[blaze a trail]{v. phr.} 1. To cut marks in trees in order to guide other people along a path or trail, especially through a wilderness. •/Daniel Boone blazed a trail for other hunters to follow in Kentucky./ 2. To lead the way; make a discovery; start something new. •/Henry Ford blazed a trail in manufacturing automobiles./ •/The building of rockets blazed a trail to outer space./ See: TRAILBLAZER.
[bleep out] See: BLIP OUT.
[bless one’s heart]{v. phr.} To thank someone; consider one the cause of something good that has happened. •/Aunt Jane, bless her heart, left me half a million dollars!/
[blessing] See: MIXED BLESSING.
[blind] See: FLY BLIND.
[blind alley]{n.} 1. A narrow street that has only one entrance and no exit. •/The blind alley ended in a brick wall./ 2. A way of acting that leads to no good results. •/John did not take the job because it was a blind alley./ •/Tom thought of a way to do the algebra problem, but he found it was a blind alley./
[blind as a bat/beetle/mole/owl]{adj. phr.} Anyone who is blind or has difficulty in seeing; a person with very thick glasses. •/Without my glasses I am blind as a bat./
[blind date]{n.} An engagement or date arranged by friends for people who have not previously known one another. •/A blind date can be a huge success, or a big disappointment./
[blind leading the blind] One or more people who do not know or understand something trying to explain it to others who do not know or understand. •/Jimmy is trying to show Bill how to skate. The blind are leading the blind./
[blind spot]{n.} 1. A place on the road that a driver cannot see in the rearview mirror. •/I couldn’t see that truck behind me, Officer, because it was in my blind spot./ 2. A matter or topic a person refuses to discuss or accept. •/My uncle Ted has a real blind spot about religion./
[blink] See: ON THE BLINK.
[blip out] or [bleep out] {v. phr.}, {informal} To delete electronically a word on television or on radio either because it mentions the name of an established firm in a commercial or because it is a censored word not allowed for television audiences, resulting in a sound resembling the word "bleep." •/What was the old product they compared Spic-n-Span to? — I don’t know; they’ve bleeped it out./
[blitz] See: SAFETY BLITZ.
[block] See: CHIP OFF THE OLD BLOCK, KNOCK ONE’S BLOCK OFF, ON THE BLOCK.
[blockhead]{n.}, {informal} An unusually dense, or stupid person whose head is therefore exaggeratedly compared to a solid block of wood. •/Joe is such a blockhead that he flunked every course as a freshman./
[blood] See: DRAW BLOOD, FLESH AND BLOOD, IN COLD BLOOD, IN ONE’S BLOOD or INTO ONE’S BLOOD, MAKE ONE’S BLOOD BOIL or MAKE THE BLOOD BOIL, NEW BLOOD, OUT OF ONE’S BLOOD, RUN IN THE BLOOD or RUN IN THE FAMILY, SPORTING BLOOD, SWEAT BLOOD, WARM ONE’S BLOOD.
[blood and thunder]{n. phr.} The violence and bloodshed of stories that present fast action rather than understanding of character. •/Crime movies and westerns usually have lots of blood and thunder./ — Often used like an adjective. •/John likes to watch blood-and-thunder stories on television./
[blood freezes] See: BLOOD RUNS COLD.
[blood is thicker than water] Persons of the same family are closer to one another than to others; relatives are favored or chosen over outsiders. •/Mr. Jones hires his relatives to work in his store. Blood is thicker than water./
[blood runs cold] also [blood freezes] or [blood turns to ice] You are chilled or shivering from great fright or horror; you are terrified or horrified. — Usually used with a possessive. •/The horror movie made the children’s blood run cold./ •/Mary’s blood froze when she had to walk through the cemetery at night./ •/Oscar’s blood turned to ice when he saw the shadow pass by outside the window./ Compare: HAIR STAND ON END, THE CREEPS.
[blood turns to ice] See: BLOOD RUNS COLD.
[bloody] See: SCREAM BLOODY MURDER.
[blot out]{v. phr.} 1. To obstruct; cover; obscure. •/The high-rise building in front of our apartment house blots out the view of the ocean./ 2. To wipe out of one’s memory. •/Jane can’t remember the details when she was attacked in the streets; she blotted it out of her memory./
[blow] See: AT A BLOW, BODY BLOW, COME TO BLOWS, IT’S AN ILL WIND THAT BLOWS NOBODY GOOD, WAY THE WIND BLOWS or HOW THE WIND BLOWS.
[blow a fuse] or [blow a gasket] or [blow one’s top] or [blow one’s stack] {v. phr.}, {slang} To become extremely angry; express rage in hot words. •/When Mr. McCarthy’s son got married against his wishes, he blew a fuse./ •/When the umpire called Joe out at first, Joe blew his top and was sent to the showers./ Syn.: BLOW UP(1b), FLIP ONE’S LID, LOSE ONE’S TEMPER. Compare: BLOW OFF STEAM(2).
[blow great guns] See: GREAT GUNS.
[blow hot and cold]{v. phr.} To change your ways or likes often; be fickle or changeable. •/Tom blows hot and cold about coming out for the baseball team; he cannot decide./ •/Mary blew hot and cold about going to college; every day she changed her mind./ •/The boys will get tired of Ann’s blowing hot and cold./
[blow in]{v.}, {slang} To arrive unexpectedly or in a carefree way. •/The house was already full of guests when Bill blew in./ Compare SHOW UP(3).
[blow into]{v.}, {slang} To arrive at (a place) unexpectedly or in a carefree way. •/Bill blows into college at the last minute after every vacation./ •/Why Tom, when did you blow into town?/
[blow off steam] See: LET OFF STEAM.
[blow one’s brains out]{v. phr.} 1. To shoot yourself in the head. •/Mr. Jones lost all his wealth, so he blew his brains out./ 2. {slang} To work very hard; overwork yourself. •/The boys blew their brains out to get the stage ready for the play./ •/Mary is not one to blow her brains out./ Compare: BREAK ONE’S NECK.
[blow one’s cool]{v. phr.}, {slang}, {informal} To lose your composure or self-control. •/Whatever you say to the judge in court, make sure that you don’t blow your cool./
[blow one’s lines] or [fluff one’s lines] {v. phr.}, {informal} To forget the words you are supposed to speak while acting in a play. •/The noise backstage scared Mary and she blew her lines./