blown upon
Preserved but no longer current.
Made the subject of a scandal. His reputation has been blown upon, means that he has been the subject of talk wherein something derogatory was hinted at or asserted. Blown upon by the breath of slander.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “blown upon” mean?
Made the subject of a scandal. His reputation has been blown upon, means that he has been the subject of talk wherein something derogatory was hinted at or asserted. Blown upon by the breath of slander.
Is “blown upon” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.