blow

1.
v. & n.
—v. (past blew; past part. blown)
1 a intr. (of the wind or air, or impersonally) move along; act as an air-current (it was blowing hard). b intr. be driven by an air-current (waste paper blew along the gutter). c tr. drive with an air-current (blew the door open).
2 a tr. send out (esp. air) by breathing (blew cigarette smoke; blew a bubble). b intr. send a directed air-current from the mouth.
3 tr. & intr. sound or be sounded by blowing (the whistle blew; they blew the trumpets).
4 tr. a direct an air-current at (blew the embers). b (foll. by off, away, etc.) clear of by means of an air-current (blew the dust off).
5 tr. (past part. blowed) sl. (esp. in imper.) curse, confound (blow it!; I'll be blowed!; let's take a taxi and blow the expense).
6 tr. a clear (the nose) of mucus by blowing. b remove contents from (an egg) by blowing through it.
7 a intr. puff, pant. b tr. (esp. in passive) exhaust of breath.
8 sl. a tr. depart suddenly from (blew the town yesterday). b intr. depart suddenly.
9 tr. shatter or send flying by an explosion (the bomb blew the tiles off the roof; blew them to smithereens).
10 tr. make or shape (glass or a bubble) by blowing air in.
11 tr. & intr. melt or cause to melt from overloading (the fuse has blown).
12 intr. (of a whale) eject air and water through a blow-hole.
13 tr. break into (a safe etc.) with explosives.
14 tr. sl. a squander, spend recklessly (blew pound20 on a meal). b spoil, bungle (an opportunity etc.) (he's blown his chances of winning). c reveal (a secret etc.).
15 intr. (of a food-tin etc.) swell and eventually burst from internal gas pressure.
16 tr. work the bellows of (an organ).
17 tr. (of flies) deposit eggs in.
18 intr. US & Austral. colloq. boast.
—n.
1 a an act of blowing (e.g. one's nose, a wind instrument). b colloq. a turn or spell of playing jazz (on any instrument); a musical session.
2 a a gust of wind or air. b exposure to fresh air.
3 = fly-blow (see FLY(2)).
4 US a boaster.
Phrases and idioms:
be blowed if one will sl. be unwilling to. blow-ball the globular seed-head of a dandelion etc. blow-dry arrange (the hair) while drying it with a hand-held drier. blow-drier (or -dryer) a drier used for this. blow the gaff reveal a secret inadvertently. blow-hole 1 the nostril of a whale, on the top of its head.
2 a hole (esp. in ice) for breathing or fishing through.
3 a vent for air, smoke, etc., in a tunnel etc. blow hot and cold colloq. vacillate.
blow in
1 break inwards by an explosion.
2 colloq. arrive unexpectedly. blow-job coarse sl. fellatio; cunnilingus. blow a kiss kiss one's hand and wave it to a distant person. blow a person's mind sl. cause a person to have drug-induced hallucinations or a similar experience.
blow off
1 escape or allow (steam etc.) to escape forcibly.
2 sl. break wind noisily. blow on (or upon) make stale; discredit.
blow out
1 a extinguish by blowing. b send outwards by an explosion.
2 (of a tyre) burst.
3 (of a fuse etc.) melt. blow-out n.
colloq.
1 a burst tyre.
2 a melted fuse.
3 a huge meal. blow over (of trouble etc.) fade away without serious consequences. blow one's own trumpet praise oneself. blow one's top (US stack) colloq. explode in rage.
blow up
1 a shatter or destroy by an explosion. b explode, erupt.
2 colloq. rebuke strongly.
3 inflate (a tyre etc.).
4 colloq. a enlarge (a photograph). b exaggerate.
5 colloq. come to notice; arise.
6 colloq. lose one's temper.
blow-up n.
1 colloq. an enlargement (of a photograph etc.).
2 an explosion. blow the whistle on see WHISTLE.
Etymology: OE blawan f. Gmc
2.
n.
1 a hard stroke with a hand or weapon.
2 a sudden shock or misfortune.
Phrases and idioms:
at one blow by a single stroke; in one operation. blow-by-blow (of a description etc.) giving all the details in sequence. come to blows end up fighting. strike a blow for (or against) help (or oppose).
Etymology: 15th c.: orig. unkn.
3.
v. & n. archaic
—v.intr. (past blew; past part. blown) burst into or be in flower.
—n. blossoming, bloom (in full blow).
Etymology: OE blowan f. Gmc