blot 
Oh ! never may the purple stain 
Of combat blot these fields again. 
Bryant, Battle of Bennington. 
2. Figuratively, to stain as with disgrace or 
infamy; tarnish; disgrace; disfigure. 
Blot not thy innocence with guiltless blood. Rme. 
Take him ! farewell : henceforth I am thy foe ; 
And what disgraces I can blot thee with look for. 
Beau, mul Fl., Maid's Tragedy, iii. 1. 
3. To obliterate so as to render invisible or 
not distinguishable, as writing or letters with 
ink : generally with out : as, to blot out a word 
or a sentence. 
To blot old books and alter their contents. 
Shot., Lucrece, 1. 948. 
Hence 4. To efface; cause to be unseen or 
forgotten; destroy; annihilate: followed by 
out: as, to blot out a crime, or the remembrance 
of anything. 
Will not a tiny speck very close to our vision blot out 
the glory of the world, and leave only a margin by which 
we see the blot? George Eliot, Middlemarch, I. 458. 
Blotting out the far-away blue sky, 
The hard and close-packed clouds spread silently. 
William Morris, Earthly Paradise, III. 336. 
5. To darken or obscure ; eclipse. [Bare.] 
He sung how earth blots the moon's gilded wane. 
Cowley. 
The moon, in all her brother's beams array'd, 
Was blotted by the earth's approaching shade. 
Rowe, tr. of Lucan's Pharsalia, i. 
6. To dry by means of blotting-paper or the 
like. 
The ship-chandler clutched the paper, hastily blotted It, 
and thrust it into his bosom. 
O. A. Sala, The Ship-Chandler. 
II. intrans. 1. To obliterate something writ- 
ten. 
E'en copious Dryden wanted or forgot 
The last and greatest art, the art to blot. 
Pope, Imit. of Horace, II. i.'&SO. 
2. To become blotted or stained : as, this paper 
blots easily. 
blot 2 (blot), n. [First at the end of the 16th 
century ; origin unknown. Plausibly referred 
to Dan. Wot = Sw. blott, bare, exposed ; cf . Dan. 
blotte = Sw. blotta, lay bare, expose one's 
self; Sw. blottstdlla = D. blootgtellen, expose 
(the Scand. forms are prob. of LG. origin, < 
D. bloot, bare, naked, exposed) ; but there is 
no historical evidence for the connection.] 
In backgammon: (a) A single exposed piece 
which is liable to be forfeited or taken up. 
(b) The exposure of a piece in this way To 
hit the blot, to take a single exposed piece in the game 
of backgammon : often used figuratively. 
Mr. Ellis hits the blot when he says that " absolute cer- 
tainty and a mechanical mode of procedure, such that all 
men should be capable of employing it, are the two great 
features of the Baconian system." 
The Nation, April 24, 1884, p. 369. 
blotch (bloch), n. [Not found in ME., or in 
other languages ; appar. a var. of blot 1 , affected 
in sense and form by botch 1 , a pustule, and 
perhaps by dial, blatch, q. v.] 1. A pustule 
upon the skin. 
Blotches and tumours that break out in the body. 
Spectator, No. 16. 
2. A spot of any kind, especially a large irregu- 
lar spot or blot ; hence, anything likened to a 
mere spot or blot, as a poor painting; a daub. 
Green leaves, frequently marked with dark blotches. 
Treasury of Botany. 
3. A disease of dogs. 
blotch (bloch), v. t. [< blotch, n.'] To mark 
with blotches ; blot, spot, or blur. 
blotchy (bloch'i), a. [< blotch + -yl.] Having 
blotches ; disfigured with blotches : as, " his 
big, bloated, blotchy face," Warren. 
blotet, a. and v. Obsolete spelling of bloaft. 
blotter (blot'er), n. 1. A piece of blotting- 
paper or other device for absorbing an excess 
of ink or other fluid, used especially in writing. 
2. In com., a waste-book in which are record- 
ed all transactions in the order of their occur- 
rence. 3. The current record of arrests and 
charges in a police office: called in Great 
Britain a charge-sheet. 
blottesque (biot-esk'), . and . [< blot + 
-esque.~\ I. a. In painting, executed with heavy 
blot-like touches. 
II. n. A painting executed in this style. 
blottesquely (blot-esk'li), adv. In a blottesque 
manner; with blot-like touches: as, to paint 
blottesquely. 
blotting-bbok (blot'ing-buk), n. 1. A book 
formed of leaves of blotting-paper. 2. In 
'o;., a blotter. See blotter, 2. 
blottingly (blot'ing-li), adv. By blotting. 
596 
blotting-pad (blot'ing-pad), . A pad consist- 
ing of several layers of blotting-paper, which 
can be successively removed as they become 
soiled or saturated with ink. 
blotting-paper (blot ' ing - pa " per), n. A bibu- 
lous, unsized paper, used to absorb an excess of 
ink from freshly written paper without blur- 
blotty (blot'i), a. [< bloti + -yi.] Full of 
blots. 
blouse (blouz), n. [Also less prop, blowse ; < 
F. blouse, of uncertain origin, by some identified 
with F. dial, blaude, biaude, a smock-frock, < OF. 
bliaut, bliaud, pi. blimts, bliauz, an upper gar- 
ment: see bleaunt. But the connection is pho- 
netically improbable.] 1. A light loose upper 
garment, made of linen or cotton, worn by men 
as a protection from dust or in place of a coat. 
A blue linen blouse is the common dress of 
French workingmen. 
Lelewel was a regular democrat. He wore a blouse when 
he was in Paris, and looked like a workman. 
H. S. Edwards, Polish Captivity, I. 270. 
2. A loosely fitting dress-body worn by women 
and children. 
bloused (blouzd), a. [< blouse + -ed 2 .] Wear- 
ing a blouse. 
There was a bloused and bearded Frenchman or two. 
Kingsley, Alton Locke, xxxiii. 
blout 1 ti and v. Same as bloaft. 
blout 2 !, . [Appar. < D. bloot, bare, naked, with 
perhaps some confusion as to form with Icel. 
blautr, soft, wet. Cf. blot*, Mate*, and bloat*.] 
Bare: naked. Douglas. (Jamieson.) [Scotch.] 
blout^ (blout), n. [Appar. imitative, after blow*, 
blast, etc.] The sudden breaking of a storm ; 
a sudden downpour of rain, hail, etc., accom- 
panied by wind. Jamieson. [Scotch.] 
blow 1 (bio), v. ; pret. blew, pp. blown (also dial. 
and colloq. pret. and pp. blowed), ppr. blowing. 
[= Sc. blow, < ME. blowen, blawen (pret. blew, 
blewe, bleu, bltve, bin, pp. blown, blowen, bloun, 
blawen), < AS. bldwan (strong verb, pret. bledw, 
pp. blawen), blow, = OHG. bldhan (strong verb, 
pp. bldhan, bldn), blow, also blden, blajan, 
MHG. blcewen, blaijen, G. bldhen (weak verb), 
blow, puff up, swell, = L. flare, blow. From 
the same root, with various formatives, come 
E. blaze 2 , blast, bladder, perhaps blister, and, 
from the L., flatus, afflatus, flatulent, inflate, 
etc.] I. intrans. 1. To produce a current of 
air, as with the mouth, a bellows, etc. 2. To 
constitute or form a current of air, as the wind. 
A keen north wind that, blowing dry, 
Wrinkled the face of deluge. Milton, P. L., xi. 842. 
3f. To make a blowing sound ; whistle. 4. To 
pant ; puff ; breathe hard or quickly. 
Here's Mistress Page at the door, sweating and blourina. 
Shak., M. W. of W., iii. 3. 
5. To give out sound by being blown, as a horn 
or trumpet. 
There let the pealing organ Mow. 
Milton, II Penseroso, 1. 161. 
6. To spout as a whale. 
A porpoise comes to the surface to Wow. 
Huxley, Anat. Vert., p. 348. 
7. To explode, as gunpowder or dynamite ; be 
torn to pieces by an explosion : with up : as, the 
magazine blew up. 8. To boast ; brag. [Col- 
loq.] 
You blow behind my back, but dare not say anything to 
my face. Bartlett, Diet, of Americanisms, p. 48. 
9. In founding, to throw masses of fluid metal 
from the mold, as a casting, when, insufficient 
vent having been provided, the gases and 
steam are unable to pass off quietly __ Blowing 
Off, in tngin., the process of ejecting water or sediment 
from a boiler by means of a current of steam passing 
through the blow-off pipe. Blowing through, in engin., 
the act of removing the air from the cylinders, valves, 
etc., of a steam-engine by a jet of steam previous to set- 
ting the engine in motion. Blow-through valves are fit- 
ted for this purpose. To blow down, to discharge the 
contents of a steam-boiler. To blow not and cold, to 
be favorable and then unfavorable; be irresolute. To 
blow in, to start up a blast-furnace, or put it in blast 
TO blow Off, to escape with violence and noise : said of 
steam, gas, etc. To blow out, to be out of breath, or 
blown. To blow over, to pass over ; pass away after the 
force is expended ; cease, subside, or be dissipated : as, 
the present disturbances will soon bloiv over. 
A man conscious of acting so infamous a part, would 
have undertaken no defence, but let the accusations, 
which could not materially affect him, blow over. 
Goldsmith, Bolingbroke. 
To blow short, to be broken-winded : said of a horse.- 
To blow the buck's hornt. See buck*. To blow up. 
(a) See 7, above. (6) To arise, come into existence, or in- 
crease in intensity: said of the wind, a storm, etc. 
II. trans. 1 . To throw or drive a current of 
air upon ; fan : as, to blow the fire. 
blow 
I with blowinrj the fire shall warm myself. 
Shak., T. of theS.,iv. 1. 
2. To drive or impel by means of a current of 
air: as, the tempest blew the ship ashore. 
North-east winds blow 
Sabacan odours from the spicy shore. 
Milton, P. L., iv. 161. 
Along the grass sweet airs are blown. 
D. G. Kossetti, A New Year's Burden. 
3. To force air into or through, in order (a) 
To clear of obstructing matter, as the nose. 
(b) To cause to sound, as a wind-instrument. 
Hath she no husband 
That will take pains to blow a horn before her? 
Shak., K. John, i. 1. 
The bells she jingled and the whistle blew. 
Pope, R. of the L., v. 94. 
4. To form by inflation ; inflate ; swell by in- 
jecting air into : as, to blow bubbles ; to blow 
glass. 5. To empty (an egg) of its contents 
by blowing air or water into the shell. 6. To 
put out of breath by fatigue : as, to blow a 
horse by hard riding. 
Blon*iny himself in his exertions to get to close quarters. 
T. U:iln-*. 
7. To inflate, as with pride ; puff up. [Poetic 
when up is omitted.] 
Look, how imagination blows him. Shak., T. N., ii. 4. 
8. To spread by report, as if "on the wings of 
the wind." 
She's afraid it will be Mown abroad, 
And hurt her marriage. B. Jonson, Alchemist, ii. 1. 
Through the court his courtesy was blown. Dryden. 
9. To drive away, scatter, or shatter by fire- 
arms or explosives : now always with modifying 
words (up, away, to pieces, etc.) : as, to blow the 
walls up or to pieces with cannon or gunpowder ; 
but formerly sometimes used absolutely. 
And 't shall go hard, 
But I will delve one yard below their mines, 
And blow them at the moon. Shak., Hamlet, iii. 4. 
10. To deposit eggs in ; cause to putrefy and 
swarm with maggots ; make fly-blown : said of 
flies. 
Rather on Nilus' mud 
Lay me stark naked, and let the water-flies 
Blow me into abhorring ! Shak., A. and C., v. 2. 
To blow a coal. See coal. To blow one's own trum- 
pet, to sound one's own praises. To blow out. (rc) To 
extinguish by a current of air, as a candle, (b) To destroy 
by firearms : as, to blow out one's brains ; to blow an ene- 
my's ship out of the water. To blow up. (a) To fill with 
air ; .swell : as, to blow up a bladder or a bubble. 
In summe, he is a bladder blown vp with wind, which 
the least flaw crushes to nothing. 
Bp. Earle, Micro-cosmographie, A Selfe-conceited Man. 
(b) To inflate ; puff up : as, to blow up one with flattery. 
Blown up with high conceits ingendering pride. 
Milton, P. L., iv. 809. 
(c) To fan or kindle : as, to blow up a contention. 
His presence soon blown up the unkindly fight. 
Dryden. 
(d) To burst in pieces by explosion : as, to blow up a ship 
by setting fire to the magazine, (e) Figuratively, to scat- 
ter or bring to naught suddenly : as, to blow tip a scheme. 
(/) To scold ; abuse ; find fault with. (Colloq.] 
He rails at his cousin, and blows up his mother. 
Barham, Ingoldsby Legends, I. 295. 
Lord Gravelton . . . was blowing up the waiters in the 
coffee-room. Bulwer, Pelham, iv. 
(g) To raise or produce by blowing. 
This windy tempest, till it blow up rain, 
Held back his sorrow's tide, to make it more. 
Shak., Lucrece, 1. 1788. 
To Wow upon, (a) To bring into disfavor or discredit ; 
render stale, unsavory, or worthless. 
Since that time, . . . many of the topics, which were 
first started here, have been hunted down, and many of 
the thoughts blown upon. Goldsmith, Essays, Preface. 
Till the credit of the false witnesses had been Mown 
upon. Macaulay, Hist. Eng. 
(b) To turn informer against : as, to blow upon an accom- 
plice. [Slang.] 
blow 1 (bio), n. [< Motel, t,.] 1. A blowing; a 
blast ; hence, a gale of wind : as, there came a 
blow from the northeast. 2. The breathing or 
spouting of a whale. 3. In metal.: (a) The 
time during which a blast is continued, (b) That 
portion of time occupied by a certain stage of a 
metallurgical process in which the blast is used. 
Tims, the operation of converting cast-iron into steel by 
the Bessemer process is often spoken of as "the blow," 
and this first portion is sometimes called the "Bessemer 
blow " or the blow proper, the second stage being denomi- 
nated the "boil," and the third the " fining." 
4. An egg deposited by a fly on flesh or other 
substance ; a flyblow. 
blow 2 (bio), v. pret. blew, pp. blown, ppr. 
blowing. [< ME. blowen (pret. *blnrr, lilt-on. 
pp. blown, h/iiu-t H, blow), < AS. blmrun (pret. 
bleow, pp. i/t'bliiirni), blossom, flower, flourish. 
= OS. bio/an = OFries. bloia = D. hlocijen = 
OHG. bluojan, MHG. bliiejen, bliicn, G. hliilioi. 
blow, bloom, = L. florere (a secondary form), 
