• BLUB
n. 1. 1894 – a fit or spell of weeping
n. 2. Bk1904 Amer. college sl. – empty talk
n. 3. 1953 Amer. dial. – a small amount
vb. 182 Sc. – to weep, to cry
• BLUBBER
n. Bk1898 Eng. & Amer. dial. – a bubble
vb. 1806 Amer. dial. – to bubble
• BLUBBERED
adj. 1742 Sc. – tear-stained; disfigured by weeping
• BLUBBER-FINKS
n. Bk1898 Eng. dial. – the fatty portions of the whale after the extraction of the oil
• BLUBBER-HUNTER
n. Bk1898 Eng. dial. – the jelly-fish
• BLUBBER-LIPPED
adj. Bk1898 Eng. dial. – having thick lips
• BLUBBEROUS
adj. 1863 – swollen, protruding: especially said of the lips
• BLUBBY
adj. Bk1898 Eng. dial. – over-fat
• BLUDDER
n. 1. Bk1911 Sc. – mud; any dirty or disgusting liquid or semi-liquid substance
n. 2. Bk1911 Sc. – wet weather; a spell of foul weather
vb. 1. Bk1911 Sc. – to blot or disfigure any writing
vb. 2. Bk1911 Sc. – to disfigure the face in any way; to besmear with blood, mud, tears
vb. 3. Bk1911 Sc. – to make a noise in the mouth or throat in swallowing any liquid
• BLUDGE
n. 1943 Aust. sl. – a period of lazy inactivity; also, a job needing no effort
vb. 1. 1919 Aust. sl. – to avoid effort, esp. by relying on others’ exertions
vb. 2. 1944 Aust. & NZ sl. – to borrow money, etc.; to cadge or scrounge
vb. 3. 1947 sl. – to act as a pimp
• BLUDGEON
vb. 1892 – to strike heavily, as with a bludgeon
• BLUDGER
n. 1. 1898 sl. – a pimp
n. 2. 1900 Aust. sl. – a loafer or someone who avoids his duties; a parasite
• BLUE
adj. 1. 1818 Amer. dial. – drunk
adj. 2. 1821 – of persons: gloomy; depressed
adj. 3. 1825 Sc. – of the weather: chill, frosty
adj. 4. 1895 Amer. dial. – of an animal: drab, mouse-coloured
adj. 5. 1966 Amer. dial. – of milk: turning sour
adj. 6. 20C colloq. – indecent, obscene
adv. 1968 Amer. dial. – extremely; damned
n. 1. 1790 Eng. dial. – ale
n. 2. 1889 sl. – indecent language
n. 3. Bk1904 Amer. college sl. – a student who is strict in observance of college regulations
n. 4. Bk1911 Sc. – whisky
n. 5. 1926 Amer. dial., esp. African-American usage – an esp. dark-skinned Black person
n. 6. 1932 Aust. & NZ sl. – a nickname for a red-haired person
n. 7. Bk1942 Amer. sl. – bad luck
n. 8. 1943 Aust. & NZ sl. – an argument, a row
n. 9. 1967 Amer. dial. – a person of mixed Indian, White, and Black ancestry
vb. 1. 1709 sl. obs. – to blush
vb. 2. 1846 sl. – to spend money recklessly; to squander
vb. 3. 1880 sl. – to make a mess of, to spoil, to ruin
vb. 4. 1967 Amer. dial. – to turn blue when bruised; to bruise
• THE BLUE
n. US Civil War usage – the North and its army
• THE BLUE AND THE GRAY
n. US Civil War usage – the armies of the North and the South
• BLUE AS A WHETSTONE
adj. 1. 1857 Amer. dial. – depressed, melancholy, dejected
adj. 2. Bk1898 Eng. dial. – holding extreme Tory views
• BLUEBACKS
n. US Civil War usage – Confederate paper currency
• BLUEBALL
n. Bk1942 Amer. sl. – venereal disease
• BLUEBEAK
n. 1. 1898 – a young bird
n. 2. 1898 army sl. – a young recruit
• BLUE-BEAT
vb. a1626 obs. rare – to beat black and blue
• BLUE-BELLIED
adj. 1852 Amer. dial. – from the northern states, esp. New England
• BLUE-BELLIED YANKEE
n. Bk1913-17 Amer. dial. – an out and out New Englander
• BLUEBELLY
n. 1. 1827 Amer. dial., often derogatory – a Northerner, esp. a New Englander, a Yankee
n. 2. 1843 Ireland – a Protestant dissenter
n. 3. 1950 Amer. dial. – a proud, pretentious person; a term of reproach
n. 4. 1967 Amer. dial. – a wild rabbit
• BLUEBERRY SPECIAL
n. 1950 Amer. dial. – a branch railroad that is not very important or does not give the best of service
• BLUEBIRD WEATHER
n. 1943 Amer. dial. – a brief period of warm weather in autumn
• BLUE BLAZES
n. Bk1890 sl. – spirituous liquors in general, gin in particular
• BLUE BLIZZARD
n. 1909 Amer. dial. – a cold wind from the north that brings rapidly falling temperatures
• BLUE BOAR
n. Bk1942 Amer. sl. – venereal disease
• BLUE-BONNET
n. 1. 1819 Sc. – a man’s blue cap
n. 2. 1819 Sc. – a Scotsman
• BLUE BONNET STATE
n. Bk1942 Amer. sl. – Texas
• BLUE BORE
n. Bk1911 Sc. – a rift or opening in the clouds
• BLUE BOY
n. Bk2004 Amer. World War I sl. – a French soldier
• BLUE BOYS
n. 1883 – the police
• BLUE BUG
n. 1968 Amer. dial. – a tick
• BLUE CAT
n. Bk1898 Eng. dial. – one suspected of being an incendiary
• BLUECOAT
n. 1. 1865 US – a soldier in the Federal army during the Civil War
n. 2. 1875 Amer. dial. – a policeman
• BLUE-COCK
n. Bk1898 Eng. dial. – a young salmon, so called from its bluish head and shoulders
• BLUED
adj. Bk1942 Amer. sl. – drunk
• BLUE DAHLIA
n. 1880 – something impossible or unattainable; something rare or unheard of
• BLUE-DAY
n. 1. Bk1898 Sc. – a day of uproar or disturbance
n. 2. Bk1911 Sc. – a day which is bleak and frosty; a clear, cold, wintry day
• BLUE DEVIL
vb. 1836 Amer. dial. – to make one melancholy or depressed
• BLUE-DEVILLED
adj. Bk1898 Eng. dial. – in a fit of delirium tremens
• BLUE DEVILS
n. 1. 1810 Eng. & Amer. dial. – melancholy, depression, low spirits, the blues
n. 2. 1899 Amer. dial. – delirium tremens
• BLUE DICK
n. 1969 Amer. dial. – a wild rabbit
• BLUE DRAGON
n. 1968 Amer. dial. – a dragonfly
• BLUE EYE
n. 1965 Amer. dial. – the darkened area around an eye caused by bruising; a black eye
• BLUE-EYED
adj. 1929 – innocent
• BLUE-EYED BOY
n. 1. 1924 Amer. sl. – a favoured or favourite man or boy
n. 2. 1924 Amer. sl. – a man destined for and being groomed for principal leadership or other reward
• BLUE FEAR
n. 1883 – a blue funk; a state of depression; nervousness
• BLUE FROST
n. 1967 Amer. dial. – a frost that kills plants
• BLUE FUNK
n. 1861 sl. – extreme nervousness; tremulous dread; fear
• BLUE GOOSE
n. 1. 1927 Amer. dial. – the convict cage at a prison camp
n. 2. 1966 Amer. dial. – a bus stop, a filling station
n. 3. 1966 Amer. dial. – a cheap or shabby restaurant, bar, or other public establishment
vb. 1970 Amer. dial. – (as ‘blue-goose’) of a man: to chase after women, to be involved in sexual affairs
• BLUEGOWN
n. 1803 Sc. obs – a licensed beggar
• BLUE GUM
n. 1. 1927 Amer. dial., usually derogatory – a Black person who has bluish gums and whose bite, according to superstition, is poisonous
n. 2. 1970 Amer. dial. – a person of mixed Indian, White, and Black ancestry
n. 3. 1972 Amer. dial. – home-made whisky; moonshine
• BLUE-GUMMED
adj. 1908 Amer. dial., derogatory – of a Black person: having bluish gums
• BLUE HEN
n. 1830 US – the state of Delaware
• BLUE HEN’S CHICK
n. 1. 1951 Amer. dial. – a dominant, aggressive, or quick-tempered person, usually a woman
n. 2. 1951 Amer. dial. – an important or high-class person, or one who pretends to be
n. 3. 1951 Amer. dial. – a cold, brisk day
n. 4. 1965 Amer. dial. – a good fighter; a person with spirit or pluck
• BLUE HEN’S CHICKEN
n. 1. 1799 Amer. dial. – a good fighter; a person with spirit or pluck
n. 2. 1840 Amer. dial. – a resident of Delaware
n. 3. 1946 Amer. dial. – an important or high-class person, or one who pretends to be
n. 4. 1951 Amer. dial. – a cold, brisk day
n. 5. c1960 Amer. dial. – a dominant, aggressive, or quick-tempered person, usually a woman
• BLUE HEN STATE
n. 1897 US – the state of Delaware
• BLUE HOLE
n. 1951 Amer. dial. – a deep hole in a river or stream
• BLUE HOOTER
n. Bk1913 Amer. dial. – the blue grouse
• BLUE HUCKLEBERRY
n. 1848 Amer. dial. – a blueberry
• BLUE IT
vb. 1958 US logging sl. – to spoil anything
• BLUE JACK
n. 1965 Amer. dial. – milk which is sour or just beginning to turn sour
• BLUE JACKETS
n. 1969 Amer. dial. – body lice
• BLUE JAY
n. 1969 US logging usage – in logging: a man who keeps the sleigh road in good condition
• BLUE JOB
n. World War II Amer. sl. – the Navy
• BLUE-JOHN
n. 1. 1869 US – skim milk
n. 2. 1905 Amer. dial. – milk which is sour or just beginning to turn sour
• BLUE JOHNNY
n. 1944 Amer. dial. – milk which is sour or just beginning to turn sour
• BLUE-LIGHT
n. 1. US Civil War usage – a traitor
n. 2. Bk1904 Amer. college sl. – a student who seeks to ingratiate himself with the faculty by informing
• BLUE LIGHTNING
n. 1889 Amer. dial. – a revolver
• BLUE LIPS
n. 1968 Amer. dial. – a Black person
• BLUE-LIZ
n. 1918 Amer. dial. – a patrol wagon
• BLUE-MAA
n. Bk1911 Sc. – the common gull
• BLUE MEAT
n. 1944 Amer. dial. – the flesh of an unweaned calf
• BLUE MOGGANER
n. Bk1911 Sc. – a jocular term for a native of Peterhead, from the wearing of coarse blue stockings over boots
• BLUE MOON
n. Bk1944 services’ sl. – a ‘dime a dance girl’; a paid dance partner
• BLUE MOONSHINE
n. Bk1942 Amer. sl. – nonsense
• BLUE NAPPY
n. Bk1911 Sc. – whisky
• BLUE NEED
n. 1884 Eng. dial. – dire necessity
• BLUENESS
n. 1911 – a state of depression or melancholy
• BLUE NORTHER
n. 1942 Amer. dial. – a cold wind from the north that brings rapidly falling temperatures
• BLUE NOSE
n. 1. 1830 Amer. dial., sometimes derogatory – a native of eastern Canada, particularly Nova Scotia, and sometimes New Brunswick, or Prince Edward Island
n. 2. 1928 Amer. dial. – a person who is excessively puritanical; now esp. one who advocates abstinence from alcoholic drinks; a teetotaller
n. 3. 1967 Amer. dial. – a toady; an apple-polisher
n. 4. 1970 Amer. dial. – a person who is the best of a community, or who thinks they are
• BLUE NOSER
n. 1. 1966 Amer. dial., sometimes derogatory – a native of eastern Canada, particularly Nova Scotia, and sometimes New Brunswick, or Prince Edward Island
n. 2. 1967 Amer. dial. – a toady; an apple-polisher
• BLUE ONE
n. 1958 Amer. dial. – anything big
• BLUE ONES
n. Bk1898 Eng. dial. – delirium tremens
• BLUE PAPER
n. 20C Aust. & NZ sl. – a summons; a traffic ticket
• BLUE PIG
n. 1. Bk1942 Amer. sl. – whisky
n. 2. 1953 Amer. dial. – an establishment for the sale of illicit liquor
• BLUE PILL
n. 1834 Amer. dial. – a bullet
• BLUE PIMPLES
n. 1968 Amer. dial. – gooseflesh
► BLUE PIPE n. the lilac, Syringa vulgaris → 1597 hist.
• BLUE PLUM
n. 1889 Amer. dial. – a bullet
• BLUE ROOM
n. 1950 Amer. jocular usage – an indoor toilet
• BLUER THAN A WHETSTONE
adj. 1914 Amer. dial. – extremely dejected, depressed, melancholy
• BLUE RUIN
n. 1819 sl. – gin, usually of a bad quality
• BLUES
n. 1. US Civil War usage – the blue uniform of the Union Army
n. 2. Bk1911 Sc. – delirium tremens
• THE BLUES
n. 1741 colloq. – depression of spirits, despondency
• BLUE SERGE
n. Bk1944 services’ sl. – denims
• BLUESKIN
n. 1. 1790 Amer. dial. – a Christian, esp. a Presbyterian, who adheres to a strict moral code
n. 2. Bk1892 W. Indian sl. – (usually as “Blue-skin”) the child of a Black woman by a White man
• BLUE SNOW
n. 1967 Amer. dial. – a light snowfall, when the wind’s blowing a few flakes
• BLUE STEELER
n. Bk1998 sl. – a particularly virile erection
• BLUESTER
n. Bk1911 Sc. – a blusterer; one who uses bullying speech
• BLUESTOCKING
n. 1. 1829 Amer. dial. – a Christian, esp. a Presbyterian, who adheres to a strict moral code
n. 2. Bk1904 Amer. college sl. – a women student
• BLUE-STREAK
vb. Bk1942 Amer. sl. – to go fast
• BLUE-SUIT BUGGY
n. 1965 Amer. dial. – the vehicle that takes arrested people to the police station
• BLUE-TAILED NORTHER
n. c1856 Amer. dial. – a cold wind from the north that brings rapidly falling temperatures
• BLUE TEXAS NORTHER
n. 1873 Amer. dial. – a cold wind from the north that brings rapidly falling temperatures
• BLUE THREAD
n. Bk1911 Sc. – whisky
• BLUE TRIANGLE
n. Bk2004 Amer. World War I sl. – the nickname for the symbol of the YMCA
• BLUE TUXEDOS
n. Bk1944 services’ sl. – denims
• BLUE VEIN
n. 1. 1967 Amer. dial. – a varicose vein
n. 2. 1970s sl. – an erection
n. 3. 1980s sl. – the penis
• BLUE-VEINED CUSTARD CHUCKER
n. 1990s sl. – the penis
• BLUE-VEINED HAVANA
n. 1990s sl. – the penis
• BLUE-VEINED JUNKET PUMP
n. 1980s sl. – the penis
• BLUE-VEINED PICCOLO
n. 1990s sl. – the penis
• BLUE-VEINED PORRIDGE GUN
n. 1980s sl. – the penis
• BLUE-VEINED ROOT-ON
n. 1990s sl. – an erection
• BLUE-VEINED STEAK
n. 1980s sl. – the penis
• BLUE-VEINED TRUMPET
n. 1980s sl. – the penis
• BLUE-VEINED YOGHURT GUN
n. 1980s sl. – the penis
• BLUE VEINER
n. 1. 1970s sl. – an erection
n. 2. 1980s sl. – the penis
• BLUE-VEIN SALAMI
n. 1990s sl. – the penis, usually in the context of fellatio
• BLUE VELVET
n. 1960s drug culture sl. – a mixture of antihistamine and paregoric
• BLUE VIALS
n. 1980s drug culture sl. – the drug LSD
• BLUE-VINNIED
adj. 1880 Eng. dial. – mouldy, mildewed
• BLUE VINNY
adj. 1863 Eng. dial. – of cheese: covered with blue mould
• BLUE WATER
n. 1834 – the deep sea, the open sea
• BLUE WHISTLER
n. 1. 1843 Amer. dial. – a bullet
n. 2. 1949 Amer. oil-field workers usage – a producing oil well
• BLUE WINE
n. 1967 Amer. dial. – homemade wine from concord grapes
• BLUEY
adj. 1. Bk1942 Amer. sl. – bewildered; confused; muddled
adj. 2. Bk1942 Amer. sl. – dead
int. Bk1942 Amer. sl. – nonsense! it is ridiculous
n. 1. 1891 Aust. sl. – a bushman’s bundle, the outside wrapper of which is generally a blue blanket
n. 2. M19 sl. – a policeman
n. 3. M19 UK criminals’ sl. – lead
n. 4. L19 Aust. sl. – any form of luggage
n. 5. 1909 Aust. & NZ sl. – a summons; a traffic ticket
n. 6. 1910s Aust. sl. – a Blue Heeler, an Australian cattle dog
n. 7. 1918 Aust. & NZ sl. – a nickname for a red-haired person
n. 8. 1909 Aust. & NZ sl. – a summons; a traffic ticket
n. 9. Bk1942 Amer. sl. – nonsense
n. 10. 1970s UK prison & drug culture sl. – any form of amphetamine-barbiturate mixture
n. 11. 1990 Brit. services’ sl. – an airmail letter-form available free of charge to service personnel stationed abroad and to their correspondents at home
n. 12. 1990s sl. – a £5 note
n. 13. 1990s Aust. sl. – a can of Foster’s lager
n. 14. 1990s Aust. prison sl. – a police warrant
n. 15. 1990s sl. – a pornographic film
n. 16. 20C sl. – a drinker of methylated spirits
• BLUEY-CRACKING
n. M19 sl. – stealing lead from the roofs of buildings
• BLUEY-HUNTER
n. M19 sl. – a thief who specializes in stealing lead from the roofs of houses and other buildings
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Lexicophilia 