blow off
Language: English
Part of speech: verb
Forms: form: blows off
form: blowing off
form: blew off
form: blown off
Senses: examples: text: She blew the dust off the cookbook, revealing its full title.
text: In order to deal with deposits of soot on boiler-tubes while running, especially if poor coal is in use, locomotives are often now provided with blowers on the firebox back-plate which can be made to discharge a jet of high pressure steam towards the firebox tubeplates; this has the effect of loosening and blowing off the soot deposits.
ref: 1944 May and June, “The Why and the Wherefore: Locomotive Soot Blowers”, in Railway Magazine, page 194:
text: A noteworthy engineering feature on this line was the Owencarrow Viaduct, situated in one of the most windswept portions of the line. On January 30, 1925, a train was blown off the viaduct during a gale, and thereafter trains were prohibited from crossing when the wind exceeded a certain velocity.
ref: 1953 October, H. C. Casserley, “Closure of the Londonderry & Lough Swilly Railway”, in Railway Magazine, page 703:
glosses: To remove something by blowing on it.
examples: text: The radioactivity was released when they blew off steam from the containment vessel.
glosses: To vent, usually, to reduce pressure in a container.
examples: text: The engine or steamer is blowing off.
text: From time to time in both directions the engine was blowing off, so there was no shortness of steam.
ref: 1956 October, Cecil J. Allen, “British Locomotive Practice and Performance”, in Railway Magazine, page 688:
text: The 1 in 200 climb to Survilliers was surmounted with easy competence, the constant speed being just short of 60 m.p.h., the water level (by design) just under half a glass and the steam pressure approximately 275 lb/sq in, or near the blowing-off point.
ref: 1961 March, 'Balmore', “Driving and firing modern French steam locomotives”, in Trains Illustrated, page 146:
glosses: To let steam escape through a passage provided for the purpose.
examples: text: I can't believe I blew off in church.
synonyms: word: badger
word: blow off
word: break ass
word: break wind
word: crepitate
word: curmur
word: cut one loose
word: cut the cheese
word: drop a bomb
word: fart
word: flatulate
word: grunt
word: guff
word: let fluffy off the chain
word: let one go
word: let one rip
word: pass gas
word: pass wind
word: poop
word: poot
word: pump
word: rip ass
word: rip one
word: step on a duck
word: step on a frog
word: toot
word: trump
word: fart
glosses: Synonym of fart.
examples: text: I decided to blow off the meeting and leave early.
text: We've both been blowing off Peter all day: he's really boring.
synonyms: dick around
glosses: To shirk or disregard (a duty or person).
synonyms: dick around
glosses: To shirk or disregard (a duty or person).
To abandon (someone) as the last stage of a scam.
synonyms: dick around
glosses: To shirk or disregard (a duty or person).
To reject or shut down someone's sexual advances or other offers (e.g. a job offer).
examples: text: Her leg was blown off by a landmine.
glosses: To forcibly disconnect something by use of a firearm or explosive device.
examples: text: The storm blew the ship off course.
text: This occurred on September 11, 1880, when a mixed train was blown off the track during a severe gale, and three passengers were killed.
ref: 1950 August, “The Rimutaka Incline and Deviation, New Zealand”, in Railway Magazine, page 547:
glosses: To force to leave a course.
glosses: To perform oral sex on (someone); to give a blowjob to or suck off (someone).
examples: text: I'll blow you off to dinner.
text: I guess the Duchess goes where it’s cheapest, unless she can get her meal paid for. If you offered to blow her off at the Terrasse she’d turn up fast enough.
ref: 1905, Edith Wharton, chapter 1, in The House of Mirth, book 2:
glosses: To buy food or drink for (someone); to treat (someone).
examples: text: He blew off his inheritance on partying.
glosses: To use up or spend (something).
Derived terms: word: blowjob
word: blowoff
word: blow-off
word: blow off steam