blow off

• Audio (General Australian):

  (file)

blow off (third-person singular simple present blows off, present participle blowing off, simple past blew off, past participle blown off)

1. (transitive, literally) To remove something by blowing on it.

   She blew the dust off the cookbook, revealing its full title.

   • 1944 May and June, “The Why and the Wherefore: Locomotive Soot Blowers”, in Railway Magazine, page 194:

     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.

   • 1953 October, H. C. Casserley, “Closure of the Londonderry & Lough Swilly Railway”, in Railway Magazine, page 703:

     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.

2. (transitive) To vent, usually, to reduce pressure in a container.

   The radioactivity was released when they blew off steam from the containment vessel.

3. (intransitive) To let steam escape through a passage provided for the purpose.

   The engine or steamer is blowing off.

   • 1961 March, ""Balmore"", “Driving and firing modern French steam locomotives”, in Trains Illustrated, page 146:

     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.

4. (intransitive, euphemistic, UK, Australia) Synonym of fart.

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:flatulate

   Please avoid blowing off while we're in church.

   (Can we add an example for this sense?)

6. (idiomatic) To shirk or disregard (a duty or person).

   Synonym: dick around (vulgar)

   I decided to blow off the meeting and leave early.

   We've both been blowing off Peter all day: he's really boring.

   1. (transitive) To abandon (someone) as the last stage of a scam.
   2. (transitive) To reject or shut down someone's sexual advances or other offers (e.g. a job offer).
7. (transitive) To forcibly disconnect something by use of a firearm or explosive device.

   Her leg was blown off by a landmine.

8. To force to leave a course.

   The storm blew the ship off course.

   • 1950 August, “The Rimutaka Incline and Deviation, New Zealand”, in Railway Magazine, page 547:

     This occurred on September 11, 1880, when a mixed train was blown off the track during a severe gale, and three passengers were killed.

9. (transitive, slang) To perform oral sex on (someone); to give a blowjob to or suck off (someone).
10. (intransitive, slang, dated) To buy food or drink for (someone); to treat (someone).

    I'll blow you off to dinner.

11. (transitive, slang) To use up or spend (something).

    He blew off his inheritance on partying.

• bowl-off