[blow one’s mind]{v. phr.}, {slang}, {informal}; {originally from the drug culture} 1. To become wildly enthusiastic over something as if understanding it for the first time in an entirely new light. •/Read Lyall Watson’s book "Supernature", it will simply blow your mind!/ 2. To lose one’s ability to function, as if due to an overdose of drugs, •/Joe is entirely incoherent — he seems to have blown his mind./ Contrast: BLOW ONE’S COOL.
[blow one’s own horn] or [toot one’s own horn] {v. phr.}, {slang} To praise yourself; call attention to your own skill, intelligence, or successes; boast. •/People get tired of a man who is always blowing his own horn./ •/A person who does things well does not have to toot his own horn; his abilities will be noticed by others./
[blow one’s top]{v. phr.} To become very excited, angry, hysterical, or furious. •/"No need to blow your top, Al," his wife said, "just because you lost a few dollars."/
[blow out]{v. phr.} 1. To cease to function; fail; explode (said of tires and fuses). •/The accident occurred when Jim’s tire blew out on the highway./ •/The new dishwasher blew out the fuses in the whole house./ 2. To extinguish. •/Jane blew out her birthday cake candles before offering pieces to the guests./
[blowout]{n.} 1. An explosion of a tire or a fuse. •/Jim’s van veered sharply to the right after his car had a blowout./ 2. A big party. •/After graduation from college, my son and his friends staged a huge blowout./
[blow over]{v.} To come to an end; pass away with little or no bad effects. •/The sky was black, as if a bad storm were coming, but it blew over and the sun came out./ •/They were bitter enemies for a while, but the quarrel blew over./ •/He was much criticized for the divorce, but it all blew over after a few years./
[blow taps]{v. phr.} To sound the final bugle call of the evening in a camp or military base. •/After taps is blown the boy scouts go to their bunks to sleep./
[blow the gaff]{v. phr.} To open one’s mouth to reveal a secret. •/When Al cheated on his wife, his younger brother blew the gaff on him./
[blow the lid off]{v. phr.}, {informal} Suddenly to reveal the truth about a matter that has been kept as a secret either by private persons or by some governmental agency. •/The clever journalists blew the lid off the Watergate cover-up./
[blow the whistle on]{v. phr.}, {slang} 1. To inform against; betray. •/The police caught one of the bank robbers, and he blew the whistle on two more./ 2. To act against, stop, or tell people the secrets of (crime or lawlessness). •/The mayor blew the whistle on gambling./ •/The police blew the whistle on hot reading./
[blow up]{v.} 1a. To break or destroy or to be destroyed by explosion. •/He blew up the plane by means of a concealed bomb./ •/The fireworks factory blew up when something went wrong in an electric switch./ 1b. {informal} To explode with anger or strong feeling; lose control of yourself. •/When Father bent the nail for the third time, he blew up./ Compare: BLOW A FUSE. 1c. To stop playing well in a game or contest, usually because you are in danger of losing or are tired; {especially}: To lose skill or control in pitching baseball. •/The champion blew up and lost the tennis match./ •/Our team was behind but the pitcher on the other team blew up and we got the winning runs./ 2. {informal} To be ruined as if by explosion; be ended suddenly. •/The whole scheme for a big party suddenly blew up./ 3a. To pump full of air; inflate. •/He blew his tires up at a filling station./ 3b. To make (something) seem bigger or important. •/It was a small thing to happen but the newspapers had blown it up until it seemed important./ 4. To bring on bad weather; also, to come on as bad weather. •/The wind had blown up a storm./ •/A storm had blown up./ 5. To copy in bigger form; enlarge. •/He blew up the snapshot to a larger size./
[blow up in one’s face]{v. phr.}, {informal} To fail completely and with unexpected force. •/The thief’s plan to rob the bank blew up in his face when a policeman stopped him./
[blue] See: BETWEEN THE DEVIL AND THE DEEP BLUE SEA, BOLT FROM THE BLUE, ONCE IN A BLUE MOON, OUT OF THE BLUE or OUT OF A CLEAR BLUE SKY.
[blue around the gills] See: GREEN AROUND THE GILLS.
[blue collar worker]{n. phr.} A manual laborer who is probably a labor union member. •/Because Jack’s father is a blue collar worker, Jack was so anxious to become an intellectual./ Contrast: WHITE COLLAR WORKER.
[blue in the face]{adj. phr.}, {informal} Very angry or upset; excited and very emotional. •/Tom argued with Bill until he was blue in the face./ •/Mary scolded Jane until she was blue in the face, but Jane kept on using Mary’s paints./
[blue Monday]{n.} A Monday when you have to work after a happy weekend. •/It was blue Monday and John nodded sleepily over his books./ •/Housewives sometimes wish they could sleep through blue Monday./
[blue-pencil]{v.} To edit. •/The editor blue-penciled John’s manuscript./
[bluff] See: CALL ONE’S BLUFF.
[blurt out]{v. phr.} To suddenly say something even if one was not planning to do so, or if it was not expected of them. •/"My brother Bob is in jail," Tony blurted out, before anybody could stop him./
[blush] See: AT FIRST BLUSH.
[board] See: ACROSS THE BOARD, COLLEGE BOARDS, GO BY THE BOARD or PASS BY THE BOARD, ON BOARD, SANDWICH BOARD.
[boat] See: BURN ONE’S BRIDGES also BURN ONE’S BOATS, IN THE SAME BOAT, MISS THE BOAT, ROCK THE BOAT.
[bobby-soxer]{n.} A teen-aged girl. (1940s idiom) •/My two daughters, age 13 and 14, are typical bobby-soxers./
[bob up] See: POP UP(1).
[body] See: KEEP BODY AND SOUL TOGETHER.
[body blow]{n.}, {informal} A great disappointment; a bitter failure. •/When he failed to get on the team it came as a body blow to him./