blow

blow¹

verb (past blew; past participle blown)

1》 (of wind) move creating an air current.

    ↘be carried or driven by the wind.

2》 expel air through pursed lips.

    ↘force air through the mouth into (an instrument) to make a sound.

    ↘force air through a tube into (molten glass) to create an artefact.

    ↘remove the contents of (an egg) by forcing air through it.

    ↘(of a whale) eject air and vapour through the blowhole.

3》 sound (the horn of a vehicle).

4》 (of an explosion) displace violently or send flying.

    ↘burst or burn out through pressure or overheating.

    ↘(of a vehicle tyre) burst suddenly while the vehicle is in motion.

5》 informal spend recklessly.

6》 informal completely bungle (an opportunity).

    ↘expose (a stratagem): his cover was blown.

7》 (past participle blowed) Brit. informal damn: ‘Well, blow me’, he said.

8》 N. Amer. informal leave.

9》 (of flies) lay eggs in or on.

10》 informal play jazz or rock music in an unrestrained style.

11》 [as adjective blown] breathing hard; exhausted.

noun

1》 a strong wind.

2》 an act of blowing.

3》 informal cannabis.

Phrases

blow a fuse (or gasket) informal lose one's temper.

blow hot and cold alternate inconsistently between two moods, attitudes, etc.

blow someone a kiss kiss the tips of one's fingers then blow across them towards someone as a gesture of affection.

blow someone's mind informal impress or otherwise affect someone very strongly.

blow one's nose clear one's nose of mucus by blowing through it into a handkerchief.

blow one's top (or chiefly N. Amer. lid or stack) informal lose one's temper.

blow with the wind be incapable of maintaining a consistent course of action.

Phrasal verbs

blow someone away informal

1》 kill someone using a firearm.

2》 cause someone to be extremely impressed.

blow in informal arrive casually and unannounced.

blow off informal

1》 lose one's temper and shout.

2》 break wind noisily.

blow someone off N. Amer. informal fail to keep an appointment with someone.

↘end a romantic or sexual relationship with someone.

blow something off N. Amer. informal ignore or fail to attend something.

blow someone out N. Amer. informal defeat someone convincingly.

blow over (of trouble) fade away without serious consequences.

blow up

1》 explode.

2》 lose one's temper.

3》 (of a wind or storm) begin to develop.

4》 (of a scandal or dispute) emerge or become public.

5》 inflate.

blow something up

1》 cause something to explode.

2》 inflate or enlarge something.

Origin

OE blāwan, of Gmc origin.

————————

blow²

noun

1》 a powerful stroke with a hand or weapon.

2》 a sudden shock or disappointment.

Phrases

blow-by-blow (of a description of an event) giving all the details in the order in which they occurred.

come to blows start fighting after a disagreement.

Origin

ME: of unknown origin.

————————

blow³

archaic or literary

verb (past blew; past participle blown) produce flowers or be in flower.

noun the state or period of flowering.

Origin

OE blōwan, of Gmc origin; related to bloom¹ and blossom.