Blue-grass State Blue-grass State The Sate of Kentucky; -- a nickname alluding to the blue-grass region, where fine horses are bred.

Blue-john Blue"-john` noun A name given to fluor spar in Derbyshire, where it is used for ornamental purposes.

Blue-skylaw Blue"-sky"law` A law enacted to provide for the regulation and supervision of investment companies in order to protect the public against companies that do not intend to do a fair and honest business and that offer investments that do not promise a fair return; -- so called because the promises made by some investment companies are as boundless or alluring as the blue sky, or, perhaps, because designed to clear away the clouds and fogs from the simple investor's horizon. [ Colloq.]

Blue-veined Blue"-veined` adjective Having blue veins or blue streaks.

Blueback Blue"back` noun (Zoology) (a) A trout ( Salmo oquassa ) inhabiting some of the lakes of Maine. (b) A salmon ( Oncorhynchus nerka ) of the Columbia River and northward. (c) An American river herring ( Clupea æstivalis ), closely allied to the alewife.

Bluebeard Blue"beard noun The hero of a mediæval French nursery legend, who, leaving home, enjoined his young wife not to open a certain room in his castle. She entered it, and found the murdered bodies of his former wives. -- Also used adjectively of a subject which it is forbidden to investigate.

The Bluebeard chamber of his mind, into which no eye but his own must look.
Carlyle.

Bluebell Blue"bell` noun (Botany) (a) A plant of the genus Campanula , especially the Campanula rotundifolia , which bears blue bell-shaped flowers; the harebell. (b) A plant of the genus Scilla ( Scilla nutans ).

Blueberry Blue"berry noun [ Confer Blaeberry .] (Botany) The berry of several species of Vaccinium , an ericaceous genus, differing from the American huckleberries in containing numerous minute seeds instead of ten nutlets. The commonest species are V. Pennsylvanicum and V. vacillans . V. corymbosum is the tall blueberry.

Bluebill Blue"bill` noun (Zoology) A duck of the genus Fuligula . Two American species ( F. marila and F. affinis ) are common. See Scaup duck .

Bluebird Blue"bird` noun (Zoology) A small song bird ( Sialia sialis ), very common in the United States, and, in the north, one of the earliest to arrive in spring. The male is blue, with the breast reddish. It is related to the European robin.

Pairy bluebird (Zoology) , a brilliant Indian or East Indian bird of the genus Irena , of several species.

Bluebottle Blue"bot`tle noun 1. (Botany) A plant ( Centaurea cyanus ) which grows in grain fields. It receives its name from its blue bottle-shaped flowers.

2. (Zoology) A large and troublesome species of blowfly ( Musca vomitoria ). Its body is steel blue.

Bluebreast Blue"breast` noun (Zoology) A small European bird; the blue-throated warbler.

Bluecap Blue"cap` noun 1. (Zoology) (a) The bluepoll. (b) The blue bonnet or blue titmouse.

2. A Scot; a Scotchman; -- so named from wearing a blue bonnet. [ Poetic] Shak.

Bluecoat Blue"coat` noun One dressed in blue, as a soldier, a sailor, a beadle, etc.

Bluefin Blue"fin` noun (Zoology) A species of whitefish ( Coregonus nigripinnis ) found in Lake Michigan.

Bluefish Blue"fish` noun (Zoology) 1. A large voracious fish ( Pomatomus saitatrix ), of the family Carangidæ , valued as a food fish, and widely distributed on the American coast. On the New Jersey and Rhode Island coast it is called the horse mackerel , in Virginia saltwater tailor , or skipjack .

2. A West Indian fish ( Platyglossus radiatus ), of the family Labridæ .

» The name is applied locally to other species of fishes; as the cunner, sea bass, squeteague, etc.

Bluegown Blue"gown` noun One of a class of paupers or pensioners, or licensed beggars, in Scotland, to whim annually on the king's birthday were distributed certain alms, including a blue gown; a beadsman.

Bluely Blue"ly adverb With a blue color. Swift.

Blueness Blue"ness noun The quality of being blue; a blue color. Boyle.

Bluenose Blue"nose noun A nickname for a Nova Scotian.

Bluenose Blue"nose` noun A Nova Scotian; also, a Nova Scotian ship (called also Blue"nos`er ); a Nova Scotian potato, etc.

Bluepoll Blue"poll` noun [ Blue + poll head.] (Zoology) A kind of salmon ( Salmo Cambricus ) found in Wales.

Blueprint Blue"print See under Print .

Bluestocking Blue"stock`ing noun 1. A literary lady; a female pedant. [ Colloq.]

» As explained in Boswell's "Life of Dr. Johnson", this term is derived from the name given to certain meetings held by ladies, in Johnson's time, for conversation with distinguished literary men. An eminent attendant of these assemblies was a Mr. Stillingfleet, who always wore blue stockings . He was so much distinguished for his conversational powers that his absence at any time was felt to be a great loss, so that the remark became common, "We can do nothing without the blue stockings ." Hence these meetings were sportively called bluestocking clubs , and the ladies who attended them, bluestockings .

2. (Zoology) The American avocet ( Recurvirostra Americana ).

Bluestockingism Blue"stock`ing·ism noun The character or manner of a bluestocking; female pedantry. [ Colloq.]

Bluestone Blue"stone` noun 1. Blue vitriol. Dunglison.

2. A grayish blue building stone, as that commonly used in the eastern United States.

Bluethroat Blue"throat` noun (Zoology) A singing bird of northern Europe and Asia ( Cyanecula Suecica ), related to the nightingales; -- called also blue-throated robin and blue-throated warbler .

Bluets Blu"ets noun [ French bluet , bleuet , dim. of bleu blue. See Blue , adjective ] (Botany) A name given to several different species of plants having blue flowers, as the Houstonia cœrulea , the Centaurea cyanus or bluebottle, and the Vaccinium angustifolium .

Bluewing Blue"wing` noun (Zoology) The blue-winged teal. See Teal .

Bluey Blue"y adjective Bluish. Southey.

Bluey Blue"y noun [ From Blue , adjective ] [ Australasia] 1. A bushman's blanket; -- named from its color.

We had to wring our blueys .

Lawson.

2. A bushman's bundle; a swag; -- so called because a blanket is sometimes used as the outside covering.

Bluff Bluff adjective [ Confer OD. blaf flat, broad, blaffaert one with a broad face, also, a boaster; or German verblüffen to confuse, LG. bluffen to frighten; to unknown origin.] 1. Having a broad, flattened front; as, the bluff bows of a ship. " Bluff visages." Irving.

2. Rising steeply with a flat or rounded front. "A bluff or bold shore." Falconer.

Its banks, if not really steep, had a bluff and precipitous aspect.
Judd.

3. Surly; churlish; gruff; rough.

4. Abrupt; roughly frank; unceremonious; blunt; brusque; as, a bluff answer; a bluff manner of talking; a bluff sea captain. " Bluff King Hal." Sir W. Scott.

There is indeed a bluff pertinacity which is a proper defense in a moment of surprise.
I. Taylor.

Bluff Bluff noun 1. A high, steep bank, as by a river or the sea, or beside a ravine or plain; a cliff with a broad face.

Beach, bluff , and wave, adieu.
Whittier.

2. An act of bluffing; an expression of self- confidence for the purpose of intimidation; braggadocio; as, that is only bluff , or a bluff .

3. A game at cards; poker. [ U.S.] Bartlett.

Bluff Bluff transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Bluffed ; present participle & verbal noun Bluffing .] 1. (Poker) To deter (an opponent) from taking the risk of betting on his hand of cards, as the bluffer does by betting heavily on his own hand although it may be of less value. [ U. S.]

2. To frighten or deter from accomplishing a purpose by making a show of confidence in one's strength or resources; as, he bluffed me off. [ Colloq.]

Bluff Bluff intransitive verb To act as in the game of bluff.

Bluff-bowed Bluff"-bowed` adjective (Nautical) Built with the stem nearly straight up and down.

Bluff-headed Bluff"-head`ed adjective (Nautical) Built with the stem nearly straight up and down.

Bluffer Bluff"er noun One who bluffs.

Bluffness Bluff"ness noun The quality or state of being bluff.

Bluffy Bluff"y adjective 1. Having bluffs, or bold, steep banks.

2. Inclined to bo bluff; brusque.

Bluing Blu"ing noun 1. The act of rendering blue; as, the bluing of steel. Tomlinson.

2. Something to give a bluish tint, as indigo, or preparations used by washerwomen.

Bluish Blu"ish adjective Somewhat blue; as, bluish veins. " Bluish mists." Dryden. -- Blu"ish*ly , adverb -- Blu"ish*ness , noun

Blunder Blun"der intransitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Blundered ; present participle & verbal noun Blundering .] [ Middle English blunderen , blondren , to stir, confuse, blunder; perhaps allied to blend to mix, to confound by mixture.] 1. To make a gross error or mistake; as, to blunder in writing or preparing a medical prescription. Swift.

2. To move in an awkward, clumsy manner; to flounder and stumble.

I was never distinguished for address, and have often even blundered in making my bow.
Goldsmith.

Yet knows not how to find the uncertain place,
And blunders on, and staggers every pace.
Dryden.

To blunder on . (a) To continue blundering. (b) To find or reach as if by an accident involving more or less stupidity, -- applied to something desirable; as, to blunder on a useful discovery.

Blunder Blun"der transitive verb 1. To cause to blunder. [ Obsolete] "To blunder an adversary." Ditton.

2. To do or treat in a blundering manner; to confuse.

He blunders and confounds all these together.
Stillingfleet.

Blunder Blun"der noun 1. Confusion; disturbance. [ Obsolete]

2. A gross error or mistake, resulting from carelessness, stupidity, or culpable ignorance.

Syn. -- Blunder , Error , Mistake , Bull . An error is a departure or deviation from that which is right or correct; as, an error of the press; an error of judgment. A mistake is the interchange or taking of one thing for another, through haste, inadvertence, etc.; as, a careless mistake . A blunder is a mistake or error of a gross kind. It supposes a person to flounder on in his course, from carelessness, ignorance, or stupidity. A bull is a verbal blunder containing a laughable incongruity of ideas.

Blunderbuss Blun"der·buss noun [ Either from blunder + Dutch bus tube, box, akin to German büchse box, gun, English box ; or corrupted from Dutch donderbus (literally) thunder box, gun, musket.] 1. A short gun or firearm, with a large bore, capable of holding a number of balls, and intended to do execution without exact aim.

2. A stupid, blundering fellow.

Blunderer Blun"der·er noun One who is apt to blunder.

Blunderhead Blun"der·head` noun [ Blunder + head.] A stupid, blundering fellow.

Blundering Blun"der·ing adjective Characterized by blunders.

Blunderingly Blun"der·ing·ly adverb In a blundering manner.

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