9 PHRASE If a quality or talent is in your blood , it is part of your nature, and other members of your family have it too. □ Diplomacy was in his blood: his ancestors had been feudal lords. □ He has adventure in his blood.
10 PHRASE You can use the expressions new blood , fresh blood , or young blood to refer to people who are brought into an organization to improve it by thinking of new ideas or new ways of doing things. □ There's been a major reshuffle of the cabinet to bring in new blood.
11 PHRASE If you say that someone sweats blood trying to do something, you are emphasizing that they try very hard to do it. [EMPHASIS ] □ I had to sweat blood for an M.A.
12 PHRASE If you say that someone draws first blood , you mean that they have had a success at the beginning of a competition or conflict. [mainly BRIT ] □ The home side drew first blood with a penalty from Murray Strang.
13 flesh and blood → see flesh
14 own flesh and blood → see flesh COLLOCATIONS blood NOUN 1
verb + blood : shed, spill; lose
bloo d and thu n|der also blood-and-thunder ADJ [ADJ n] A blood and thunder performer or performance is very loud and emotional. □ He was a blood-and-thunder preacher.
bloo d bank (blood banks ) N‑COUNT A blood bank is a place where blood which has been taken from blood donors is stored until it is needed for people in hospital.
blood|bath /blʌ dbɑːθ, -bæθ/ (bloodbaths ) also blood bath N‑COUNT If you describe an event as a bloodbath , you are emphasizing that a lot of people were killed very violently. [EMPHASIS ] □ The war degenerated into a bloodbath of tribal killings.
bloo d broth|er (blood brothers ) also blood-brother N‑COUNT A man's blood brother is a man he has sworn to treat as a brother, often in a ceremony which involves mixing a small amount of their blood.
bloo d count (blood counts ) N‑COUNT Your blood count is the number of red and white cells in your blood. A blood count can also refer to a medical examination which determines the number of red and white cells in your blood. □ Her blood count was normal. □ We do a blood count to ensure that all is well.
bloo d-curdling also bloodcurdling ADJ [usu ADJ n] A blood-curdling sound or story is very frightening and horrible. □ …blood-curdling tales.
blo od do|nor (blood donors ) N‑COUNT A blood donor is someone who gives some of their blood so that it can be used in operations.
bloo d feud (blood feuds ) N‑COUNT A blood feud is a long-lasting, bitter disagreement between two or more groups of people, particularly family groups. Blood feuds often involve members of each group murdering or fighting with members of the other.
bloo d group (blood groups ) N‑COUNT [oft poss N ] Someone's blood group is the type of blood that they have in their body. There are four main types: A, B, AB, and O.
bloo d hea t N‑UNCOUNT Blood heat is a temperature of 37°C, which is about the same as the normal temperature of the human body.
blood|hound /blʌ dhaʊnd/ (bloodhounds ) N‑COUNT A bloodhound is a large dog with a very good sense of smell. Bloodhounds are often used to find people or other animals by following their scent.
blood|less /blʌ dləs/
1 ADJ A bloodless coup or victory is one in which nobody is killed. □ Reports from the area indicate that it was a bloodless coup. □ The campaign would be short and relatively bloodless. ● blood|less|ly ADV [ADV with v] □ This war had to be fought fast and relatively bloodlessly.
2 ADJ If you describe someone's face or skin as bloodless , you mean that it is very pale. □ …her face grey and bloodless.
bloo d-letting
1 N‑UNCOUNT Blood-letting is violence or killing between groups of people, especially between rival armies. □ Once again there's been ferocious blood-letting in the township.
2 N‑UNCOUNT Journalists sometimes refer to a bitter quarrel between two groups of people from within the same organization as blood-letting . □ Hopefully a satisfactory solution can be reached without much blood-letting.
blood|line /blʌ dla I n/ (bloodlines ) N‑COUNT A person's bloodline is their ancestors over many generations, and the characteristics they are believed to have inherited from these ancestors.
bloo d lust also blood-lust N‑UNCOUNT [oft a N ] If you say that someone is driven by a blood lust , you mean that they are acting in an extremely violent way because their emotions have been aroused by the events around them. □ The mobs became driven by a crazed blood-lust to take the city.
bloo d mon|ey
1 N‑UNCOUNT If someone makes a payment of blood money to the family of someone who has been killed, they pay that person's family a sum of money as compensation. □ The US agreed to pay blood money to the families of the two victims.
2 N‑UNCOUNT Blood money is money that is paid to someone for murdering someone.
bloo d poi|son|ing N‑UNCOUNT Blood poisoning is a serious illness resulting from an infection in your blood.
bloo d pres|sure N‑UNCOUNT Your blood pressure is the amount of force with which your blood flows around your body. □ Your doctor will monitor your blood pressure. □ The Prime Minister had been taken ill with high blood pressure.
blo od pu d|ding (blood puddings ) N‑VAR Blood pudding is another word for black pudding .
bloo d-re d also blood red COLOUR Something that is blood-red is bright red in colour. □ …blood-red cherries.