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bleep
in the Republic of Ireland. People believe that, if you kiss it,
it will bring you good luck and the ability to persuade
people to do what you want.
bla-sé /'blɑ:zeɪ||blɑ:'zeɪ/ adj seeming not to be concerned,
worried, or excited about something or about things in
general: The pop star is very blasé about money now.
blas-pheme /blæs'fi:m/ v [(against);T] to speak without
respect for or use bad language about (God or religious
matters): blaspheming (against) God →-phemer n
blas-phe-my /'blæsfəmi/ n [C;U(against)] (an example of
disrespectful or bad language about God or holy things:
Their conversation was full of blasphemies. | What you're
saying is blasphemy! —mous adj: a blasphemous suggestion
—mously adv
blast¹ /blɑ:st||blæst/ n 1 [C] a sudden strong movement of
wind or air: the icy blast(s) of the north wind 2 [C] an
explosion: Police say that the blast occurred at 3 p.m. 3 [U]
the very powerful rush of air caused by an explosion, espe-
cially by a NUCLEAR explosion: Enormous numbers of people
would be killed by blast. 4 [C] the loud sound of a brass
musical instrument: He blew several loud blasts on his
horn. 5 [U] AmE infml an enjoyable party with many guests: a
beer blast 6 [U] AmE infml an enjoyable and exciting experi-
ence: We had a blast at the fair. | The bicycle trip was a real
blast. 7 (at) full blast as hard or as fast as possible; at full
power: We're working (at) full blast to complete the order
before the holidays. | a car going at full blast down the
motorway 8 a blast from the past spoken used about some-
one or something from the past that you suddenly remem-
ber, see, or hear about, that reminds you of that time in your
life: The request is for a real blast from the past: that lovely
Peter, Paul, and Mary song, 'The Cuckoo'. | 'He used to eat
Yodels all the time.' 'Wow, Yodels, that's a blast from the past. I
haven't had one in years.'
blast² v 1 [[T;+obj+adv/prep] to break up (especially rock) by
explosions: The road is closed because of blasting. | to blast
away the face of the rock | They're blasting a tunnel through
the mountain. 2 [T] to attack with explosives: The planes
blasted the port. 3 [T] lit to cause to dry up and die, especially
by great heat or cold, or by lightning: Every green thing was
blasted by the icy breath of winter. | a blasted oak (=struck by
lightning) | (fig.) The news blasted (=destroyed) our
hopes. 4 [!T] (used to express annoyance) DAMN: Blast you! |
Oh, blast! | Get that blasted dog out of here!
blast off phr v [I] (of a spacecraft) to leave the ground; take
off → see also BLAST-OFF
blast furnace n a very tall steel container in which iron is
separated from iron ORE by the action of heat and air blown
through at great pressure
blast-off n [U] the moment when a spacecraft takes off;
TAKEOFF: ten seconds to blast-off → see also BLAST OFF
bla-tant /'bleɪtənt/ adj shameless; offensively noticeable: his
blatant disregard for the law | blatant disobedience/
discrimination —ly adv —tancy n [U]
blath-er /'blæðər/ n, v BLETHER
blaze¹ /bleɪz/ n 1 [S] (the sudden sharp shooting up of) a
bright flame: The fire burned slowly at first, but soon burst
into a blaze. | (fig.) In a blaze of anger she shouted at
them. 2 [C] a big dangerous fire: The firemen were unable to
control the blaze. 3 [S(of)] a bright show (of lights, colours
etc): The garden was a blaze of reds and yellows. | (fig.) The
new car was launched in a blaze of publicity. 4 [S(of)] a rapid
continuous firing of a gun: a blaze of machinegun fire → see
also ABLAZE, BLAZES
blaze² v 1 [I] to (begin to) burn with a bright flame: A wood
fire was blazing (away) in the hearth, but there was no other
light in the room. | They fled from the blazing house. | (fig.) eyes
blazing with anger | (fig.) Lights were blazing in every room. |
(fig.) a blazing row 2 [I(AWAY)] to fire guns rapidly and con-
tinuously: blazing away at the enemy 3 [T+obj+adv/prep; usually
pass.] to make (news) widely known: The news was blazed in
great headlines across the tops of the daily papers. 4 blaze a
trail a) to make marks along a TRAIL (=path) for others to
follow b) to lead the way, especially in some new develop-
ment or activity: The company has blazed a trail with its
innovative use of robots in manufacturing.
blaze³ n a white mark, especially one down the front of a
horse's nose
blaz-er /'bleɪzər/ n a loose-fitting JACKET sometimes with the
special sign of a school, club etc on it: a school blazer
blaz-es /'bleɪzɪz/ n old-fash infml (used for adding force to
expressions of extreme annoyance): Go to blazes! | What the
blazes do you think you're doing?
bla-zon¹ /'bleɪzən/ n a COAT OF ARMS
blazon² v [T] 1 [(OUT, FORTH)] to declare loudly and pub-
licly 2 [(on, with)] to EMBLAZON
bleach¹ /bli:tʃ/ v [T] to cause to become white or pale,
especially by means of chemicals or by the action of sun-
light: to bleach handkerchiefs | hair bleached by the sun
bleach² n [U] a chemical used in bleaching: My shirt was so
dirty that I had to use bleach on it.
bleach-ers /'bli:tʃəz|-ərz/ n pl, [the] AmE cheap unroofed
seats arranged in rows of different heights and used for
watching a sport: sitting in the bleachers on a hot summer day
bleak /bli:k/ adj 1 cold and cheerless: a bleak January day,
with a cold wind and grey skies | a bleak hillside struck by the
full force of the east wind | They showed me into a bleak
waiting room with plain walls and a few uncomfortable-
looking chairs. → see also in the BLEAK MID-WINTER 2 not
hopeful or encouraging; DEPRESSING: The company's pros-
pects look pretty bleak. | The outlook for borrowers is bleak, as
interest rates are certain to rise. —ly adv
Bleak House a novel written by Charles Dickens in
1852–53. It is the story of members of the Jarndyce family
who fight each other in a court of law about money and
property that belongs to the family. The legal system is so
complicated that the case lasts for a long time, and they
have to pay their lawyers so much money that in the end
none of them gets anything.
blear-y /'blɪəri/ adj (especially of eyes) red and unable to see
well because of tiredness, tears etc: A bad cold has made him
bleary-eyed. —ily adv: He crawled blearily out of bed.
—iness n [U]
Bleas-dale, Al-an /'bli:zdəl, 'ælən/ (1946–) a British writer
of plays for the theatre and television. His work is often
humorous and serious at the same time, and deals with
social and political subjects, especially the problems of
people who are poor, UNEMPLOYED (=without jobs), or
unfairly treated by society. His best-known work is the tele-
vision programme The Boys from the Blackstuff.
bleat¹ /bli:t/ v [I] 1 to make the sound of a sheep, goat, or
CALF 2 infml to complain, especially in a weak, shaking voice;
WHINE: As usual, the opposition are bleating about unfair
coverage by the media.
bleat² n [C usually sing.] the sound made by a sheep, goat, or
CALF
bleed /bli:d/ v bled /bled/ 1 [I] to lose blood: Your nose is
bleeding. | He lay on the floor, bleeding profusely. | (fig.) My
heart bleeds for (=I feel very sorry for) those poor chil-
dren. 2 [T] infml to make (someone) pay too much money;
EXTORT money from: He bled them for every penny they'd
got. | They bled us white. (BrE) / bled us dry. (AmE) (=took all
our money) 3 [T] to draw blood from, as doctors did in
former times to treat diseases 4 [T] to draw off liquid or air
from (a machine or apparatus) in order to make it work
properly: to bleed the radiators in a central heating system | to
bleed the brakes on a car
bleed-er /'bli:dər/ n 1 BrE slang a person you do not like: I
told that bleeder not to come here again! 2 BrE slang any
person: You lucky bleeder! 3 AmE infml HEMOPHILIAC
bleed-ing /'bli:dɪŋ/ adj [A] BrE slang (used for giving force to
an expression, especially of annoyance) BLOODY: What a
bleeding waste of time!
bleeding heart 'liberal also ,bleeding 'heart n derog a
person who wants to help other people, especially socially
and politically, but who is not very practical and sometimes
behaves as though they were better than the people they are
trying to help
bleep¹ /bli:p/ n a high, usually repeated, sound sent out by a
machine to attract someone's attention → compare BLIP
bleep² v 1 [I] to send out bleeps 2 [T] BrE infml to call