to put to the blush
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
To make one blush with shame, annoyance, or confusion.
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 “to put to the blush” mean?
To make one blush with shame, annoyance, or confusion.
Is “to put to the blush” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.