8 PHRASE If something such as a radio or a heater is on full blast , or on at full blast , it is producing as much sound or power as it is able to. □ In many of those homes the television is on full blast 24 hours a day.
▸ blast away
1 PHRASAL VERB If a gun, or a person firing a gun, blasts away , the gun is fired continuously for a period of time. □ [V P ] Suddenly all the men pull out pistols and begin blasting away.
2 PHRASAL VERB If something such as a radio or a pop group is blasting away , it is producing a loud noise. □ [V P ] Alarms blast away until you get up.
▸ blast off
1 PHRASAL VERB When a space rocket blasts off , it leaves the ground at the start of its journey.
2 → see also blast-off
▸ blast out PHRASAL VERB If music or noise is blasting out , loud music or noise is being produced. □ [V P n] …loudspeakers blasting out essential tourist facts in every language known to man. □ [V P ] Pop music can be heard 10 miles away blasting out from the huge tented shanty-town.
blast|ed /blɑː st I d, blæ st I d/
1 ADJ [ADJ n] Some people use blasted to express anger or annoyance at something or someone. [INFORMAL , OLD-FASHIONED , FEELINGS ]
2 ADJ [usu ADJ n] A blasted landscape has very few plants or trees, and makes you feel sad or depressed when you look at it. [LITERARY ] □ …the blasted landscape where the battle was fought.
bla st fur|nace (blast furnaces ) N‑COUNT A blast furnace is a large structure in which iron ore is heated under pressure so that it melts and the pure iron metal separates out and can be collected.
bla st-off N‑UNCOUNT Blast-off is the moment when a rocket leaves the ground and rises into the air to begin a journey into space. □ The original planned launch was called off four minutes before blast-off.
bla|tant /ble I t ə nt/ ADJ You use blatant to describe something bad that is done in an open or very obvious way. [EMPHASIS ] □ Outsiders will continue to suffer the most blatant discrimination. □ …a blatant attempt to spread the blame for the fiasco. □ The elitism was blatant. ● bla|tant|ly ADV [ADV adj, ADV with v] □ …a blatantly sexist question. □ They said the song blatantly encouraged the killing of police officers.
bla|tant|ly /ble I t ə ntli/ ADV [usu ADV adj, oft ADV with v] Blatantly is used to add emphasis when you are describing states or situations which you think are bad. [EMPHASIS ] □ It became blatantly obvious to me that the band wasn't going to last. □ For years, blatantly false assertions have gone unchallenged.
blath|er /blæ ðə r / (blathers , blathering , blathered ) VERB If someone is blathering on about something, they are talking for a long time about something that you consider boring or unimportant. □ [V with on ] The old men blather on and on. □ [V ] Stop blathering. □ [V + about ] He kept on blathering about police incompetence. ● N‑UNCOUNT Blather is also a noun. □ Anyone knows that all this is blather.
blaze /ble I z/ (blazes , blazing , blazed )
1 VERB When a fire blazes , it burns strongly and brightly. □ [V ] Three people died as wreckage blazed, and rescuers fought to release trapped drivers. □ [V -ing] …a blazing fire.
2 N‑COUNT [usu sing] A blaze is a large fire which is difficult to control and which destroys a lot of things. [JOURNALISM ] □ Two firemen were hurt in a blaze which swept through a tower block last night.
3 VERB If something blazes with light or colour, it is extremely bright. [LITERARY ] □ [V + with ] The gardens blazed with colour. ● N‑COUNT [usu a N of n] Blaze is also a noun. □ I wanted the front garden to be a blaze of colour.
4 N‑SING A blaze of publicity or attention is a great amount of it. □ He was arrested in a blaze of publicity. □ …the sporting career that began in a blaze of glory.
5 VERB If guns blaze , or blaze away , they fire continuously, making a lot of noise. □ [V ] Guns were blazing, flares going up and the sky was lit up all around. □ [V with away ] She took the gun and blazed away with calm and deadly accuracy.
6 with all guns blazing → see gun
7 PHRASE If someone blazes a trail , they discover or develop something new. □ These surgeons have blazed the trail in the treatment of bomb victims.
blaz|er /ble I zə r / (blazers ) N‑COUNT A blazer is a kind of jacket which is often worn by members of a particular group, especially schoolchildren and members of a sports team.
blaz|ing /ble I z I ŋ/ ADJ [ADJ n] Blazing sun or blazing hot weather is very hot. □ Quite a few people were eating outside in the blazing sun.
bldg (bldgs ) in AM, use bldg. Bldg is a written abbreviation for building , and is used especially in the names of buildings. □ …Old National Bank Bldg.
bleach /bliː tʃ/ (bleaches , bleaching , bleached )
1 VERB If you bleach something, you use a chemical to make it white or pale in colour. □ [V n] These products don't bleach the hair. □ [V -ed] …bleached pine tables. □ [V -ing] …a bleaching agent.