blowup

Multiple Entries:
  blow    blow-up  

Concise Oxford English Dictionary © 2008 Oxford University Press:
blow1

▶verb (past blew; past part. blown)

• 1 (of wind) move creating an air current.

  ■ be carried or driven by the wind.

• 2 expel air through pursed lips.

  ■ force air through the mouth into (an instrument) to make a sound.

  ■ force air through a tube into (molten glass) to create an artefact.

  ■ remove the contents of (an egg) by forcing air through it.

  ■ (of a whale) eject air and vapour through the blowhole.

• 3 sound (the horn of a vehicle).

• 4 (of an explosion) displace violently or send flying.

  ■ burst or burn out through pressure or overheating.

  ■ (of a vehicle tyre) burst suddenly while the vehicle is in motion.

• 5 informal spend recklessly.

• 6 informal completely bungle (an opportunity).

  ■ expose (a stratagem): his cover was blown.

• 7 (past part. blowed) Brit. informal damn: ‘Well, blow me’, he said.

• 8 N. Amer. informal leave.

• 9 (of flies) lay eggs in or on.

• 10 informal play jazz or rock music in an unrestrained style.

• 11 (as adj. blown) breathing hard; exhausted.

▶noun

• 1 a strong wind.

• 2 an act of blowing.

• 3 informal cannabis.

– phrases
blow a fuse (or gasket) informal lose one's temper.
blow hot and cold alternate inconsistently between two moods, attitudes, etc.
blow someone a kiss kiss the tips of one's fingers then blow across them towards someone as a gesture of affection.
blow someone's mind informal impress or otherwise affect someone very strongly.
blow one's nose clear one's nose of mucus by blowing through it into a handkerchief.
blow one's top (or chiefly N. Amer. lid or stack) informal lose one's temper.
blow with the wind be incapable of maintaining a consistent course of action.

– phrasal verbs
blow someone away informal

• 1 kill someone using a firearm.

• 2 cause someone to be extremely impressed.

blow in informal arrive casually and unannounced.
blow off informal

• 1 lose one's temper and shout.

• 2 break wind noisily.

blow someone off N. Amer. informal fail to keep an appointment with someone.

■ end a romantic or sexual relationship with someone.

blow something off N. Amer. informal ignore or fail to attend something.
blow someone out N. Amer. informal defeat someone convincingly.
blow over (of trouble) fade away without serious consequences.
blow up

• 1 explode.

• 2 lose one's temper.

• 3 (of a wind or storm) begin to develop.

• 4 (of a scandal or dispute) emerge or become public.

• 5 inflate.

blow something up

• 1 cause something to explode.

• 2 inflate or enlarge something.

– origin OE blāwan, of Gmc origin.

Concise Oxford English Dictionary © 2008 Oxford University Press:
blow2

▶noun

• 1 a powerful stroke with a hand or weapon.

• 2 a sudden shock or disappointment.

– phrases
blow-by-blow (of a description of an event) giving all the details in the order in which they occurred.
come to blows start fighting after a disagreement.

– origin ME: of unknown origin.

Concise Oxford English Dictionary © 2008 Oxford University Press:
blow3 archaic or literary

▶verb (past blew; past part. blown) produce flowers or be in flower. ▶noun the state or period of flowering.

– origin OE blōwan, of Gmc origin; rel. to bloom1 and blossom.

Concise Oxford English Dictionary © 2008 Oxford University Press:
blow-up

▶noun

• 1 an enlargement of a photograph.

• 2 informal an outburst of anger.

▶adjective inflatable.