Chapter 174

Blunderingly <Xpage=159>

Blun"der*ing*ly , adv. In a blundering manner.

Blunge <Xpage=159>

Blunge (?) , v. t. To amalgamate and blend; to beat up or mix in water, as clay.

Blunger <Xpage=159>

Blun"ger (?) , n. [Corrupted from plunger .] A wooden blade with a cross handle, used for mi<?/ing the clay in potteries; a plunger.

Tomlinson.

Blunging <Xpage=159>

Blun"ging (?) , n. The process of mixing clay in potteries with a blunger.

Tomlinson.

Blunt <Xpage=159>

Blunt (?) , a. [Cf. Prov. G. bludde a dull or blunt knife, Dan. blunde to sleep, Sw. & Icel. blunda ; or perh. akin to E. blind .] 1. Having a thick edge or point, as an instrument; dull; not sharp.

The murderous knife was dull and blunt . Shak.

2. Dull in understanding; slow of discernment; stupid; -- opposed to acute .

His wits are not so blunt . Shak.

3. Abrupt in address; plain; unceremonious; wanting the forms of civility; rough in manners or speech. "Hiding his bitter jests in blunt behavior." "A plain, blunt man."

Shak.

4. Hard to impress or penetrate. [R.]

I find my heart hardened and blunt to new impressions. Pope.

&hand; Blunt is much used in composition, as blunt- edged, blunt- sighted, blunt- spoken.

Syn. -- Obtuse; dull; pointless; curt; short; coarse; rude; brusque; impolite; uncivil.

Blunt <Xpage=159>

Blunt , v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Blunted ; p. pr. & vb. n. Blunting .] 1. To dull the edge or point of, by making it thicker; to make blunt.

Shak.

2. To repress or weaken, as any appetite, desire, or power of the mind; to impair the force, keenness, or susceptibility, of; as, to blunt the feelings .

Blunt <Xpage=159>

Blunt , n. 1. A fencer's foil. [Obs.]

2. A short needle with a strong point. See Needle .

3. Money. [Cant]

Beaconsfield.

Bluntish <Xpage=159>

Blunt"ish , a. Somewhat blunt. -- Blunt"ish*ness , n.

Bluntly <Xpage=159>

Blunt"ly , adv. In a blunt manner; coarsely; plainly; abruptly; without delicacy, or the usual forms of civility.

Sometimes after bluntly giving his opinions, he would quietly lay himself asleep until the end of their deliberations. Jeffrey.

Bluntness <Xpage=159>

Blunt"ness , n. 1. Want of edge or point; dullness; obtuseness; want of sharpness.

The multitude of elements and bluntness of angles. Holland.

2. A bruptness of address; rude plainness. " Bluntness of speech."

Boyle.

Blunt-witted <Xpage=159>

Blunt"-wit`ted (?) , n. Dull; stupid.

Blunt-witted lord, ignoble in demeanor! Shak.

Blur <Xpage=159>

Blur (?) , v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Blurred (#) ; p. pr. & vb. n. Blurring .] [Prob. of same origin as blear . See Blear .] 1. To render obscure by making the form or outline of confused and uncertain, as by soiling; to smear; to make indistinct and confused; as, to blur manuscript by handling it while damp; to blur the impression of a woodcut by an excess of ink.

But time hath nothing blurred those lines of favor Which then he wore. Shak.

2. To cause imperfection of vision in; to dim; to darken.

Her eyes are blurred with the lightning's glare. J. R. Drake.

3. To sully; to stain; to blemish, as reputation.

Sarcasms may eclipse thine own, But can not blur my lost renown. Hudibras.

Syn. -- To spot; blot; disfigure; stain; sully.

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Blur <Xpage=160>

Blur (?) , n. 1. That which obscures without effacing; a stain; a blot, as upon paper or other substance.

As for those who cleanse blurs with blotted fingers, they make it worse. Fuller.

2. A dim, confused appearance; indistinctness of vision; as, to see things with a blur ; it was all blur .

3. A moral stain or blot.

Lest she . . . will with her railing set a great blur on mine honesty and good name. Udall.

Blurry <Xpage=160>

Blur"ry (?) , a. Full of blurs; blurred.

Blurt <Xpage=160>

Blurt (?) , v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Blurted ; p. pr. & vb. n. Blurting .] [Cf. Blare .] To utter suddenly and unadvisedly; to divulge inconsiderately; to ejaculate; -- commonly with out .

Others . . . can not hold, but blurt out, those words which afterward they forced to eat. Hakewill.

To blurt at , to speak contemptuously of. [Obs.]

Shak.

Blush <Xpage=160>

Blush (?) v. i. [ imp. & p. p. Blushed (#) ; p. pr. & vb. n. Blushing .] [OE. bluschen to shine, look, turn red, AS. blyscan to glow; akin to blysa a torch, \'bebl<?/sian to blush, D. blozen , Dan. blusse to blaze, blush.]

1. To become suffused with red in the cheeks, as from a sense of shame, modesty, or confusion; to become red from such cause, as the cheeks or face.

To the nuptial bower I led her blushing like the morn. Milton.

In the presence of the shameless and unblushing, the young offender is ashamed to blush . Buckminster.

He would stroke The head of modest and ingenuous worth, That blushed at its own praise. Cowper.

2. To grow red; to have a red or rosy color.

The sun of heaven, methought, was loth to set, But stayed, and made the western welkin blush . Shak.

3. To have a warm and delicate color, as some roses and other flowers.

Full many a flower is born to blush unseen. T. Gray.

Blush <Xpage=160>

Blush , v. t. 1. To suffuse with a blush; to redden; to make roseate. [Obs.]

To blush and beautify the cheek again. Shak.

2. To express or make known by blushing.

I'll blush you thanks. Shak.

Blush <Xpage=160>

Blush , n. 1. A suffusion of the cheeks or face with red, as from a sense of shame, confusion, or modesty.

The rosy blush of love. Trumbull.

2. A red or reddish color; a rosy tint.

Light's last blushes tinged the distant hills. Lyttleton.

At first blush , or At the first blush , at the first appearance or view. " At the first blush , we thought they had been ships come from France." Hakluyt . This phrase is used now more of ideas, opinions, etc., than of material things. "All purely identical propositions, obviously, and at first blush , appear." etc. Locke . -- To put to the blush , to cause to blush with shame; to put to shame.

Blusher <Xpage=160>

Blush"er (?) , n. One that blushes.

Blushet <Xpage=160>

Blush"et (?) , n. A modest girl. [Obs.]

B. Jonson.

Blushful <Xpage=160>

Blush"ful (?) , a. Full of blushes.

While from his ardent look the turning Spring Averts her blushful face. Thomson.

Blushing <Xpage=160>

Blush"ing , a. Showing blushes; rosy red; having a warm and delicate color like some roses and other flowers; blooming; ruddy; roseate.

The dappled pink and blushing rose. Prior.

Blushing <Xpage=160>

Blush"ing , n. The act of turning red; the appearance of a reddish color or flush upon the cheeks.

Blushingly <Xpage=160>

Blush"ing*ly , adv. In a blushing manner; with a blush or blushes; as, to answer or confess blushingly .

Blushless <Xpage=160>

Blush"less , a. Free from blushes; incapable of blushing; shameless; impudent.

Vice now, secure, her blushless front shall raise. Dodsley.

Blushy <Xpage=160>

Blush"y (?) , a. Like a blush; having the color of a blush; rosy. [R.] "A blushy color."

Harvey.

Bluster <Xpage=160>

Blus"ter (?) , v. i. [ imp. & p. p. Blustered (#) ; p. pr. & vb. n. Blustering .] [Allied to blast .]

1. To blow fitfully with violence and noise, as wind; to be windy and boisterous, as the weather.

And ever-threatening storms Of Chaos blustering round. Milton.

2. To talk with noisy violence; to swagger, as a turbulent or boasting person; to act in a noisy, tumultuous way; to play the bully; to storm; to rage.

Your ministerial directors blustered like tragic tyrants. Burke.

Bluster <Xpage=160>

Blus"ter , v. t. To utter, or do, with noisy violence; to force by blustering; to bully.

He bloweth and blustereth out . . . his abominable blasphemy. Sir T. More.

As if therewith he meant to bluster all princes into a perfect obedience to his commands. Fuller.

Bluster <Xpage=160>

Blus"ter , n. 1. Fitful noise and violence, as of a storm; violent winds; boisterousness.

To the winds they set Their corners, when with bluster to confound Sea, air, and shore. Milton.

2. Noisy and violent or threatening talk; noisy and boastful language.

L'Estrange.

Syn. -- Noise; boisterousness; tumult; turbulence; confusion; boasting; swaggering; bullying.

Blusterer <Xpage=160>

Blus"ter*er (?) , n. One who, or that which, blusters; a noisy swaggerer.

Blustering <Xpage=160>

Blus"ter*ing , a. 1. Exhibiting noisy violence, as the wind; stormy; tumultuous.

A tempest and a blustering day. Shak.

2. Uttering noisy threats; noisy and swaggering; boisterous. "A blustering fellow."

L'Estrange.

Blusteringly <Xpage=160>

Blus"ter*ing*ly , adv. In a blustering manner.

Blusterous <Xpage=160>

Blus"ter*ous (?) , a. Inclined to bluster; given to blustering; blustering.

Motley.

Blustrous <Xpage=160>

Blus"trous (?) , a. Blusterous.

Shak.

Bo <Xpage=160>

Bo (?) , interj. [Cf. W. bw , an interj. of threatening or frightening; n., terror, fear, dread.] An exclamation used to startle or frighten. [Spelt also boh and boo .]

Boa <Xpage=160>

Bo"a (?) , n. ; pl. Boas . [L. boa a kind of water serpent. Perh. fr. bos an ox.] 1. (Zo\'94l.) A genus of large American serpents, including the boa constrictor, the emperor boa of Mexico ( B. imperator ), and the chevalier boa of Peru ( B. eques ).

&hand; The name is also applied to related genera; as, the dog-headed boa ( Xiphosoma caninum ).

2. A long, round fur tippet; -- so called from its resemblance in shape to the boa constrictor.

Boa constrictor <Xpage=160>

Bo"a con*strict"or (?) . [NL. See Boa , and Constrictor .] (Zo\'94l.) A large and powerful serpent of tropical America, sometimes twenty or thirty feet long. See Illustration in Appendix.

&hand; It has a succession of spots, alternately black and yellow, extending along the back. It kills its prey by constriction. The name is also loosely applied to other large serpents which crush their prey, particularly to those of the genus Python, found in Asia and Africa.

Boanerges <Xpage=160>

Bo`a*ner"ges (?) . [Gr. <?/ , fr. Heb. bn<?/ hargem sons of thunder. -- an appellation given by Christ to two of his disciples (James and John). See Mark iii. 17.] Any declamatory and vociferous preacher or orator.

Boar <Xpage=160>

Boar (?) , n. [OE. bar , bor , bore , AS. b\'ber ; akin to OHG. p<?/r , MHG. b<?/r , G. b\'84r , boar (but not b\'84r bear), and perh. Russ. borov' boar.] (Zo\'94l.) The uncastrated male of swine; specifically, the wild hog.

Board <Xpage=160>

Board (?) , n. [OE. bord , AS. bord board, shipboard; akin to bred plank, Icel. bor<?/ board, side of a ship, Goth. f<?/tu-baurd]/> footstool, D. bord board, G. brett , bort . See def. 8. &root;92.] 1. A piece of timber sawed thin, and of considerable length and breadth as compared with the thickness, -- used for building, etc.

&hand; When sawed thick, as over one and a half or two inches, it is usually called a plank .

2. A table to put food upon.

&hand; The term board answers to the modern table , but it was often movable, and placed on trestles.

Halliwell.

Fruit of all kinds . . . She gathers, tribute large, and on the board Heaps with unsparing hand. Milton.

3. Hence: What is served on a table as food; stated meals; provision; entertainment; -- usually as furnished for pay; as, to work for one's board ; the price of board .

4. A table at which a council or court is held. Hence: A council, convened for business, or any authorized assembly or meeting, public or private; a number of persons appointed or elected to sit in council for the management or direction of some public or private business or trust; as, the Board of Admiralty; a board of trade; a board of directors, trustees, commissioners, etc.

Both better acquainted with affairs than any other who sat then at that board . Clarendon.

We may judge from their letters to the board . Porteus.

5. A square or oblong piece of thin wood or other material used for some special purpose, as, a molding board ; a board or surface painted or arranged for a game; as, a chess board ; a backgammon board .

6. Paper made thick and stiff like a board, for book covers, etc.; pasteboard; as, to bind a book in boards .

7. pl. The stage in a theater; as, to go upon the boards , to enter upon the theatrical profession .

8. [In this use originally perh. a different word meaning border , margin ; cf. D. boord , G. bord , shipboard, and G. borte trimming; also F. bord (fr. G.) the side of a ship. Cf. Border .] The border or side of anything. (Naut.) (a) The side of a ship. "Now board to board the rival vessels row." Dryden . See On board , below. (b) The stretch which a ship makes in one tack.

&hand; Board is much used adjectively or as the last part of a compound; as, fir board , clap board , floor board , ship board , side board , ironing board , chess board , card board , paste board , sea board ; board measure.

The American Board , a shortened form of "The American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions" (the foreign missionary society of the American Congregational churches). -- Bed and board . See under Bed . -- Board and board (Naut.) , side by side. -- Board of control , six privy councilors formerly appointed to superintend the affairs of the British East Indies. Stormonth . -- Board rule , a figured scale for finding without calculation the number of square feet in a board. Haldeman . -- Board of trade , in England, a committee of the privy council appointed to superintend matters relating to trade. In the United States, a body of men appointed for the advancement and protection of their business interests; a chamber of commerce. -- Board wages . (a) Food and lodging supplied as compensation for services; as, to work hard, and get only board wages . (b) Money wages which are barely sufficient to buy food and lodging. (c) A separate or special allowance of wages for the procurement of food, or food and lodging. Dryden . -- By the board , over the board , or side. "The mast went by the board ." Totten . Hence (Fig.), To go by the board , to suffer complete destruction or overthrow. -- To enter on the boards , to have one's name inscribed on a board or tablet in a college as a student. [Cambridge, England.] "Having been entered on the boards of Trinity college." Hallam . -- To make a good board (Naut.) , to sail in a straight line when close-hauled; to lose little to leeward. -- To make short boards , to tack frequently. -- On board . (a) On shipboard; in a ship or a boat; on board of; as, I came on board early; to be on board ship. (b) In or into a railway car or train. [Colloq. U. S.] -- Returning board , a board empowered to canvass and make an official statement of the votes cast at an election. [U.S.]

Board <Xpage=160>

Board , v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Boarded ; p. pr. & vb. n. Boarding .] 1. To cover with boards or boarding; as, to board a house . "The boarded hovel."

Cowper.

2. [Cf. Board to accost, and see Board , n. ] To go on board of, or enter, as a ship, whether in a hostile or a friendly way.

You board an enemy to capture her, and a stranger to receive news or make a communication. Totten.

3. To enter, as a railway car. [Colloq. U. S.]

4. To furnish with regular meals, or with meals and lodgings, for compensation; to supply with daily meals.

5. To place at board, for compensation; as, to board one's horse at a livery stable .

Board <Xpage=160>

Board (?) , v. i. To obtain meals, or meals and lodgings, statedly for compensation; as, he boards at the hotel .

We are several of us, gentlemen and ladies, who board in the same house. Spectator.

Board <Xpage=160>

Board , v. t. [F. aborder . See Abord , v. t. ] To approach; to accost; to address; hence, to woo. [Obs.]

I will board her, though she chide as loud As thunder when the clouds in autumn crack. Shak.

Boardable <Xpage=160>

Board"a*ble (?) , a. That can be boarded, as a ship.

Boarder <Xpage=160>

Board"er (?) , n. 1. One who has food statedly at another's table, or meals and lodgings in his house, for pay, or compensation of any kind.

2. (Naut.) One who boards a ship; one selected to board an enemy's ship.

Totten.

Boarding <Xpage=160>

Board"ing , n. 1. (Naut.) The act of entering a ship, whether with a hostile or a friendly purpose.

Both slain at one time, as they attempted the boarding of a frigate. Sir F. Drake.

2. The act of covering with boards; also, boards, collectively; or a covering made of boards.

3. The act of supplying, or the state of being supplied, with regular or specified meals, or with meals and lodgings, for pay.

Boarding house , a house in which boarders are kept. -- Boarding nettings (Naut.) , a strong network of cords or ropes erected at the side of a ship to prevent an enemy from boarding it. -- Boarding pike (Naut.) , a pike used by sailors in boarding a vessel, or in repelling an attempt to board it. Totten . -- Boarding school , a school in which pupils receive board and lodging as well as instruction.

Boarfish <Xpage=160>