Blow

subs. (common).—1.  A shilling: see RHINO.

  1879.  J. W. HORSLEY, ‘Autobiography of a Thief,’ in Macmillan’s Magazine, XL., 501. But afterwards I got 3s. 9d., and then four BLOW. Ibid. I went to the Steel (Bastile—Coldbath Fields Prison), having a new suit of clobber on me and about fifty BLOW in my brigh (pocket).

  1885.  Daily Telegraph, Feb. 5, 2, col. 6. They said they could sell some for five BLOWS (shillings), and that he could easily make £158 of the stuff.

  2.  (old university).—A drunken frolic; a spree: cf. BLOW-OUT. Hence as verb (or TO GO ON THE BLOW) = to indulge in a drinking-bout.

  Verb (old).—1.  To boast; to brag; to GAS (q.v.); to talk BIG (q.v.) and self-assertingly of oneself or one’s affairs.

  c. 1400.  An Apology for Lollard Doctrines, 97. BLOUING veynly wiþ fleschli wit.

  1519.  The Four Elements [DODSLEY, Old Plays (HAZLITT), i., 41]. Why, man, what aileth thee so to BLOW?

  1785.  BURNS, Epistle to J. Lapraik, st. 16.

  1888.  Graphic, Jan. 27, 79, col. 1. The whole team has taught Australia not to BLOW (as they say)—a not unneeded lesson.

  1883.  R. CAMPBELL PRAED, Sketches of Australian Life, 45. ‘He was famous for his coolness and daring, and for BLOWING, in Australian parlance, both of his exploits and of his “bonnes fortunes.”’

  2.  (general).—To inform; to expose; to betray; to peach (or GAF): also BLOW UPON, and BLOW THE GAFF.

  1575.  R[ichard] B[ower], Appius and Virginia [DODSLEY, Old Plays [HAZLITT], iv. 136]. Was all well agreed? did nobody BLOW ye?

  1721.  DEFOE, History of Colonel Jack. ‘As for that,’ says Will, ‘I could tell it well enough, if I had it, but I must not be seen anywhere among my old acquaintances, for I am BLOWN, and they will all betray me.’

  1748.  T. DYCHE, A New General English Dictionary (5 ed.). BLOW (v.) … also to discover the secrets of another; also when a person undervalues or slights a person or thing, he is said to BLOW upon it.

  c. 1859.  L. HUNT, A Country Lodging, in A Casquet of Literature (1877), I., 42, col. 1. D—n me, if I don’t BLOW … I’ll tell Tom Neville.

  3.  (American).—To lie.

  4.  (general).—Frequently euphemistic for ‘damn’: generally in the imperative: e.g., BLOW IT! i.e., ‘hang it’! or damn it!

  1849.  C. KINGSLEY, Alton Locke, ii. ‘Well, if you won’t stand a pot, quoth the tall man, ‘I will, that’s all, and BLOW temperance.’

  1883.  M. E. BRADDON, The Golden Calf, xxvi. ‘BLOW his station in life! If he was a duke I shouldn’t want him.’

  5.  (general).—To lose or spend money: cf. BLEW (or BLUE).

  6.  See subs. 2.

  7.  (Winchester School).—To blush.

  PHRASES:  TO BITE THE BLOW = to steal goods; to PRIG (q.v.); to BLOW A CLOUD, verb. phr. (colloquial).—To smoke: cigar or pipe. [HOTTEN: ‘a phrase used two centuries ago, but gives no authority, and Murray’s earliest example only dates from 1855, but, as will be seen below, it occurs in Tom Crib, in 1819]; TO BLOW HOT AND COLD = to vacillate; to be inconsistent; TO BLOW THE BELLOWS = to stir up passion; TO BLOW OFF = to relieve one’s feelings, to get rid of superfluous energy; also (2) to explode, refute; TO BLOW INTO ONE’S EAR = to whisper privily; TO BLOW ONE’S OWN TRUMPET = to brag, to sound one’s own praises; TO BLOW THE COALS (or THE FIRE) = to fan the flame of discord, to promote strife; TO BLOW UP = to scold, to rate, to rail at; TO BLOW GREAT GUNS = to blow a hurricane, (or a violent gale): sometimes GREAT GUNS AND SMALL ARMS; TO BLOW ONE’S BAZOO = to boast, to swagger; to gasconade: cf. blow one’s own trumpet (Dutch bazu = bazuin = trumpet); TO BLOW UP = to scold: also TO BLOW UP SKY-HIGH = (1) to rate vigorously; and (2) to speak or act with unusual energy: hence BLOWING-UP = a scolding, a severe reprimand, a jobation: Fr. affres (= agonies); and (3) to cause to swell; TO BLOW IN ONE’S PIPE = to spend money; BLOW ME! (BLOW ME UP! or BLOW ME TIGHT!) = like BLOWED (q.v.) these serve either as half-veiled oaths, or as big-sounding but meaningless exclamations; TO BLOW ONESELF OUT = to eat heartily, to gorge oneself, TO WOLF (q.v.): hence BLOW OUT = a heavy feed, a gorge, a TUCK-IN (q.v.); TO BLOW OUT = (1) to steal, to PRIG (q.v.); a thiefs’ term; and (2) to talk violently; to abuse; to carry on: cf. TO BLOW UP; TO BLOW THE GRAMPUS = to throw cold water on a man who has fallen asleep when on duty; TO BLOW THE GROUNDSELS = to have sexual commerce on the ground, cf. FLYER, PERPENDICULAR, and see GREENS and RIDE; TO BLOW TOGETHER = to make garments in a slovenly manner; TO BLOW UPON (old) = to betray; to tell tales of; to discredit; to defame; to flout at; to reproach; to censure; 3. Used also with indirect passive; TO BLOW TO THE WINDS = to cast away utterly.

  1402.  T. OCCLEVE, sc. The Letter of Cupid [ARBER, Garner, IV., 54.]

  1577.  W. BULLINGER, Decades (1592), 176. One which out of one mouth, doeth BLOWE BOTH HOAT AND COLDE.  [M.]

  1612.  BRETON, Pasquil’s Night-Cap.

  1630.  TAYLOR (‘The Water Poet’), Workes, The Virgin Widow, IV. 5.

  1692.  J. HACKET, Life of Archbishop Williams, i. 180. Though she acknowledged she had power from the Emperor to cause cessation of arms in the Palatinate, and undertook to put that power forth, yet with the same breath she BLEW HOT AND COLD.

  1650.  HOWELL, Familiar Letters. I thank you for the good opinion you please to have of my fancy of trees: it is a maiden one, and not BLOWN UPON by any yet.

  1651.  CARTWRIGHT, The Royall Slave, i., 1. Mol. Peace, the King approaches: stand in your rankes orderly, and shew your breeding; and be sure you BLOW nothing on the Lords.

  d. 1655.  T. ADAMS, The Fatal Banquet, in Works, i. 169. The hermit turned his guest out of doors for this trick, that he could warm his cold hands with the same breath wherewith he cooled his hot pottage.

  c. 1696.  B. E., A New Dictionary of the Canting Crew, s.v. BLOWN UPON, seen by several, or slighted; not BLOWN UPON, a secret piece of News or Poetry, that has not taken air, spick and span-new. TO BLOW HOT AND COLD with a Breath, or play fast and loose. Ibid., s.v. BLOW-OFF-ON THE GROUNSILLS, c. to lie with a Woman on the Floor or Stairs.

  d. 1716.  SOUTH, Sermons, iii, 222. A gross fallacy and inconsequence, concluding ab imparibus tanquam paribus, and more than sufficiently confuted and BLOWN OFF.

  1750.  FIELDING, Tom Jones, X., ii. That the reputation of her house, which was never BLOWN UPON before, was utterly destroyed.

  1756.  The World, No. 185. This old fellow is of a most capricious, unequal temper, and, like the satyr in the fable, BLOWS HOT AND COLD in the same breath.

  1781.  G. PARKER, A View of Society, I., 48. BLOW ME UP (says he) if I have had a fellow with such rum toggys cross my company these many a day.

  1785.  GROSE, A Classical Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue. TO BLOW THE GROUNDSILS, (cant) to lie with a woman on the floor. Ibid., s.v. TO BLOW THE GAB, (cant) to confess, or impeach a confederate.

  1809.  GELL [C. K. Sharpe, Correspondence (1888), I., 355.] There won’t be any quarrel, so you need not fear. The only chance is Keppel making a BLOW UP when she abuses me…. I have heard her daughter BLOW UP Lady Salisbury when she had quarrelled with Lady Sefton.

  1819.  T. MOORE, Tom Crib’s Memorial to Congress, 46.

  1824.  SCOTT, St. Ronan’s Well, II., 264. ‘She sent me a card for her BLOW-OUT,’ said Mowbray, ‘and so I am resolved to go.’ Ibid. ‘But I will BLOW HER,’ he said, ‘I will BLOW her ladyship’s conduct in the business!’

  1833.  MARRYAT, Peter Simple, III. v. One of the French officers, after he was taken prisoner, axed me how we had managed to get the gun up there; but I wasn’t going TO BLOW THE GAFF.

  1835.  R. H. DANA, Jr., Two Years Before the Mast, xx. We lived, like fighting-cocks, and had … a BLOW-OUT on sleep, not turning out in the morning until breakfast was ready.

  1836.  M. SCOTT, The Cruise of the Midge [Ry. ed., 18[?].], 119. At length the infection caught me, when BLOWING all my manners TO THE WINDS, off I went at score after our friend.

  1837.  R. H. BARHAM, The Ingoldsby Legends (The Babes in the Wood).

  1838.  DICKENS, Oliver Twist, II. iv. Depend on it that they’re on the scent down there, and that if he moved he’d BLOW UPON the thing at once. Ibid. (1843), Martin Chuzzlewit, II., p. 239. It fortunately occurred to me, that if I gave it him myself, I could be of no farther use. I should have been BLOWN UPON immediately. Ibid. (1864), Our Mutual Friend, III., xii. The condition of our affairs is desperate, and may be BLOWN UPON at any moment.

  1839.  HALIBURTON (‘Sam Slick’), The Letter-bag of the Great Western, IV., 42. I would give him a BLOWING-UP. Ibid. You wouldn’t BLOW an old chum among his friends, would you?

  1839.  W. H. AINSWORTH, Jack Sheppard [1889], 23. ‘Curse me if I don’t think all the world means to cross the Thames this fine night!’ observed Ben. ‘One’d think it rained fares as well as BLOWED GREAT GUNS.’

  d. 1841.  T. E. HOOK, The Man of Many Friends. The giving good feeds is, with many of these youngsters, the grand criterion by which the virtues and talents of mankind are measured…. These persons call a similar favour a ‘a grand BLOW-OUT.’

  1849.  THACKERAY, Pendennis, lxviii. Morgan had had ‘a devil of a BLOW HUP with his own guv’nor, and was going to retire from the business haltogether.’

  1855.  THACKERAY, The Newcomes, vii. ‘Mind the hice is here in time; or ther’ll be a BLOW UP with your governor.’

  1852.  H. B. STOWE, Uncle Tom’s Cabin, viii. ‘Get us hot water, and sugar, and cigars, and plenty of the real stuff, and we’ll have a BLOW-OUT.’ Ibid. (1856), I, 276. Dere’s de Methodists, dey cuts up de Presbyterians; de Presbyterians pitch into de Methodists, and both are down on de Episcopals; while de Baptists tink dey none on dem right; and while dey’s all BLOWING OUT at each other dat ar way, I’s wondering whar’s de way to Canaan.

  1854.  H. MILLER, My Schools and Schoolmasters (1858), 14. It soon began to BLOW GREAT GUNS.

  1856.  MOTLEY, The Rise of the Dutch Republic, V. v., 750. Being constantly ordered to BLOW HOT AND COLD with the same breath.

  1874.  E. WOOD, Johnny Ludlow, 1 S., XXV., 448. The waves dashed over the pier, ducking the three or four venturesome spirits who went on there. I was one—and received a good BLOWING UP from Mr. Brandon for my pains.

  1870.  S. L. CLEMENS (‘Mark Twain’), The Innocents Abroad, vii. And BLOWING suffocating ‘CLOUDS’ and boisterously performing at dominoes in the smoking room at night.

  1876.  C. HINDLEY, ed. The Life and Adventures of a Cheap Jack, 25. Here, BLOW ME, I’ll do such a thing I never did before, I’ll say thirty—yes, thirty shillings buys the lot, and I’ll have no more nor take no less.

  1876.  GREENWOOD, Dick Temple. And she ain’t got nobody but me to keep a secret for her, and I’ve been and BLOWED ON her.

  1877.  W. H. THOMSON, Five Years’ Penal Servitude, i. 4. Both desisted from their own recriminations as to ‘rounding’ and ‘BLOWING’ on each other.

  1877.  W. H. THOMSON, Five Years’ Penal Servitude, ii. 122. The prisoner, burning for revenge, quietly bides his time till the chief warder comes round, then asks to speak to him, and ‘BLOWS THE GAFF.’

  1882.  PAYN, Glow-worm Tales, 301. ‘An Improvement on a System.’ If Mr. Prince had caught me before his establishment had got BLOWN UPON in the public prints, he might have persuaded me to become an inmate of the Agapemone. I hope I should not have approved of the manner of life in vogue at that institution, but I make no doubt that I should have fallen in with it without much resistance.

  1883.  G. A. S[ALA], Illustrated London News, June 16, 599, col. 1. That the ’aughty nobleman should BLOW UP the clerk for presuming to take a seat in his presence.

  1889.  Philadelphia Press, 8 Dec. Mac Clarty objected; giving the young man a warning look, he said, “Nixey Toohey, get out flash—BLOW IT, man, BLOW IT!” which meant that Mr. Mac Clarty thought that Mr. Toohey ought not to talk so much.

  1899.  R. WHITEING, No. 5 John Street, xxi. The GAFF was BLOWED by a set o’ fools.