noun.
[This probably is a contracted word, and the primary sense must be, to strike, thrust, push, or throw, that is, to drive. I have not found it in the cognate dialects. If g or other palatal letter is lost, it corresponds in elements with the L.plaga
fligo; Eng.flog.]
1.
The act of striking; more generally the stroke; a violent application of the hand, fist, or an instrument to an object.
2.
The fatal stroke; a stroke that kills; hence, death.
3.
An act of hostility; as, the nation which strikes the first blow. Hence, to come to blows, is to engage in combat, whether by individuals, armies, fleets or nations; and when by nations, it is war.
4.
A sudden calamity; a sudden or severe evil. In like manner, plaga in Latin gives rise to the Eng. plague.
5.
A single act; a sudden event; as, to gain or lose a province at a blow, or by one blow.
At a stroke is used in like manner.
6.
An ovum or egg deposited by a fly, on flesh or other substance, called a fly-blow.

BLOW

,
Verb.
T.
pret. blew; pp.blown. [L.flo, to blow. This word probably is from the same root as bloom, blossom, blow, a flower.]
1.
To make a current of air; to move as air; as, the wind blows. Often used with it; as, it blows a gale.
2.
To pant; to puff; to breathe hard or quick.
Here is Mrs. Page at the door, sweating and blowing.
3.
To breathe; as, to blow hot and cold.
4.
To sound with being blown, as a horn or trumpet.
5.
To flower; to blossom; to bloom; as plants.
How blows the citron grove.
To blow over, to pass away without effect;to cease or be dissipated; as, the storm or the clouds are blown over.
To blow up, to rise in the air; also, to be broken and scattered by the explosion of gunpowder.

BLOW

,
Verb.
T.
To throw or drive a current of air upon; as, to blow the fire; also, to fan.
1.
To drive by a current of air; to impel; as, the tempest blew the ship ashore.
2.
To breathe upon, for the purpose of warming; as, to blow the fingers in a cold day.
3.
To sound a wind instrument; as, blow the trumpet.
4.
To spread by report.
And through the court his courtesy was blown.
5.
To deposit eggs, as flies.
6.
To form bubbles by blowing.
7.
To swell and inflate, as veal; a practice of butchers.
8.
To form glass into a particular shape by the breath, as in glass manufactories.
9.
To melt tin, after being first burnt to destroy the mundic.
To blow away, to dissipate; to scatter with wind.
To blow down, to prostrate by wind.
To blow off, to shave down by wind, as to blow off fruit from trees; to drive from land, as to blow off a ship.
To blow out, to extinguish by a current of air, as a candle.
To blow up,to fill with air; to swell; as, to blow up a bladder or a bubble.
10. To inflate; to puff up; as, to blow up one with flattery.
11. To kindle; as, to blow up a contention.
12. To burst, to raise into the air,or to scatter, by the explosion of gunpowder. Figuratively, to scatter or bring to naught suddenly; as, to blow up a scheme.
To blow upon, to make stale; as, to blow upon an author's works.

BLOW

,
Noun.
A flower; a blossom. This word is in general use in the U. States, and legitimate. In the Tatler, it is used for blossoms in general, as we use blowth.
1.
Among seamen, a gale of wind. This also is a legitimate word, in general use in the U. States.

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