blanketing 
process of obtaining gold by collecting it as 
it comes from the stamps on a blanket or in a 
blanket-sluice. 4. pi. The gold so obtained. 
6. The operation of tossing in a blanket as a 
punishment or a joke. 
That affair of the blanketing happened to thee for the 
fault thou wast guilty of. 
Smollett, tr. of Don Quixote, iii. 5. 
blanket-leaf (blang'ket-lef), . The common 
niullen, Verbascwn Thapsus. 
blanket-mortgage (blang'ket-m6r"gaj), TO. A 
mortgage intended to cover an aggregation of 
property, or secure or provide for indebtedness 
previously existing in various forms. 
blanket-sheet (blang'ket-shet), n. A large 
newspaper in folio form. Amer. Bookmaker. 
blanket-sluice (blang'ket-slos), n. In mining 
and metal., a long trough or sluice in which 
blankets are laid for the purpose of collecting 
the particles of gold or amalgam which pass 
over them as the material flows from under the 
stamps. 
blankillo (blang-kil'o), . Same as blanquillo, 1. 
blanking-press (blang'king-pres), . A stamp- 
ing-press used to cut out blanks. 
blankly (blangk'li), adv. 1. In a blank or va- 
cant manner ; vacuously ; aimlessly. 2. Di- 
rectly ; point-blank ; flatly ; utterly. 
We in short blankly deny the possibility of loss. 
Fortnightly Sev., N. S., XL. 540. 
blankness (blangk'nes), n. [< blanJc + -ness.] 
The state or quality of being blank. 
There was nothing external by which he [Casaubon] 
could account for a certain blankness of sensibility which 
came over him just when his expected gladness should 
have been most lively. George Eliot, Middlemarch, I. 94. 
Blanquefort (blonk'fort), n. [F. Blanquefort, 
a town in Gironde, France.] A red wine grown 
in the department of Gironde in France. 
blanquette (blon-kef), n. [F., dim. of Wane, 
white. Cf. blanket.] 1. In cookery, a white 
fricassee ; also, a minced dish, as of cold veal. 
2. A kind of crude soda, obtained at Aigues- 
Mortes, in France, by the incineration of Sal- 
sola Tragus and S. Kali. 3. A kind of white 
sparkling wine made in southern France, often 
called blanquette de Limoux. 4. A large va- 
riety of pear. Also written blanket. 
blanquil (blang-keT), n. Same as blanquillo. 
blanquillo (blang-ke'lyo), n. [Sp., a small 
coin, < blanquillo, whitish, dim. of bianco, white : 
see blank, a.] 1. A small copper coin equiva- 
lent to about 6 centimes, or a little over 1 cent, 
current in Morocco and on the Barbary coast. 
Also blankillo. 2. A name of a fish of the 
678 
MHG. bleren, Vlerren, cry aloud, bleat, G. War- 
ren, blarren, pldrren, roar, bellow, bleat, blare ; 
prob. an imitative word.] I. intrans. 1. To 
roar; bellow; cry; low. [Now chiefly prov. 
Eng.] 2. To give forth a loud sound like a 
trumpet; give out a brazen sound; bellow. 
Warble, bugle, and trumpet blare. 
Tennyson, Welcome to Alexandra. 
II. trans. To sound loudly ; proclaim noisily. 
And such a tongue 
To Mare its own interpretation. 
Tennyson, Lancelot and Elaine. 
blare 1 (blar), n. [< blare 1 , v.] 1. A roaring; 
loud or bellowing noise. 
Whitman . . . sang the blare and brawn that he found 
in the streets. Stedman, Poets of America, p. 355. 
2. Sound like that of a trumpet. 
And his ears are stunned with the thunder's blare. 
J. R. Drake, Culprit Fay. 
With blare of bugle, clamor of men, 
Roll of cannon and clash of arms. 
Tennyson, Duke of Wellington. 
3. The bleat of a sheep, the bellowing of a 
calf, or the weeping of a child. [Prov. Eng.] 
blare 2 (blar), . [Origin unknown.] Naut., a 
paste of hair and tar used for calking the seams 
of boats. 
blare 3 (blar), . [Swiss.] A petty copper 
coin, of about the value of 2 cents, struck at 
Bern, Switzerland. 
Blarina (bla-ri'na), . [NL. ; a nonsense- 
name.] A genus of American shrews, with 32 
or 30 colored teeth, concealed ears, and short 
tail. It is the short-tailed mole-shrew of North America, 
blasphemy 
Blanquillo (Caittotatilits tnicrops . 
Mole-shrew (Blarina brrvicauda). 
of which there are several species, of two subgenera, Bla- 
rina proper, with 32 teeth, and Soriciscus, with 30 teeth. 
The best-known is B. brevieauda, the common mole- 
shrew of the United States, one of the largest of the fam- 
ily Soricidx. 
blarney (blar'ni), n. [Popularly referred to 
Castle Blarney, near Cork in Ireland, in the 
wall of which is a stone (the "Blarney stone") 
said to endow those who kiss it with unusual 
facility and unscrupulousness in the use of flat- 
tery and compliment.] Exceedingly compli- 
mentary language ; flattery; smooth, wheedling 
talk ; pleasing cajolery. 
The blarney 's so great a deceiver. 5. Lover. 
Madame de Stael was regretting to Lord Castlereagh 
that there was no word in the English language which 
answered to their "Sentiment." "No," he said, "there 
is no English word, but the Irish have one that corre- 
sponds exactly, blarney ! " Caroline Fox, Journal, p. 121. 
blarney (blar'ni), v.t. [< blarney, n.] To talk 
genus Caulolatilus and family LatiMce, such over or beguile by wheedling speeches; flatter; 
na r* ,./,.-,,.:..!,.. r< .,;,,....,... A ~ r* * . humbug with agreeable talk. 
, 
as C. chrysops, C. microps, or C. princeps. c. mi- 
crops is of moderately elongate form, and has 7 dorsal 
spines and 25 rays, is of a reddish color marked with yellow, 
and has a yellow band below the eyes and a dark axillary 
blotch. It inhabits the Caribbean sea and the southern 
coasts of Florida, and is esteemed for the table. C. prin- 
ceps is a closely related species, olivaceous with bluish re- 
flections, occurring along the southern Californian coast, 
where it is known as blanquillo and whitefish. 
Blaps (blaps), n. [NL.] A genus of beetles, 
generally referred to the family Tenebrionida, 
but by some taken as the type of a family 
Blapsid(B. Blaps mortisaga is a common European spe- 
cies, called churchyard beetle in 
Great Britain ; B. tmicmnnta is 
found in kitchens and cellars ; B. 
sulcata is dressed with butter and 
eaten by Egyptian women to make 
them grow fat. 
Blapsidse (blap'si-de), n. pi. 
[NL., < Slaps + -ida.] A 
family of atracheliate hete- 
romerous beetles, generally 
merged in Tenebrionidce, 
comprising nocturnal black- churchyard Beetle 
beetles of moderate size, the ( Ma !g e ' )l 
The General has yet to learn that my father's country- 
men (I have ever felt proud of my descent from an Irish- 
man), though they sometimes do blarney others, are yet 
hard to be blarneyed themselves. 
J. Buchanan, in Curtis, II. 63. 
blast, n. [Invented by Van Helmont (1577- 
1644). Cf. gas.] A subtle kind of matter sup- 
posed by Van Helmont, a Dutch mystic philos- 
opher, to be radiated from the stars and to 
produce effects opposite to those of heat. 
blase (bla-za'), a. [F.,pp. of blazer, cloy, satiate, 
blunt, of uncertain origin.] Exhausted by en- 
joyment, especially by sensuous pleasures; 
having the healthy energies exhausted ; weary 
and disgusted with life. 
blash (blash), v. t. [An imitative word, assimi- 
lated to plash, splash, dash, flash, etc.] 1. To 
dash or splash with a quantity of liquid ; drench . 
2. To pour in suddenly and in great quantity. 
[Scotch and North. Eng.] 
blash (blash), n. [< blash, v.] 1. A dash or 
plash, as of rain falling in sheets. 
A snaw storm came down frae the mountains, . . . noo 
a whirl, and noo a blash. J. Wilson, Noctes Ambros. 
wings of which are gener- 
ally obsolete and the elytra fused together. 
They frequent damp places, and when seized discharge in 
self-defense a liquid of a peculiar and penetrating odor. 
blare 1 (blar), v. ; pret. blared, ppr. blaring. [So. 
also blair, early mod. E. blear (Sc. bleir) ; < late 
ME. bleren, earlier bloren i(see blare*), and prob. _.. ,_,_. ^^,., 
laren, cry weep, = MD. blaren, blaeren, low, blashy (blasb/i), a. [< blash + -yi.] 1. Char- 
sat, = MLG. blarren, LG. blarren, blaren = actenzed by sudden drenching showers ; delug- 
. . , . 
2. A quantity of thin, watery stuff, especially 
an excessive quantity: as, a blash of tea. 3. A 
broad blaze or flare. 
[Prov. Eng. and Scotch.] 
Slash-boggart, a goblin who appears and disappears in 
a Hash. See bogr/ardi. [Scoteh.] 
ing; wet: as, blashy weather; blashy walking. 
2. Thin; weak; watery; of poor quality: ap- 
plied to food or drink. 
[Prov. Eng. and Scotch.] 
blasphematoryt (blas-fe'ma-to-ri), a. [< blas- 
pheme + -atory. Cf . LL. blasphemator, a blas- 
phemer.] Blasphemous. 
blasphemet (blas'fem), a. and n. 1 [ME., also 
blasfeme, < OF. blasfeme (mod. F. blaspheme), 
< ML. blasfemus, LL. blasphemus, < Gr. 
a<tiuof, evil-speaking, < /3/lao-, prob. for /3 
(cf. /3/ld^f, damage, injury, harm) (< /3/W;n-m>, 
damage, harm, injure), + QqfBi,- speech (= L. 
fama, fame), < $av<u = L. fart, speak.] I. a. 
Blasphemous. 
II. n. A blasphemer. Wyclif. 
blasphemet (blas'fem), n.2 [ME. blaspheme, 
blasfeme, blafeme, < OF. blafeme, blaspheme, 
mod. F. blaspheme = Pr. blaspheme, (. LL. blas- 
phemia (ML. also blasfemia), < Gr. f&aa<jn]nia, 
evil-speaking, < /JAar/^^of, evil-speaking : see 
blaspheme, a. From the same source, through 
the vernacular OF. blasme, comes E. blame, n., 
q. v.] Blasphemy. 
In blasfeme of this goddis. 
Chaucer, Envoy to Scogan, 1. 15. 
blaspheme (blas-fem'), v. ; pret. and pp. blas- 
phemed, ppr. blaspheming. [< ME. blasfemen, 
< OF. blasfemer, mod. F. blasphemer = Pr. Sp. 
blasfemar = Pg. blasphemar = Olt. blasfemare 
(mod. It. blastemiare, bestemmiare), < LL. blas- 
phemare, < Gr. p^aatpqiiteiv, speak evil of, </&d- 
o-^of, evil-speaking : see blaspheme, a. From 
the same verb, through the vernacular OF. blas- 
mer, comes E. blame, v., q. v.] I. trans. 1. To 
speak impiously or irreverently of (God or sa- 
cred things). See blasphemy. 
Thou didst blaspheme God and the king. 1 Ki. xxi. 10. 
God, how long shall the adversary reproach? shall the 
enemy blaspheme thy name for ever? Ps. Ixxiv. 10. 
So should thy goodness and thy greatness both 
Be question 'd and blasphemed without defence. 
Milton, P. L., iii. 16S. 
2. To speak evil of ; utter abuse or calumny 
against; speak reproachfully of. 
You do blaspheme the good, in mocking me. 
Shak., M. for M., i. 5. 
II. intrans. 1. To utter blasphemy; use pro- 
fane or impious words; talk profanely or dis- 
respectfully of God or of sacred things : follow- 
ed by against. 
He that shall blaspheme against the Holy Ghost hath 
never forgiveness. Mark iii. 29. 
2f. To rail; utter abusive words. Greene. 
[Bare.] 
blasphemer (blas-fe'mer), n. [< ME. blasfe- 
mere, < blasfemen, blaspheme.] One who blas- 
phemes ; one who speaks of God or of religion 
in impious and irreverent terms. 
Must . . . each blasphemer quite escape the rod, 
Because the insult's not on man but God? 
Pope, Epil. to Satires, ii. 195. 
blasphemeress (blas-fe'mer-es), n. [< Uas- 
phemer + -ess.] A female blasphemer. [Rare.] 
A diabolical blasphemeresge of God. 
Hall, Hen. VI., an. 9. 
blasphemous (blas'fe-mus), a. [< LL. blasphe- 
mus (ML. also blasfemus, > ME. blasfeme, blas- 
pheming, a blasphemer), < Gr. /3^aa<t>r/^of, evil- 
speaking: see blaspheme, a.] 1. Uttering, con- 
taining, or exhibiting blasphemy; impiously 
irreverent toward God or sacred things: as, 
" blasphemous publications," Bp. Porteus, Lec- 
tures, I. i. 
We have heard him speak blasphemous words against 
Moses and against God. Acts vi. 11. 
Mythologies ill understood at first, then perverted into 
feeble sensualities, take the place of representations of 
Christian subjects, which had become blasphemous under 
the treatment of men like the Caracci. Jiuskin. 
[Formerly accented on the second syllable, as below. 
Oh argument blasphemous, false, and proud ! 
Milton, P. L., v. 809.] 
2f. Abusive; defamatory; railing, 
blasphemously (blas'fe-mus-li), adv. Impi- 
ously; profanely. 
Terribly curseth and blasphemously sweareth he never 
committed any such act. Stow, Queen Mary, an. 1557. 
blasphemy (blas'fe-mi), .; pi. blasphemies 
(-miz). [< ME. blasfemie = Sp. blasfemia = Pg. 
blasphemia = Olt. blasfemia, < LL. blasphemici, < 
Gr. J3^aa<j>r/^ia,< [ftaafyiiiof : see blaspheme, a., blas- 
pheme, M. 2 ] 1. In Old Testament usage, any 
attempt to diminish the reverence with which 
Jehovah's name was invested as the Sovereign 
King of the Jews, or to turn the hearts of the 
people from their complete allegiance to him. 
