blade
A man—in ancient times the term for a soldier; "knowing BLADE," a wide-awake, sharp, or cunning man.
English · UK & Ireland 1634
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Expressions you’ll hear in Britain and Ireland — distinctly British usage first, then widespread staples.
blank
To look blank; to appear disappointed or confounded.
blanket hornpipe
The amorous congress.
blarney
He has licked the blarney stone; he deals in the wonderful, or tips us the traveller.
blarney
Flattery, powers of persuasion. A castle in the county of Cork. It is said that whoever kisses a certain stone in this castle will be able to persuade others of whatever he or she pleases. The name of the castle is derived from BLADH, a blossom, i.e., the flowery or fertile demesne. BLADH is also flattery; hence the connexion. A more than ordinarily persuasive Irishman is said to have "kissed the BLARNEY stone."
blast
To curse. Originally a Military expression.
blaze
To leave trace purposely of one’s way in a forest or unknown path by marking trees or other objects.
blazes
A low synonym for the infernal regions, and now almost for anything. "Like BLAZES" is a phrase of intensification applied without any reference to the original meaning. Also applied to the brilliant habiliments of flunkeys, since the episode of Sam Weller and the "swarry."
bleached mort
A fair-complexioned wench.
bleaters
Those cheated by Jack in a box. CANT.--See JACK IN A BOX.
bleating rig
Sheep stealing. Cant.
bleed
To victimize, or extract money from a person, to sponge on, to make suffer vindictively.
bleeders
Spurs. He clapped his bleeders to his prad; be put spurs to his horse.
bleeding cully
One who parts easily with his money, or bleeds freely.
bleeding new
A metaphor borrowed from fish, which will not bleed when stale.
blessing
A small quantity over and above the measure, usually given by hucksters dealing in peas, beans, and other vegetables.
blest
A vow; "BLEST if I’ll do it," i.e., I am determined not to do it; euphemism for CURST.
blether
To bother, to annoy, to pester. "A BLETHERING old nuisance" is a common expression for a garrulous old person.
blew
Or BLOW, to inform, or peach, to lose or spend money.
blewed
A man who has lost or spent all his money is said to have BLEWED it. Also used in cases of robbery from the person, as, "He’s BLEWED his red ’un," i.e., he’s been eased of his watch.
blind
A feint, pretence, or shift.
blind
A pretence, or make-believe.
blind cheeks
The breech. Buss blind cheeks; kiss mine a-se.
blind excuse
A poor or insufficient excuse. A blind ale-house, lane, or alley; an obscure, or little known or frequented ale-house, lane, or alley.
blind harpers
Beggars counterfeiting blindness, playing on fiddles, &c.
blind-half-hundred
The Fiftieth Regiment of Foot; so called through their great sufferings from ophthalmia when serving in Egypt.
blind-hookey
A game at cards which has no recommendation beyond the rapidity with which money can be won and lost at it; called also WILFUL MURDER.
blind-man’s-holiday
Night, darkness. Sometimes applied to the period "between the lights."
blindman's buff
A play used by children, where one being blinded by a handkerchief bound over his eyes, attempts to seize any one of the company, who all endeavour to avoid him; the person caught, must be blinded in his stead.
blink-fencer
A person who sells spectacles.
blinker
A blackened eye.—Norwich. Also a hard blow in the eye. BLINKERS, spectacles.
bloated aristocrat
A street term for any decently dressed person. From the persistent abuse lavished on a "bloated and parasitical aristocracy" by Hyde Park demagogues and a certain unpleasant portion of the weekly press.
blob
(from BLAB), to talk. Beggars are of two kinds—those who SCREEVE (introducing themselves with a FAKEMENT, or false document) and those who BLOB, or state their case in their own truly "unvarnished" language.
block
The head. "To BLOCK a hat," is to knock a man’s hat down over his eyes.—See BONNET. Also a street obstruction.
block houses
Prisons, houses of correction, &c.
block ornaments
The small dark-coloured and sometimes stinking pieces of meat which used to be exposed on the cheap butchers’ blocks or counters; matters of interest to all the sharp-visaged women in poor neighbourhoods. Since the great rise in the price of meat there has been little necessity for butchers to make block ornaments of their odds and ends. They are bespoke beforehand.
blocked at both ends
Finished. The game is blocked at both ends; the game is ended.
bloke
A man; "the BLOKE with the jasey," the man with the wig, i.e., the Judge. Gipsy and Hindoo, LOKE. North, BLOACHER, any large animal.
blood
A riotous disorderly fellow.
blood
A fast or high-mettled man. Nearly obsolete, but much used in George the Fourth’s time.
blood for blood
A term used by tradesmen for bartering the different commodities in which they deal. Thus a hatter furnishing a hosier with a hat, and taking payment in stockings, is said to deal blood for blood.
blood money
The reward given by the legislature on the conviction of highwaymen, burglars, &c.
blood-money
The money that used to be paid to any one who by information or evidence led to a conviction for a capital offence. Nowadays applied to all sums received by informers.
bloody
A favourite word used by the thieves in swearing, as bloody eyes, bloody rascal.
bloody
An expletive used, without reference to meaning, as an adjective and an adverb, simply for intensification.
bloody back
A soldier.
bloody jemmy
An uncooked sheep’s head.—See SANGUINARY JAMES. Also MOUNTAIN PECKER.
blow
He has bit the blow, i.e. he has stolen the goods. Cant.
blow
To expose, or inform; "BLOW the gaff," to inform against a person.
blow me
Or BLOW ME TIGHT, a vow, a ridiculous and unmeaning ejaculation, inferring an appeal to the ejaculator; "I’m BLOWED if you will" is a common expression among the lower orders; "BLOW ME UP" was the term a century ago.—See Parker’s Adventures, 1781.—The expression BE-BLOWED is now more general. Thomas Hood used to tell a story:—
blow up
To make a noise, or scold; formerly a cant expression used among thieves, now a recognised and respectable phrase. BLOWING UP, a jobation, a scolding.
blow-up
A discovery, or the confusion occasioned by one.
blowen
A mistress or whore of a gentleman of the scamp. The blowen kidded the swell into a snoozing ken, and shook him of his dummee and thimble; the girl inveigled the gentleman into a brothel and robbed him of his pocket book and watch.
blowen
Originally a showy or flaunting female, now a prostitute only. In Wilts, a BLOWEN is a blossom. Germ. BLÜHEN, to bloom. In German, also, BUHLEN is to court, and BUHLE, a sweetheart.
blower
A pipe. How the swell funks his blower and lushes red tape; what a smoke the gentleman makes with his pipe, and drinks brandy.
blower
A girl; a contemptuous name in opposition to JOMER.—Gipsy.
blowsey
A word applied to a rough wench, or coarse woman.
blubber
The mouth.--I have stopped the cull's blubber; I have stopped the fellow's mouth, meant either by gagging or murdering him.
blubber cheeks
Large flaccid cheeks, hanging like the fat or blubber of a whale.
bludger
A low thief, who does not hesitate to use violence, literally one who will use a bludgeon.