blockn.¹

Brit.

/blɒk/, U.S.

/blɑk/

Forms: Middle English blok, Middle English bluk, Middle English–1500s blokke, Middle English–1600s blocke, Middle English– block; also Scottish pre-1700 blok.

Origin: A borrowing from French. Etymon: French bloc.

Etymology: < Old French, Middle French, French bloc tree trunk, log (1285; 1262 denoting a receptacle for donations), bulky or massive piece of any solid substance (1409), instrument of punishment similar to the stocks (perhaps 16th cent.), (figuratively) number of elements grouped together in a whole (1559), large homogeneous quantity of something (a1781), political alliance or union (1901) < Middle Dutch bloc log, tree trunk, large solid item, obstacle, instrument of punishment similar to the stocks, enclosed field (in Old Dutch in a place name; Dutch blok , also in sense ‘pulley’ (c1600)), cognate with Old Frisian blok log, kind of field (West Frisian blok ), Middle Low German bloc log, tree trunk, large solid item, instrument of punishment, enclosed field, Old High German bloh , bloc piece of wood, pole (Middle High German bloch , bloc log, tree trunk, large solid item, instrument of punishment, German Block , †Bloch ), further etymology uncertain (see note). In branch II. after block v.¹The word does not appear to be attested in Anglo-Norman, and it is possible that the English word may partly have been borrowed directly from other West Germanic languages, rather than entirely via French. Further etymology of the West Germanic word. A derivation of the West Germanic word < the same Indo-European base as balk n.¹ has sometimes been suggested, but this poses formal problems. Alternatively, it has been suggested that it is ultimately related to the base of Gothic bliggwan to strike, beat (see the discussion at blow n.¹), with the noun denoting a piece that has been struck off a larger object. Parallels in other languages. Compare ( < Middle Low German) Old Swedish blokker (Swedish block ), Danish blok (17th cent.), and also ( < French) Spanish bloque , Portuguese bloco (both 19th cent.; compare bloco n.), Italian blocco (1644). Early use in names. Perhaps attested early in surnames, e.g. Robert Bloc (1199), Benedictus Blok de Bungey (1325), Benedict Blok (1327), although the origin of these is unclear, and some may alternatively reflect a variant of blake adj. Perhaps also attested early in field names, e.g. Bloc , Willerby, East Riding of Yorkshire (13th cent.), but its meaning in such names is unclear. Specific senses. In use with reference to a pulley (see sense 2) probably after Middle Low German bloc , in the same sense. With use with reference to a political alliance (see sense 24) compare earlier bloc n. In North America, in use with reference to a division of land (see sense 17a) and to a section of a built-up area (see sense 18a) perhaps after Dutch blok (17th cent. in these senses; compare the more specific Middle Dutch blok enclosed field). In use with reference to a defensive structure (see sense 19b) either short for or with allusion to blockhouse n. 1a.

I. A mass; a unit.

* A solid or bulky piece of something; a mass.

a. A log or bulky piece of wood; (formerly also) †part of the trunk of a tree, a stump, a stock (obsolete).Recorded earliest in blockboard n. (a) at Compounds 4.In later use merged in sense 3a; in the specific sense ‘a log of wood’ now regional.

ΘΚΠ

society > occupation and work > materials > raw material > wood > wood in specific form > [noun] > block

blockc1305

clogc1440

chocka1582

chunk1781

wood-block1837

buntons1839

1323–4 in F. R. Chapman Sacrist Rolls Ely (1907) II. 40 Item in vj. bord. de blokbord. empt.

c1390 in F. J. Furnivall Minor Poems Vernon MS (1901) ii. 620 (MED) Whon crist was knit with corde on a stok, His bodi bledde aȝein þat blok.

1481 W. Caxton tr. Hist. Reynard Fox (1970) 27 They..drewe hym ouer stones and ouer blockes wythout the village.

1594 T. Bowes tr. P. de la Primaudaye French Acad. II. 131 [No] more motion or feeling then is in a blocke or stone.

1663 in J. S. Moore Goods & Chattels Forefathers (1976) 89 In the oxestalle..one parcell of strawe 5s 0d. one parcell of blocks 5s 0d.

1705 Fugitive 18 He provides himself of a large Block, the which he laid in his Chimney, and when he was Cold, he put just as much Fire under, as he thought would not kindle it.

1830 B. Disraeli Home Lett. x. 84 I looked at the wood fire and thought of the blazing blocks in the hall at Bradenham.

1855 T. Carlyle Let. 10 Aug. in J. A. Froude T. Carlyle: Life in London (1884) II. xxiii. 176 Sitting patient on a big block—huge stump of a tree-root.

1985 J. Edwards Talk Tidy 13 Let's have another block on the fire, it's a sharp one tonight!

2020 @odhran_19 4 Feb. in twitter.com (accessed 26 May 2022) When your hear your father come in and you haven't put a block on the fire in 2 hours.

†b. figurative. A headless body. Cf. trunk n. 2a. Obsolete.In quot. 1535 with reference to the image of the Philistine god Dagon; cf. sense 1e, Dagon n.² a.

ΘΚΠ

society > leisure > the arts > visual arts > plastic art > statuary > [noun] > statue > bust or torso

block1535

term1604

busto1626

torse1634

terminus1638

busty1684

bust1691

shoulder-piece1692

protome1737

torso1797

portrait bust1827

terminal1876

term figure1880

c1400 (?c1390) Sir Gawain & Green Knight (1940) l. 440 (MED) Þaȝ hedlez h[e] we[re]..He brayde his bluk aboute, Þat vgly bodi þat bledde.

1535 Bible (Coverdale) 1 Sam. v. 5 The block laie there onely.

c. A log or piece of wood regarded as a type of something inert, stupid, or lacking sense or perception. Cf. sense 1d; see also post n.¹ 3. Now rare.In later use probably without specific reference to wood; cf. sense 3a.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > mental capacity > lack of understanding > stupidity, dullness of intellect > [noun] > typical example of

assc1175

stock1303

blockc1410

beetle1520

post1778

dunce capa1791

the mind > emotion > absence of emotion > [noun] > want of or incapacity for emotion > type or emblem

stock1303

stonea1400

blockc1410

the world > physical sensation > physical sensibility > physical insensibility > [noun] > that which is

stock1303

stonea1400

blockc1410

non-sensitive1628

inanimate1652

a1464 J. Capgrave Abbreuiacion of Cron. (Cambr. Gg.4.12) (1983) 42 Sche answerd that hir comnaunt was to ouircom a man and not a blok.

a1500 (a1400) Sir Cleges (Adv.) (1930) l. 452 (MED) He yaffe the styward sech a stroke That he fell dovn as a bloke.

a1665 G. Starkey Expos. Six Gates vi. 383 in Ripley Reviv'd (1678) They are as stupid as Blocks.

1712 A. Pope Misc. Poems 147 When you, like Orpheus, strike the warbling Lyre, Attentive Blocks stand round you, and admire.

1875 F. T. Buckland Log-bk. Fisherman 68 As deaf as a block.

1950 M. B. Stern Louisa May Alcott (1999) v. 67 This plain man.., reading a manuscript through his spectacles or standing motionless as a block.

†d. figurative. A person likened to a log or piece of wood in lacking intelligence; a blockhead. Also: a person likened to a log or piece of wood in being emotionally unresponsive; a hard-hearted person. Obsolete.In later use probably without specific reference to wood; cf. sense 3a.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > mental capacity > lack of understanding > stupid, foolish, or inadequate person > stupid person, dolt, blockhead > [noun]

asseOE

sotc1000

beastc1225

long-ear?a1300

stock1303

buzzard1377

mis-feelinga1382

dasarta1400

stonea1400

dasiberd14..

dottlec1400

doddypoll1401

dastardc1440

dotterel1440

dullardc1440

wantwit1449

jobardc1475

nollc1475

assheada1500

mulea1500

dull-pate15..

peak1509

dulbert?a1513

doddy-patec1525

noddypolla1529

hammer-head1532

dull-head?1534

capon1542

dolt1543

blockhead1549

cod's head1549

mome1550

grout-head1551

gander1553

skit-brains?1553

blocka1556

calfa1556

tomfool1565

dunce1567

druggard1569

cobble1570

dummel1570

Essex calf1573

jolthead1573

hardhead1576

beetle-head1577

dor-head1577

groutnoll1578

grosshead1580

thickskin1582

noddyship?1589

jobbernowl1592

beetle-brain1593

Dorbel1593

oatmeal-groat1594

loggerhead1595

block-pate1598

cittern-head1598

noddypoop1598

dorbellist1599

numps1599

dor1601

stump1602

ram-head1605

look-like-a-goose1606

ruff1606

clod1607

turf1607

asinego1609

clot-poll1609

doddiea1611

druggle1611

duncecomb1612

ox-head1613

clod-polla1616

dulman1615

jolterhead1620

bullhead1624

dunderwhelpa1625

dunderhead1630

macaroona1631

clod-patea1635

clota1637

dildo1638

clot-pate1640

stupid1640

clod-head1644

stub1644

simpletonian1652

bottle-head1654

Bœotiana1657

vappe1657

lackwit1668

cudden1673

plant-animal1673

dolt-head1679

cabbage head1682

put1688

a piece of wood1691

ouphe1694

dunderpate1697

numbskull1697

leather-head1699

nocky1699

Tom Cony1699

mopus1700

bluff-head1703

clod skull1707

dunny1709

dowf1722

stupe1722

gamphrel1729

gobbin?1746

duncehead1749

half-wit1755

thick-skull1755

jackass1756

woollen-head1756

numbhead1757

beef-head1775

granny1776

stupid-head1792

stunpolla1794

timber-head1794

wether heada1796

dummy1796

noghead1800

staumrel1802

muttonhead1803

num1807

dummkopf1809

tumphya1813

cod's head and shoulders1820

stoopid1823

thick-head1824

gype1825

stob1825

stookiea1828

woodenhead1831

ning-nong1832

log-head1834

fat-head1835

dunderheadism1836

turnip1837

mudhead1838

donkey1840

stupex1843

cabbage1844

morepork1845

lubber-head1847

slowpoke1847

stupiditarian1850

pudding-head1851

cod's head and shoulders1852

putty head1853

moke1855

mullet-head1855

pothead1855

mug1857

thick1857

boodle1862

meathead1863

missing link1863

half-baked1866

lunk1867

turnip-head1869

rummy1872

pumpkin-head1876

tattie1879

chump1883

dully1883

cretin1884

lunkhead1884

mopstick1886

dumbhead1887

peanut head1891

pie-face1891

doughbakea1895

butt-head1896

pinhead1896

cheesehead1900

nyamps1900

box head1902

bonehead1903

chickenhead1903

thickwit1904

cluck1906

boob1907

John1908

mooch1910

nitwit1910

dikkop1913

goop1914

goofus1916

rumdum1916

bone dome1917

moron1917

oik1917

jabroni1919

dumb-bell1920

knob1920

goon1921

dimwit1922

ivory dome1923

stone jug1923

dingleberry1924

gimp1924

bird brain1926

jughead1926

cloth-head1927

dumb1928

gazook1928

mouldwarp1928

ding-dong1929

stupido1929

mook1930

sparrow-brain1930

knobhead1931

dip1932

drip1932

epsilon1932

bohunkus1933

Nimrod1933

dumbass1934

zombie1936

pea-brain1938

knot-head1940

schlump1941

jarhead1942

Joe Soap1943

knuckle-head1944

nong1944

lame-brain1945

gobshite1946

rock-head1947

potato head1948

jerko1949

turkey1951

momo1953

poop-head1955

a right one1958

bam1959

nong-nong1959

dickhead1960

dumbo1960

Herbert1960

lamer1961

bampot1962

dipshit1963

bamstick1965

doofus1965

dick1966

pillock1967

zipperhead1967

dipstick1968

thickie1968

poephol1969

yo-yo1970

doof1971

cockhead1972

nully1973

thicko1976

wazzock1976

motorhead1979

mouth-breather1979

no-brainer1979

jerkwad1980

woodentop1981

dickwad1983

dough ball1983

dickweed1984

bawheid1985

numpty1985

jerkweed1988

dick-sucker1989

knob-end1989

Muppet1989

dingus1997

dicksack1999

eight ball-

a1556 N. Udall Ralph Roister Doister (?1566) iii. iii. sig. D.iiij Ye are suche a calfe, suche an asse, such a blocke.

1682 N. O. tr. N. Boileau-Despréaux Lutrin ii. 16 See how the Stupid Block stands mute, and moping!

1803 J. Bristed Ανθρωπλανομενος II. 661 In vain we endeavoured to move the compassion of these two blocks in female shape.

1912 Illinois Mag. Nov. 93 Wait, you block! Don't you see them coming towards us?

†e. In contemptuous use: an idol, an image that is worshipped. Cf. stock n.¹ 1d. Obsolete.Cf. quot. 1535 at sense 1b.

ΘΚΠ

the world > the supernatural > deity > [noun] > idol

godeOE

anlikenessOE

stockc1000

mammetc1225

Mahometc1275

Mahoundc1275

idola1325

simulacre1382

marmoseta1398

mammetrya1400

puppet1534

poppet?1548

block1570

Dagona1572

pagoda1582

pagody1588

Mokisso1634

poppet deitya1641

pageant idol1696

pageant thing1696

afgod1769

cult figure1895

1570 J. Foxe Actes & Monumentes (rev. ed.) II. 1646/1 His great God was not exalted..ouer the aultar, nor his blocke almighty set seemely in the roode loft.

1579 G. Gilpin tr. P. van Marnix van Sant Aldegonde Bee Hiue of Romishe Church iv. iii. f. 239 They did not praye to theire their blockes and stockes onelie as simple creatures.

1675 J. N. Plain Mans Def. against Popery 21 Did the Heathens hold the Images themselves to be Gods, or when their blocks were so old that they placed new in their stead, did they think that by this change of their Images, that they made a change also of their Gods?

2. A pulley or system of pulleys mounted in a case, used to increase the mechanical power of the rope or ropes running through it and employed as a lifting device in the rigging of ships and in other situations. Cf. block and tackle at Phrases 6.cat block, fiddle block, gin block, pulley block, sister block, tackle block, etc.: see the first element.

ΘΚΠ

society > occupation and work > equipment > lifting or hoisting equipment > [noun] > tackle > pulley(s) mounted in case

block1622

tackle-block1793

society > travel > travel by water > vessel, ship, or boat > equipment of vessel > tackle or purchase > [noun] > system of) pulley(s)

block1622

1401 Accts. Exchequer King's Remembrancer (P.R.O.: E101/43/6) m. 1 Et in vna carect' maer' empt' de eodem Simone et expendita ibidem in blokkes et alijs necessarijs inde faciend' prec' vj. s.

1588 W. Wynter Let. to J. Hawkyns 28 Feb. (P.R.O.) This winters weather..hath..torn many of our blocks, pulleis and sheevers.

1622 G. de Malynes Consuetudo 143 Damages sustained by bad Hookes, Ropes, Blockes, or Lines.

1762 W. Falconer Shipwreck ii. 20 Thro' rattling blocks the clue-lines swiftly run.

1824 W. Irving Tales of Traveller II. 236 The stump of a mast, with a few ropes and blocks swinging about.

1914 M. S. Ketchum Struct. Engineers' Handbk. xiv. 447 Blocks up to 12 and 15 tons capacity are commonly provided with hooks.

2001 D. Bennet Schooner Sunset xi. 140/1 The yard was cock-billed as high as it would go, the lifts being taken through blocks at the cap and down to the deck for this purpose.

a. A bulky or massive piece of any solid substance (in early use usually rock, stone, or wood), in later use typically one having a regular, usually rectangular, shape with relatively smooth faces; (in geological contexts) a body of rock, often of large extent, bounded by faults. Frequently with of or modifying word, denoting the particular substance.In geological contexts, see also erratic block n., fault-block n., rift block n.

ΘΚΠ

the world > the earth > structure of the earth > constituent materials > stone > [noun] > mass of stone

quarrya1398

quar?a1475

block1530

the world > matter > constitution of matter > density or solidity > [noun] > a dense or solid thing or body > with an extended flat surface

cake1396

block1530

patty1904

1451 in R. R. Sharpe Cal. Let.-bks. London (1911) K. 342 (MED) By bringing hider of Blokkes and peces of tynne.

1577 W. Harrison Hist. Descr. Islande Brit. i. iv. f. 4^v/2, in R. Holinshed Chron. I These huge blockes were ordeined and created of God.

1665 J. Webb Vindic. Stone-Heng Restored 149 Tumuli were..set about..with petty and difformed blocks of broken craggs.

1744 J. Campbell in Claridge's Shepherd of Banbury's Rules (new ed.) 38 A Block of this Kind of Stone as big as a large rolling Stone.

1799 R. Kirwan Geol. Ess. 166 Granite is most commonly found in huge blocks.

1860 J. Tyndall Glaciers of Alps i. §2. 17 The more solid blocks of ice shoot forward in advance of the lighter débris.

1872 H. I. Jenkinson Guide Eng. Lake District (1879) 149 The Bowder Crag from which the immense block has fallen, is directly above.

1927 H. Peake & H. J. Fleure Hunters & Artists iv. 42 The earliest implements..were mostly core implements, fashioned from a block of flint by removing flakes from its surface.

1939 E. D. Laborde tr. E. de Martonne Shorter Physical Geogr. (rev. ed.) x. 145 Erosion has begun its attack on the block which remained as an escarpment after the faulting.

1963 J. Kirkup Tropic Temper 254 Blocks of pure camphor for burning..before the holy men and penitents carrying kavadis.

2008 K. Miller Same Earth (2009) 20 All day they chipped away at the blocks of ice, putting pieces in the children's bath pans.

b. A solid piece of stone, concrete, etc., typically having a rectangular shape with smooth faces, prepared for use in building and construction. Also figurative and in figurative contexts (cf. building block n. 1c).Sometimes contextually denoting a particular design or type of block: see breeze-block n., building block n. 1a, cinderblock n. (b) at cinder n. Additions.In quot. 1775, apparently a specific use of Wedgwood's, referring to parts of a chimney piece.

ΘΚΠ

society > occupation and work > materials > raw material > stone or rock > [noun] > building stone > dressed or hewn > piece of

wall-stoneOE

scantling1726

blockc1854

1738 J. Breval Remarks Several Parts of Europe: Tours since 1723 II. 164 There is standing an intire and very beautiful composite Pillar, that belong'd to some ancient Building, as did likewise a very noble Block of Marble that lay near it.

1775 J. Wedgwood Let. 14 Jan. in E. Meteyard Life (1866) II. 321 I..stand in need of your directions relative to the blocks & ovals to the Tablets.

1807 T. Young Course Lect. Nat. Philos. I. xx. 238 We are informed by Pliny that Ctesiphon lowered his large blocks of stone by placing them on heaps of sand bags, and letting out the sand by degrees.

1846 H. W. Longfellow Builders in Guardian (Columbia, Tennessee) Feb. 33/1 Our to-days and yesterdays Are the blocks with which we build.

1992 P. J. Craull Urban Soil in Landscape Design 232 The first method used was concrete building blocks laid upright..over a shallow excavation, then loosely backfilling the spaces and block voids with topsoil... Some installation designs have a layer of sand as an underlayment for the blocks.

2005 Z. Mda Madonna of Excelsior xxiv. 169 Grey walls of slightly roughcast cement blocks. Corrugated-iron roof.

c. Chiefly in plural. A wooden or (in later use) plastic toy brick. Cf. building block n. 1b.

ΘΠ

society > leisure > entertainment > toy or plaything > other toys > [noun] > toy bricks

brick1829

toy block1859

1820 E. Appleton Early Educ. xxxi. 196 Another little one has just built up a house of cards; or a pyramid of wooden blocks.

1885 R. L. Stevenson Child's Garden of Verses 63 What are you able to build with your blocks? Castles and palaces, temples and docks.

1940 C. Stead Man who loved Children (1976) viii. 357 Ducky was playing with her blocks—and she was wonderful at building with them.

2008 J. Jenkinson et al. Building Blocks for Learning 256 Ask the chid to place blocks to the left or right of each other.

a. A large stump or piece of solid wood on which a condemned person's head was laid for beheading, or a limb was placed for mutilation. Frequently with the. Now historical.In later use frequently in allusive phrases referring to beheading; see also Phrases 3.See also head block n. 1b, heading block.

ΘΚΠ

society > authority > punishment > capital punishment > [noun] > beheading > block

heading blockc1480

block1541

stock1639

head block1873

c1475 Gregory's Chron. in J. Gairdner Hist. Coll. Citizen London (1876) 211 He shulde not be hedyd tylle he sawe the axe and the blocke.

1541 Act 33 Hen. VIII xii. §18 The serieant..shal bring to the said place of execucion a blocke with a betill a staple & cordes to binde the saide hande vpon the blocke.

1600 W. Shakespeare Henry IV, Pt. 2 iv. i. 348 Some guard this traitour to the blocke of death.

1704 Clarendon's Hist. Rebellion III. xiv. 384 He laid down his head upon the Block.

1874 J. R. Green Short Hist. Eng. People vii. §1. 341 It was by bills of attainder..that the great nobles were brought to the block.

1990 Opera Now May 9/1 The put-upon Mary, sentenced to death after an exchange of insults with the rival prima donna Elizabeth I, is proceeding at her melodic leisure to the block.

2001 Albion 33 291 Avowed Protestants were being sent to the block under Henry VIII.

b. A thick cutting surface (traditionally of wood, in later use sometimes of other materials) on which a butcher chops meat or a fishmonger chops fish; (also) a smaller version of this used in preparing food for cooking. Cf. butcher's block n. 1, chopping-block n.

ΘΚΠ

society > occupation and work > equipment > work-benches, seats, etc. > [noun] > block

blockc1485

?c1500 Killing of Children (Digby) l. 157 If I fynde a yong child I shall choppe it on a blokke.

1766 J. Entick Surv. London in New Hist. London IV. 65 Stalls for butchers, with..blocks.

1849 C. Dickens David Copperfield (1850) xix. 200 He looked such a very obdurate butcher as he stood scraping the great block.

1878 J. H. Gray China II. xxx. 293 A block upon which it is his custom to cut his fish.

1964 J. Cheever Wapshot Scandal i. iii. 25 The bird squawked..as he lay its neck on the block and chopped off its head.

2014 R. Whyte Whistling Butcher i. 17 A great lump of beef that lay on the block.

†c. A whetstone. Obsolete.Only recorded in figurative contexts.

ΘΚΠ

society > occupation and work > equipment > shaping tools or equipment > [noun] > sharpening > whetstone

whetstonec725

hone-stone1393

filourc1400

hone1440

rub1502

rubber1553

knife-stone1571

stone1578

oilstone1585

block1592

oil whetstone1601

greenstone1668

scythe-stone1688

water stone1703

sharping-stone1714

Scotch stone1766

honer1780

Turkey hone1794

polishing-slate1801

burr1816

Turkey stone1816

German hone1817

Arkansas1869

rag1877

rock1889

slipstone1927

1592 Greenes Groats-worth of Witte sig. E^v Hee serued but for a blocke to whet Robertoes wit on.

1607 E. Sharpham Fleire i. sig. C^v Could you finde neuer a fitter block to whet your wit on, but my sister?

d. More generally: a large or solid piece of wood or other material used as a work surface, for chopping, hammering, etc.between the beetle and the block: see beetle n.¹ 1c.

1596 L. Hutton Blacke Dogge of Newgate sig. C^v When there I came, they set me on a block, With punche and hammer, my Irons off they knock.

1694 A. Clogie Vox Corvi To Rdr. sig. A3^v Thomas Kinnersley..sate himself down upon a Block, by a Wood-pile, before the Door, employing himself in no other Childish Exercise than cutting of a Stick.

1793 Chron. 59/1 in Ann. Reg. This stump had for many years been made use of..as a block for splitting wood.

1862 Brit. Patent 2840 3 These substances..are cut to the required shape or pattern, and placed over a block, and then subjected to the action of heat.

1974 Pop. Sci. Sept. 114/3 Finally flatten down the flange on the block with the hammer.

2015 T. MacWelch Ultimate Winter Survival Handbk. 13 Set up your firewood pieces on the block one at a time, so that they stand upright and can remain stable.

e. A solid block of wood or other material containing slots into which kitchen knives are inserted up to the handles for safe storage and ready access; = knife block n.

ΚΠ

1979 Washington Post 27 May (Style Sunday Food section) m6/3 The best models are heavy enough to sit firmly on a counter top without any tendency to tip over, even filled with knives—be certain of this stability before you purchase a standing block.

1987 Sydney Morning Herald (Nexis) 1 Oct. (Style section) 4 Blocks cost about $28 for one that holds seven knives and a steel.

2004 W. Puck Makes it Easy 270/2 I recommend storing knives in a block with horizontal slots or, if you have vertical slots, with the cutting edge facing up.

a. A lump of wood, stone, etc., that obstructs one's way; a bar, an obstacle, an obstruction. Chiefly figurative and in figurative contexts.See also stumbling-block n.

ΘΚΠ

the world > action or operation > difficulty > hindrance > [noun] > one who or that which hinders > a hindrance, impediment, or obstacle

hinderc1200

withsetting1340

obstaclec1385

traversea1393

mara1400

bayc1440

stoppagec1450

barrace1480

blocka1500

objecta1500

clog1526

stumbling-stone1526

bar1530

(to cast) a trump in (one's) way1548

stumbling-stock1548

hindrance1576

a log in one's way1579

crossbar1582

log1589

rub1589

threshold1600

scotch1601

dam1602

remora1604

obex1611

obstructiona1616

stumbling-blocka1616

fence1639

affront1642

retardance1645

stick1645

balk1660

obstruent1669

blockade1683

sprun1684

spoke1689

cross cause1696

uncomplaisance1707

barrier1712

obstruct1747

dike1770

abatis1808

underbrush1888

bunker1900

bump1909

sprag1914

hurdle1924

headwind1927

mudhole1933

monkey wrench1937

roadblock1945

a1500 in R. L. Greene Early Eng. Carols (1935) 287 (MED) Ale mak many a mane to stombyll at the blokkes.

1597 J. Payne Royall Exchange 38 At which common block many weakelings do stumble.

1660 E. Nicholas Let. 22 June in Papers (1920) IV. 240 But now that block of offence wilbe remoued.

a1718 W. Penn Life in Wks. (1726) I. 2 A Block in the Way to Preferment.

1874 Presbyterian Monthly Rec. Sept. 260 Their leading elder is a block in the way of collections for benevolent causes of the church.

1997 J. B. Elshtain & C. Beem in J. Higham Civil Rights & Social Wrongs viii. 153 Walter Lippmann..fretted that American diversity was too great and had become a block in the way of order, purpose, and discipline.

b. A piece or wedge of wood or other material placed closely against the wheel of a vehicle, esp. an aircraft, to keep it stationary; = chock n.¹ 5c.See also block hour n., blocktime n. 2.In quot. 1830 in figurative context, and perhaps showing a contextual use of sense 3a.

ΘΚΠ

society > travel > air or space travel > airfield or airport > [noun] > block placed under wheel of plane

chock1917

block1930

1830 Dover Gaz. & Strafford Advertiser (New Hampsh.) 21 Sept. 1/5 A cart, which had been separated from its team, came rolling down the hill with great swiftness... The Jackson man, catching up a large block that lay in the way, ran towards the vehicle, threw it under the wheels and stopped its progress.

1866 Chelmsford Chron. 27 Apr. 8/4 One of the men in charge incautiously removed the blocks from the wheels, and the street being on the descent, the wagon ran backward.

1891 C. Gray Bolton et al. against W. Schriever et al.: Appeal Bk. (Court of Appeals State of N.Y.) 24 You say you blocked this very car that ran over your hand?..I put the block under the wheel, under the lower wheel on the incline down.

1905 Pop. Mech. May 535/1 Block the front wheel [of the bicycle] with a block on each side of the wheel, one in front and one at the rear.

1930 P. White How to fly Airplane xiii. 189 You must remove the blocks from under the wheels.

2006 R. A. Marquise Scotbom xxxiii. 204 The flight arrived in Frankfurt at 11:42 GMT and was on the blocks at 11:50.

a. A wooden stump or stone structure from which to mount a horse.See also mounting block n.

ΘΚΠ

society > travel > transport > riding on horse (or other animal) > [noun] > mounting a horse > mounting-block

mounting place1490

riding block1570

block1614

mounting block1659

horsing stone1661

horsing-block1662

upping-stocka1697

joss-block1706

horse-block1713

mounting stone1794

upping-block1796

upping-stone1809

horse-steps1828

leaping-on-stone1837

stepping-stone1837

stirrup-stone1838

pillion stone1907

1562 J. Shute tr. A. Cambini in Two Comm. Turcks i. sig. A.iii^v He caused him to be brought and to sit him downe vpon his knees & elbowes. And thus vsed him in stede of a block [It. scanno] to go to his horse on.

1615 G. Markham Countrey Contentments i. ii. 40 Ever obseruing to mount and dismount at the block onely.

1841 J. W. Orderson Creoleana viii. 76 [He] rode dashingly up to the block.

1950 B. L. Kearley Let's go Hunting iii. 33 Obediently mounting on the old stone block.

2005 N. Scott Special Needs, Special Horses vii. 48 The leader guides horse up close to block.

b. Usually in plural. A shaped rigid structure for bracing the feet of a runner at the start of a race. More generally: any structure from which a competitor starts a race. Also in figurative contexts, with reference to the start of any enterprise, activity, etc. Cf. starting block n. 2, 3.Such blocks now usually form a pair, connected together in a single unit.Recorded earliest in starting block n. 2.

1910 Boston Post 10 Feb. 13/2 The use of starting blocks in all short distance races in which spike shoes are prohibited.

1930 L. W. Olds Track Athletics 26 Care should be taken that the blocks are firmly implanted in the ground and properly adjusted to each athlete.

1987 S. Barr & J. Poppy Flame xii. 87 Relay runners timed their handoffs, sprinters bounced up and down in the blocks.

2012 Snooker Scene Mar. 23/3 Trump flew from the blocks with a 109 break in the first frame.

a. Hat-making. A mould, typically made of wood and in the form of a whole hat, or just the crown, on which the fabric is shaped when making or reshaping a hat; = hat block n.See also half block n. 2.

ΘΚΠ

the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > tailoring or making clothes > making headgear > [noun] > hat-making > equipment > block or mould

blockhead1549

block1575

hat block1653

hat die1883

1573 G. Gascoigne Hundreth Sundrie Flowres 379 A Coptanckt hatte made on a Flemmishe blocke.

1604 T. Dekker & T. Middleton Honest Whore v. ii. 144 We haue blockes for all heads.

1796 J. Ebers New & Compl. Dict. German & Eng. Lang. I. 929/1 Einen Hut über die Form schlagen, to put a Hat on the Block, to draw it over the Block.

1858 N. Hawthorne Jrnl. 19 Feb. in French & Ital. Notebks. (1980) ii. 85 Wolsey's hat..might have been made on the same block.

1916 Amer. Hatter Aug. 113/1 Turn the hats that require stiffening, turn them inside out and pull them down over any block that will fit into them easily.

?1920 Instructions Hat Cleaning, Renovating & Blocking (Hatters' Supply House) 7 After hat is cleaned and dried proceed with the blocking,—that is, the process of pulling hat on block and fitting it on tightly and smoothly.

2005 C. A. Hagen Fabulous Felt Hats 13/2 This band is pulled over the hat body for the final shaping on the block and keeps the felt stretched.

†b. figurative. A particular shape, style, or fashion of hat. Obsolete (archaic and rare after the early 17th cent.).

ΘΚΠ

the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > types or styles of clothing > headgear > [noun] > hat > shape, style, or fashion of

block1580

1580 J. Lyly Euphues & his Eng. (new ed.) f. 51^v A Hat of the..best blocke in all Italy.

1600 W. Shakespeare Much Ado about Nothing i. i. 73 He weares his faith but as the fashion of his hat, it euer changes with the next blocke .

1612 S. Rowlands More Knaues Yet 6 Hats of newest blocke.

1820 W. Scott Abbot II. x. 329 A beaver hat of the newest block.

c. In extended use: a person's head or face. slang in later use.In later use chiefly in phrases: see Phrases 7.

ΘΚΠ

the world > life > the body > external parts of body > head > [noun]

nolleOE

headOE

topa1225

copc1264

scalpa1300

chiefc1330

crownc1330

jowla1400

poll?a1400

testea1400

ball in the hoodc1400

palleta1425

noddle?1507

costard?1515

nab?1536

neck1560

coxcomb1567

sconce1567

now1568

headpiece1579

mazer1581

mazardc1595

cockcomb1602

costrel1604

cranion1611

pasha1616

noddle pate1622

block1635

cranium1647

sallet1652

poundrel1664

nob1699

crany?1730

knowledge box1755

noodle1762

noggin1769

napper1785

garret1796

pimple1811

knowledge-casket1822

coco1828

cobbra1832

coconut1834

top-piece1838

nut1841

barnet1857

twopenny1859

chump1864

topknot1869

conk1870

masthead1884

filbert1886

bonce1889

crumpet1891

dome1891

roof1897

beanc1905

belfry1907

hat rack1907

melon1907

box1908

lemon1923

loaf1925

pound1933

sconec1945

nana1966

1637 J. Shirley Lady of Pleasure ii. sig. D2 Buy a Beaver For thy owne blocke.

1705 Compl. Acad. Complements 45 Keep your Hat on the Block, salute few bare-headed, especially in Winter there is much danger in it.

1829 P. Egan Boxiana New Ser. II. 340 The Great Unknown..was seen to scratch his block in a most significant manner.

1862 H. Kingsley Ravenshoe II. ix. 86 I cleaned a groom's boots a Toosday, and he punched my block because I blacked the tops.

1961 B. Crump Hang on a Minute Mate 181 He never done his block about anything that went wrong.

2009 W. L. Stolley Voices Arrive i. 4 ‘This isn't easy,’ Villi mumbled... ‘Use your block!’ Li shot back.

d. A rounded piece of wood or (in later use) other material on which wigs are made and displayed.Recorded earliest in barber's block: see barber's block n. 1.

ΚΠ

?1685 Consolatory Epist. to D. T. O. 3 Your Head, on a Stall, like a Barber's Block, looks something bald and singular.

1754 Connoisseur No. 36 Their heads..have worn as many different kinds of wigs as the block at their barber's.

1838 R. Southey Poet. Wks. III. 318 From such a barber..was that portrait made, I think, or per adventure from his block.

1966 J. Stevens Cox Illustr. Dict. Hairdressing & Wigmaking Block,..Wooden mounting block on which are made wigs and other postiches.

2004 J. Conway Make-up Artistry xiii. 304/1 The size relates to the head circumference that is indicated on the base of the block.

e. More generally: a piece of wood or other material on which an item of clothing is shaped, fashioned, or moulded, such as a tailor's or dressmaker's dummy, a shoemaker's last, etc.See also tailor's block n.In quot. 1691 figurative, with reference to the successive layers of growth on a tree.

ΘΚΠ

the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > tailoring or making clothes > [noun] > equipment > dummy

poupée1748

dressmaker's dummy1864

tailor's dummy1889

tailor's block1896

1691 J. Ray Wisdom of God 77 Which Coat..serves as a Form or Block to sustain the succeeding annual Coat.

1833 S. Austin Characteristics Goethe I. p. xxv It is true that a work of Art may be made to inculcate a moral.., or to teach a scientific truth—just as the Apollo Belvedere might serve as a tailor's block—but are these the aims of Art?

1882 Brit. Med. Jrnl. 28 Jan. 131/1 Comparing a statue of the Venus of Milo..with a fashionable dressmaker's block on which corsets are moulded.

1993 M. Wolfe Hadj ii. 25 From there we passed into a field of leather shoes and cobblers' blocks.

8. Falconry. A perch for a bird of prey, spec. an outdoor perch for a falcon.

ΘΚΠ

the world > animals > birds > order Falconiformes (falcons, etc.) > [noun] > family Falconidae > genus Falco (falcon) > perch of

block1844

1584 in Corr. P. Waus (1887) I. 313 The best halk that is can nocht be reddy to tak af hir blok afoir the last of this moneth.

1619 E. Bert Approved Treat. Hawkes iii. 94 They [sc. mites] are soonest gotten from the pearch or blocke where an other hawke hath sate that haue had the mites.

1773 J. Campbell Treat. Mod. Faulconry 41 Hawks perching on their blocks in stately order.

1844 Hist. Berwickshire Naturalists' Club 2 97 The hawk..was soon receiving..a good meal of beef upon her block.

1912 A. C. Ladd Hieronymus Rides xii. 120 She..held out her hand to Hierome's white falcon on the block beside her.

2014 H. MacDonald H is for Hawk xxvii. 256 The plangent sound of hawk-bells drifts through the open window each time the falcons bate from their blocks on the lawn.

†9. The target in a game of quoits or bowls; a peg or jack. Obsolete. rare.

ΘΚΠ

society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > quoits > [noun] > peg

hob1589

block1598

pin1763

tee1789

pinhead1897

society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > ball game > bowls or bowling > [noun] > jack

master-bowl1530

master1579

mistressa1586

block1598

mistress bowl1598

Jacka1616

mark1630

jack bowl1653

tee1789

kitty1898

1598 J. Florio Worlde of Wordes at Buttiro A maister or mistres of boules or coites, whereat the plaiers cast or play: some call it the blocke.

10.

a. Usually in plural. Originally: (Shipbuilding) any of the solid pieces of timber placed under the keel to support it during building or in dry dock (cf. blocking n.² 2(a)). Later also more generally: a piece of wood, brick, etc., used to support, brace, or raise something, esp. a motor vehicle needing repair or lacking wheels.In shipbuilding contexts, see also keel-block n.

ΘΚΠ

society > travel > travel by water > vessel, ship, or boat > shipbuilding and repairing > [noun] > slip on which ships built or repaired > framework on which vessel rests > blocks or planks supporting

shorec1440

ground-ways1711

shole1711

ribband1779

block1850

breast shore1851

cleat1856

trussc1860

bilge-block1862

1711 W. Sutherland Ship-builders Assistant 158 Blocks, hard knotty Timber to lay under a Ship.

1794 W. Felton Treat. Carriages I. 135 Those platforms, raisers or blocks, are added to a carriage either as matter of necessity or appearance... Their use is to elevate and support the budget, boot, hind foot-boards and springs.

1849 H. W. Longfellow Building of Ship in Seaside & Fireside 12 ‘Thus,’ said he, ‘will we build this ship! Lay square the blocks upon the slip.’

1953 R. S. Wentworth et al. Knight's Mod. Seamanship (ed. 12) iii. 65 No blocks or shores must be allowed to come up against any fittings, projections or parts of the hull itself which would be damaged by heavy local pressures.

2013 R. Rowell Eleanor & Park xlviii. 283 A car up on blocks in the middle of the garage.

b. A square piece of wood glued into the angle at a joint to strengthen it; = blocking n.² 2(c).

ΘΚΠ

the world > space > relative position > support > [noun] > that which supports > supporting blocks

riser1800

blocking1823

block-

1826 T. Martin Carpenters' & Joiners' Instructor 168 All the blocks must be glued on and dried, before the last stave can be fastened.

1836 J. F. Davis Chinese II. xi. 33 As a good carpenter throws away no blocks, so a good general has no men unemployed.

1991 B. Porter & C. Tooke Carpentry & Joinery (ed. 2) III. 259 Care should be taken to avoid any potential block shrinkage by either housing the architrave into the block or using a material of minimal shrinkage such as MDF.

c. In a sawmill: a support which holds the log on the carriage while it is being sawn; = head block n. 3. Now rare.

ΚΠ

1848 Ann. Rep. Commissioner Patents 1847 79 in U.S. Congress. Serial Set (30th Congr., 1st Sess.: House of Representatives Executive Doc. 54) VI The distance which the block must travel against the saw for an entire separation of the shingle, depends not only upon the length of the block but upon its thickness.

1952 C. J. Telford Sawmill Operator's Man. 101/1 The carriage is moved to bring the next headblock opposite the mark on the saw and measurement is taken as for the first block as before.

11. A piece of wood or metal carved or engraved for printing on paper or fabric, or for embossing designs.

ΘΚΠ

society > leisure > the arts > visual arts > printmaking > engraving > relief engraving > [noun] > wood engraving and cutting > block

block1728

hand block1775

wood-block1837

wood1839

process block1884

1728 E. Chambers Cycl. at Cutting The Cutters in Wood begin with preparing a Plank or Block.

1780 R. Burrow Compan. Ladies Diary 6 Engraving wooden blocks for printing pictures with the letter-press.

1837 N. Whittock et al. Compl. Bk. Trades (1842) 94 They [sc. calico-printers] have from the earliest period used blocks and stencils to produce the pattern.

1855 Mechanics' Mag. 1 Sept. 211/2 The fabric..is..embossed by a block on which a suitable pattern is cut.

1946 J. Mason Edition Case Binding 214 Aluminium or electrotype plates..are used for those books which do not justify the cost of engraving blocks.

2009 R. Baynton-Williams Art of Printmaker 167/1 Baxter used as many as 27 blocks for one print, because he was not able to alter the tone of a colour.

12. In haberdashery: a length of fabric or ribbon wrapped around a board for storage and display. Now rare.

ΘΚΠ

the world > textiles and clothing > textiles > textile fabric or an article of textile fabric > textile fabric > [noun] > roll

bolt1407

gib1526

round1661

ringe1726

block1905

1798 Manch. Mercury 2 Oct. One Hundred Blocks of Ribbon, and Five or Six Dozen Pair Leather Gloves.

1871 S. D. Nickerson Bread-winners xii. 142 Miriam's face was crimson as she took the block of ribbon from the show-case.

1934 H. G. Wells Exper. Autobiogr. i. iv. 149 Wrappered blocks labelled incomprehensibly Hard Book or Turkey Twill.

13.

a. U.S. The stump or raised platform on which a person stood when being sold as a slave at auction. Now historical.See also auction block n. 1.

ΘΠ

society > trade and finance > selling > [noun] > stand or board on which goods exposed > block on which slaves stood

catasta1650

block1853

sale-block1887

1828 N.-Y. Spectator 5 Feb. ‘A negro for sale’ is a beautiful group, worthy of the pencil of a master. The poor slave stands on a block, with only a rag round his loins.

1989 New Yorker 15 May 43 Smith put her father on the block and he was sold to someone in the South.

2018 Obsidian 44 106 You saw her on the block?

b. A place or facility for the auction of goods. Frequently in on the block: offered for sale, esp. through a bidding process.See also auction block n. 2.

ΘΠ

society > trade and finance > trading place > place of auction > [noun]

auction-house1682

vendue house1755

auction-room1767

sale-room1813

auction-mart1821

sales room1840

1858 Rep. Court of Claims: T. C. Nye vs. U.S. 60 in U.S. Congress. Serial Set (1859) (35th Congr., 2nd Sess.: House of Representatives C.C. Rep. 177) I We have not followed every separate horse, &c., to the auctioneer's block, or to the hands of the purchaser.

1944 Motion Picture Herald 21 Oct. 12/1 So far, during this year a total of 101 radio stations have gone on the block, many selling for 10 times their original cost.

2016 S. de Pury & W. Stadiem Auctioneer iii. 23 Next on the block were two of the world's most valuable Picassos.

14. In the context of butchery: the carcass of an animal. Chiefly in block test: a calculation or estimation of the weight of such a carcass, sometimes based on an assessment of the live animal. Now rare.

ΘΚΠ

the world > food and drink > food > animals for food > beef > [noun] > cattle for slaughter > carcass of bullock

block1893

the world > food and drink > food > food manufacture and preparation > preparation for table or cooking > preparation of meat > [noun] > butchery > test of weight

block test1893

1879 Cultivator & Country Gentleman (Albany, N.Y.) 4 Dec. 778/4 It must be borne in mind that when beef in the carcass is brought to the block test there are three different parties directly interested in the result.

1893 Westm. Gaz. 8 Mar. 9/1 The ‘block test’..used by Mr. M^cJannet, of Stirling... A set of tables by which, when the weight of the live bullock is ascertained, the weight of the ‘block’ as it hangs up in the flesher's shop for sale can be established within about a couple of pounds.

1950 Dundee Courier 10 Aug. 4/3 In the block test competition Mr A. C. Niven..guessed the weight of the bullock..to the exact pound.

1973 Rep. Breeding & Production Organisation (Milk Marketing Board) No. 23. 53 The Board provided a part carcase from a Warren Farm fattened animal for a ‘block test’ in the main ring.

15. A large piece of cast metal containing the cylinders (and sometimes also other parts) of an internal combustion engine.Cf. engine block n. (b) at engine n. Compounds 2, cylinder block n. at cylinder n. Compounds 2a.

1909 U.S. Patent 256,633 2/2 The combination of a reservoir, a block therein, a series of cylinders in the block, a series of pistons in the cylinders, a shaft journaled in the block, cams thereon for actuating the pumps.

1978 Motor Boating Oct. 54/3 Buy a factory new ‘short block’ assembly from your marine engine dealer. This will consist of the engine block and all rotating and reciprocating parts.

2021 Independent (Nexis) 8 July The heaters are used to keep the block warm in extreme cold temperatures.

** A unit, division, or area.

16.

a. Originally Scottish. A large quantity or amount of something (originally physical, later also immaterial) regarded together or as a unit; spec. (Finance) a large quantity of bonds, shares, etc., sold as a unit.Recorded earliest (as a mass noun) in in block: see Phrases 1.

ΘΚΠ

society > trade and finance > stocks and shares > stocks, shares, or bonds > [noun] > block of

block1870

tranche1930

c1485 ( G. Hay Bk. Law of Armys (2005) 137 Na jn his condicioun of feying was diuisioun maid of his wageing, bot jn blok and somme.

1546 in R. Renwick Extracts Rec. Stirling (1887) I. 44 Ye avansit you thairof sayand ye had put ane blok in Striveling of the pest that suld nevir gang furth of it.

1618 Edinb. Test. L. f. 52 in Dict. Older Sc. Tongue (at cited word) The defunctis part of ane blok of herreine.

1865 Boston Daily Advertiser 11 Dec. One officer gets a ‘block’ of 200 shares; another of 100.

1943 Mich. Technic Oct. 28/3 The next block of tickets are reserved for season ticket purchasers.

2004 BusinessWeek 16 Feb. 67/3 When Merrill Lynch & Co.'s trading desk matches a buyer and seller on a large block of stock, it must send the trade to the specialist for execution.

b. A number of sheets of paper fastened together at one edge so as to form a block, from which sheets may be removed one by one as used. Cf. pad n.² 10a.Recorded earliest in sketching block: see sketching n. 2.

ΘΚΠ

society > leisure > the arts > visual arts > painting and drawing > equipment for painting or drawing > [noun] > surface for painting or drawing > paper > drawing book

drawing book1672

flower-book1753

sketchbook1837

block1865

sketching-block1865

sketch-pad1961

society > communication > writing > writing materials > material to write on > paper > [noun] > pad of paper

paper-book1548

writing book1580

pad1857

writing block1861

tablet1867

writing tablet1874

writing pad1880

legal pad1882

block1908

1841 B. Jackson Course Mil. Surv. (ed. 2) i. 4 Sketching blocks have lately been used.., for sketching and plotting in the field, and found very convenient.

1908 Outlook 26 Sept. 397/1 With pencil and scribbling-block in his hand.

1984 K. Hulme Bone People (1985) ii. 63 She doodled with a fine-tip on a block of heavily textured paper, making tangles of lines.

1996 Sunday Times 1 Dec. 12/5 I always take three books, my palette, watercolour block, my brushes, little fold-up chairs and hats for the sun.

c. Philately. A group of four or more stamps, comprising at least two rows and columns, which have not been separated. Cf. sheet n.¹ 5d.

ΘΠ

society > leisure > entertainment > pastimes > hobby > collecting stamps > [noun] > related matters

perforation gauge1882

plate number1912

cover1923

first-day cover1926

1887 J. K. Tiffany Hist. Postage Stamps U.S.A. xviii. 108 A block of four used, adhering 2 and 2, is possessed by Mr. Sterling.

1936 R. Graves Antigua, Penny, Puce (1947) i. 13 An unused block of Newfoundland five-cents.

1982 J. Mackay Guinness Bk. Stamps 146 Britain had issued multiple strips and blocks of stamps (each with separate designs) from 1965.

2004 Stamp Mag. Aug. 30/2 A block of 10d Prussian blue Wildings with St. Edward's crown watermark from September 22, 1955 has been discovered with notable shade differences compared to normal.

17.

a. Originally North American; later chiefly Australian and New Zealand. Each of the large lots into which land is divided for settlement and development, mining, etc.; any (fairly) large area of land. Later also: (Australian) an urban or suburban building plot.See also back blocks n.

ΘΚΠ

society > inhabiting and dwelling > inhabited place > a building > [noun] > site of or for (a) building(s)

toft1001

stead1246

sole1417

sitea1443

plota1450

toftstead1524

ground-plat?a1560

ground-plot1580

seat1615

parterre1671

building-lot1701

emplacement1780

steading1822

building-place1839

block1840

subdivision1857

building-ground1858

building-estate1885

building-land1905

island site1907

island plot1908

tract1912

society > inhabiting and dwelling > inhabited place > district in relation to human occupation > a land or country > part of country or district > [noun]

endc893

shirec893

estrec1275

sidec1325

bounds1340

provincea1382

partc1400

landmark1550

tract1553

canton1601

neighbourhood1652

district1712

section1785

circumscription1831

location1833

block1840

strip1873

1785 E. Winslow Let. 2 Mar. in W. O. Raymond Winslow Papers (1901) (modernized text) 272 If the land which it is necessary to possess for that purpose falls within a Block assigned to a provincial Corps..the regiment of settlers would not oppose such a Grant.

1841 W. Deans Let. 25 Mar. (1937) 31 We are insured our land, but are bound..to take the 110,000 acres for the principal settlement in one continuous block, round Port Nicholson... The boundaries of the block are now pretty well defined.

1872 Acts S. Austral. 35 & 36 Vict. No. 18. §24 No person shall hold..more than three separate and detached blocks of land; and such area shall..be comprised in one block.

1890 ‘R. Boldrewood’ Miner's Right viii The law said, if the ground was under a hundred feet deep it was no frontage, and must be worked on the block... The Liberator Lead was no frontage lead—but block, that is, ground to be worked in ordinary block claims.

1909 B. R. Wise Commonw. Austral. 113 27,000 acres, in forty-acre blocks.

1950 N.Z. Jrnl. Agric. Oct. 293/2 Old fences were removed..and new ones erected to subdivide the run into blocks of convenient size.

2000 A. F. Millington Prop. Devel. viii. 111 Existing building blocks as determined by the street layout may be too small to allow the development of appropriately sized buildings.

b. Oil Industry. A group of contiguous areas of sea or land leased as a single unit for purposes of drilling, exploration, etc.

1921 Oil & Gas News 17 Feb. 32/2 They had an interest in the oil block, and the entire connection owns and controls thousands of acres of fine land.

1969 Jrnl. Inst. Navigation 22 421 The first area to be taken up as a complete block is the Persian Gulf, an area where we are the main charting authority.

1996 Financial Times 11 Jan. 4/4 The ‘Ruby’ field south of Vung Tau, one of the country's few promising oil blocks.

18.

a. Originally North American. An area occupied by houses or other buildings in close proximity to each other, with no intervening spaces; esp. one of the quadrangular areas, bounded by four streets, into which a planned city or town is divided; the buildings occupying such an area, regarded collectively.

ΘΚΠ

society > inhabiting and dwelling > inhabited place > a building > [noun] > buildings > connected

massif1524

isle1670

squarea1684

block1796

insula1832

city block1843

island1897

1796 Aurora (Philadelphia) 13 Dec. The whole block of buildings included between that slip, Front Street, and the Fly Market.

1843 C. Dickens Martin Chuzzlewit (1844) xvi. 203 A neighbouring bar-room, which..was ‘only in the next block’.

1855 Act 18 & 19 Victoria cxx. §74 A group or block of contiguous houses..may be drained more economically..in combination.

1901 W. Churchill Crisis i. xii. 99 He walked around the block twice..before he composed himself to enter the Carvel mansion.

1963 J. T. Story Something for Nothing vi. 214 Outside the office there was nowhere to park... She cruised round the block twice, then finally double-parked and hurried into the building.

2018 D. Guerrero in A. Ferrera Amer. like Me 91 On my block, we'd sit outside with neighbors and listen to Puerto Rican freestyle like Stevie B or Lil Suzy.

b. Originally North American. The length of one side of a quadrangular area in a planned city or town (see sense 18a), used as an approximate unit of distance. Also figurative. Cf. block-long adj. at Compounds 6.

1878 Scribner's Monthly July 353/1 Every street and broad alley in the city [sc. New York] is divided into a series of ‘posts’ or ‘beats’..which vary in length according to the locality, some in the northern part of the island being many blocks in length, while others in the lower wards are scarcely two blocks long.

1937 C. Himes Black on Black (1973) 129 This little white lain pulled up out front in a big Lincoln touring a block long.

1967 Listener 18 May 666/3 Decca's stereo is of course many blocks ahead of the Brain disc.

2006 Sunday Times 19 Mar. 27/1 He pushed the rack [of coats] with a broken wheel 20 blocks across Manhattan..rather than risk having them creased in the back of a taxi.

19.

a. A large single building, esp. one containing a number of flats or offices. Frequently (chiefly British) in block of flats. Later also: a building, section of a building, or other structure containing a number of rooms of a specified type.See also apartment block n., cellblock n., office block n., shower block n., tower block n., etc.

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society > inhabiting and dwelling > inhabited place > a building > types of building generally > [noun] > large building

block1849

castle1886

1805 Boston Directory 4 Dock square, from Elm Street, Southward to Cornhill, and Eastward to the corner opposite the West end of Faneuil Hall, including the block of stores in the centre.

1848 T. S. Cutting Buffalo City Directory 6 The corner of Commercial street and the Terrace, where the fine block of stores called the Sidway Block now stands.

1856 Civil Engineer & Architect's Jrnl. 19 147/1 It will perhaps be the largest block of offices which have been yet erected in Liverpool.

1901 Daily News 20 Apr. 4/5 The owner of a block of flats sued a tenant for a quarter's rent.

1933 Discovery Aug. 254/1 The designers of large blocks.

1969 Times 20 Oct. 9/5 Like the great bulk of Glasgow's nineteenth century housing Bernard Street consists of four-storey tenement blocks.

2019 B. Evaristo Girl Woman Other (2020) i. 8 She landed a one-bedroom housing association flat in a small fifties block in Bloomsbury.

†b. U.S. A detached defensive building, typically square, of one or two storeys; a blockhouse (blockhouse n. 1a). Obsolete.

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society > armed hostility > defence > defensive work(s) > castle or fortified building > [noun] > blockhouse or pill-box

blockhouse1512

Puntal1702

block1829

pillar box1916

pillbox1917

1829 J. F. Cooper Wept of Wish-ton-wish I. vii. 108 He that is wise, however, will take but little of the latter, until his head be safely housed within some such building as yon block.

1860 P. B. St. John Amy Moss (new ed.) ii. 34 Harrod, as the most experienced hunter of the block, started into the woods as a scout.

20.

a. Needlework. A regularly shaped (usually square) unit in a patchwork design.

ΚΠ

1843 Universalist Union 14 Jan. 137/2 [The quilt] contained eighty-five whole ‘blocks’ as the ladies term them, and twenty-six ‘half blocks’, each having the name of the person who wrought it, in the centre.

1929 R. E. Finley Old Patchwork Quilts xi. 126 The quilt shown..presents the original somewhat crude but very old type of ‘Rose of Sharon’ block.

2006 Quilter's Newslet. Mag. June 32/1 Examination..reveals the use of such traditional quilt blocks as Nine Patch, Grandmother's Fan, Flying Geese,..and Snail's Trail.

b. A flat area of something, esp. colour, more or less evenly distributed.

1861 Fife Herald 30 May We would state that the field or block of blue should be perfectly square.

1892 Postage Stamps Brit. India & Ceylon 38 On either side..there is a triangular block of colour containing white triangular ornamentation.

1967 Daily Graphic 9 Aug. 5/5 Not with a solid block of shading, but with individual, short, hair-like strokes.

2012 Gloss (Nexis) 8 Oct. She added, ‘I didn't fill it in,’ meaning it was only the outline of a heart, not a solid block of ink.

21. Railways. Any of the sections of track into which a railway line is divided by a signalling system. Also more fully block section. Frequently, and earliest, as a modifier: cf. Compounds 1d.Each section is protected by signals in such a way that, generally speaking, only one train may occupy a block at any one time. Cf. blocking n.² 10.Recorded earliest in block system n. at Compounds 4.

1864 Realm 29 June 1 The only remedy for the danger is the adoption of what is technically called the ‘block system.’

1869 Cornhill Mag. Mar. 281 This system of an interval of space is technically called the ‘block’ system... To carry it into effect, a railway is divided into blocks or divisions, which may be of equal or unequal lengths, without affecting the principle.

1873 Rep. Select Comm. House of Lords Regulation of Railways Bill 55 in Parl. Papers (H.C. 148) XIV. 421 Our suburban traffic was so seriously delayed in the mornings between half-past eight and half-past ten when there is a great pressure for the City, that we were obliged to put in an intermediate block section.

1917 W. G. Raymond Elem. Railroad Engin. (ed. 3) x. 129 In the automatic block system the signal at the entrance of each block is power-operated, usually electric.

1963 G. M. Kichenside & A. R. Williams Brit. Railway Signalling v. 46 The signal controlling entry to the block section can only be cleared..when the block indicator for the section ahead is at ‘line clear’.

2003 B. Solomon Railroad Signaling v. 113/1 The limits of the block may need to be adjusted to accommodate a variety of special situations, such as the location of stations, highway crossings, bridges, and sharp curves.

22. Australian and New Zealand. With the. Frequently with capital initial. A street or area in a city or town in which it is fashionable to promenade. Frequently in to do the block: to promenade in such a street or area. Now historical.Originally with specific reference to a section of Collins Street in Melbourne; cf. quot. 1872.

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society > travel > aspects of travel > going on foot > on foot [phrase] > leisurely or idly

to do the block1869

society > travel > means of travel > route or way > way, path, or track > path or place for walking > [noun] > promenade

maidan?1551

parado1612

promenade1648

mailc1660

esplanade1682

parade1697

outwalk1698

mall1710

alameda1717

paseo1832

walk1843

block1869

broadwalk1930

1868 Australasian (Melbourne) 6 June (Town ed.) 721/4 I was surprised to see so many people ‘doing the block’.

1872 J. H. Kerr Glimpses Life in Victoria 349 A certain portion of Collins Street, lined by the best drapers' and jewellers' shops..is known as ‘The Block’.

1916 J. B. Cooper Coo-oo-ee i. 14 When I go to town I'm crowded on the Block, I can't breathe.

1920 Greymouth (N.Z.) Evening Star 8 Mar. 6 The main thoroughfare is very short and very narrow, and it does not take long to ‘do the block’.

1991 Canberra Times 1 May 20/1 Promenading down Swanston Street had been a favourite pursuit in the 1800s and early 1900s, when the area was part of ‘The Block’ and ‘doing the Block’ was very fashionable.

23. Mathematics. A rectangular subdivision of a matrix; a submatrix; esp. each of several obtained by partitioning the set of rows and the set of columns of a matrix. Also as a modifier, esp. in block matrix n. at Compounds 4.

1903 Trans. Amer. Math. Soc. 4 259 Let us consider first the rectangular block on each side of this equation in the square array of the product and lying in the strip i horizontally and j vertically, i ≠ j.

1959 F. R. Gantmacher Theory of Matrices I. 42 For ‘block’ multiplication of these matrices we require..that the partitioning into blocks be such that the horizontal dimensions in the first factor are the same as the corresponding vertical dimensions in the second.

2012 W. Cheney & D. Kincaid Linear Algebra (ed. 2) viii. 508 Frequently, it is convenient to partition matrices into submatrices (called blocks) and to carry out matrix operations using the blocks.

24. An alliance of states, political parties, people, or groups, formed to further a particular goal or interest; = bloc n.Recorded earliest in Soviet block n.See also communist block n., Eastern block n., sterling block n., etc.

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society > authority > rule or government > politics > party politics > a party > [noun] > a combination of parties

bloc1903

block1925

front1926

alliance1963

1919 Times 19 Apr. 9/5 The Soviet block, consisting of Russia, the Ukraine, Germany and Serbia, would easily be able to deal with the industrial opposition of the capitalistic States.

1925 M. Eastman Since Lenin Died ii. 19 To perfect and solidify the block which they had already formed against him among the leaders of the party.

1940 Manch. Guardian Weekly 12 July 25 Working for the entry of France into a vast Continental block with Germany and Italy as the chief partners.

1991 Economist 29 June 62/3 The 25-member [Jordanian] government..excludes any member of the Muslim Brotherhood, the largest political block in parliament.

25. Computing.

a. Originally: a group of adjacent storage locations on magnetic tape; (also) a group of records saved in such locations. In later use: a group of records or data treated as a single unit in operations such as memory processing, storage, and transfer, or in data transmission; (also) the location or locations in memory where such a group of data is saved.

ΘΠ

society > computing and information technology > hardware > [noun] > primary storage or main memory > areas or blocks

memory cell1892

storage location1949

cell1950

society > computing and information technology > hardware > [noun] > memory > position of > set of

block1948

page1948

bank1953

array1957

stack1960

vector1961

1948 Math. Tables & Other Aids Computation 3 11 Characterizing a block of data on a table tape by a single block number.

1964 Ann. N.Y. Acad. Sci. 115 663 Reels of ¾ inch-wide tape which contain 512 consecutively numbered blocks, each capable of storing 256 12-bit numbers.

1970 IEEE Trans. Power Apparatus & Syst. 89 152/1 By the storage organization described and the chaining procedure, it is evident that the list of a given row can start anywhere within the storage block and end anywhere within the same block.

1981 G. C. Clark & J. B. Cain Error-Correction Coding Digital Communications vi. 227 The information sequence is segmented into blocks which are encoded independently.

2015 P. J. Denning & C. H. Martell Great Princ. Computing iv. 68 The first five bits of the second block send an appropriate signal.

b. A sequence of statements treated as a single unit in a computer program; (in later use) esp. the basic organizing unit of a block-structured programming language (cf. block-structured adj. at Compounds 4).

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society > computing and information technology > programming language > program or code > [noun] > set of instructions

routine1945

procedure1946

subroutinec1946

subprogramme1947

block1948

module1963

partition1971

script1978

1955 Ordnance Computer Res. Rep. 15 July 5 The Subroutine may be thought of as a block of coding..which is used so frequently in different problems that it becomes an individual unit.

1964 A. Lytel Fund. Data Processing iv. 202 A block is a series of declarations and statements enclosed between the words begin and end.

1996 Proc. 12th Internat. Conf. Data Engin. 451/2 The outer query block can be represented by the following abstract pseudo-code: foreach (x ∈ X) { SubQuery Result = CS(x); Process(SubQueryResult);}.

2021 T. Long Good Code, Bad Code v. 117 A function defines a block of code that runs when the function is called.

II. Senses derived from block v.¹In some uses overlapping with sense 5a.

26.

a. Cricket.

(a) A defensive stroke by the batter, intended to protect the wicket rather than to score runs; = block shot n. (a) at Compounds 4. In later use largely merged in sense 26d. Cf. block v.¹ 2a(a).

ΘΠ

society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > ball game > cricket > batting > [noun] > types of stroke

long ball1744

nip1752

catch1816

no-hit1827

cut1833

short hit1833

draw1836

drive1836

square hit1837

skylarker1839

skyer1840

skyscraper1842

back-cut1845

bum1845

leg sweep1846

slog1846

square cut1850

driver1851

Harrow drive1851

leg slip1852

poke1853

snick1857

snorter1859

leg stroke1860

smite1861

on-drive1862

bump ball1864

rocketer1864

pull1865

grass trimmer1867

late cut1867

off-drive1867

spoon1871

push1873

push stroke1873

smack1875

Harrow drive1877

pull-stroke1880

leg glance1883

gallery-hit1884

boundary-stroke1887

glide1888

sweep1888

boundary1896

hook1896

leg glide1896

backstroke1897

flick1897

hook stroke1897

cover-drive1898

straight drive1898

square drive1900

edger1905

pull-drive1905

slash1906

placing stroke1907

push drive1912

block shot1915

if-shot1920

placing shot1921

cow-shot1922

mow1925

Chinese cut1937

haymaker1954

hoick1954

perhapser1954

air shot1956

steepler1959

mishook1961

swish1963

chop-

1825 New Monthly Mag. 13 498 I..admired the dexterity of the block at hand, which frustrated the perilous three-quarter ball.

1903 Referee (Sydney) 25 Mar. 8/7 George Stuckley again saved his side, and playing the block, the score was slowly raised to 51 for six wickets.

2019 telegraph.co.uk (Nexis) 24 Nov. I don't want to jinx it but Joe Root looks solid as a rock this morning. He is middling block after block.

(b) Now chiefly Australian. The position at which a batter stands ready to receive the ball; = guard n. 3b. Frequently in to take block.

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society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > ball game > cricket > batting > [noun] > positions

guard1843

middle1866

middle guard1871

centre1883

middle and leg1904

two-eyed stance1924

1845 N. Wanostrocht Felix on Bat i. ii. 12 I next recommend him to take the block for the middle stump, about five inches behind the popping crease.

1871 Kentish Gaz. 22 Aug. 3/6 Note his [sc. W. G. Grace's] careful wrist play, how he takes block, in fact how he stands or runs, and the every incident of his splendid achievements at the wicket.

1926 J. Galsworthy Silver Spoon iii. v. 250 He lived for a cosey moment in the past again, as might some retired old cricketer taking block once more.

1994 Sydney Morning Herald 3 Dec. 67 The young Australians ran up 4-205 without Border even taking block.

(c) The spot on which a batter rests the end of the bat while waiting to receive the ball; = blockhole n. at Compounds 4. Now rare.

1862 E. Routledge Handbk. Cricket 27 The moment the bowler is about to deliver the ball, raise your bat slightly from the block, keeping it almost straight to him.

1901 St. James’s Gaz. 24 July 16/1 Just when he [sc. Bobby Abel] is about to receive a ball he delivers, with his bat, a series of quick little taps to his block.

1954 Yorks. Post 22 Sept. 4/8 The batsman would probably make his block where he makes it at present, well behind the new popping crease.

b. In combat sports: a defensive strike intended to block an opponent's blow.

1882 Lloyd's Weekly Newspaper 9 Apr. 8/2 Hicks was very red about the face. There was no blood on him, but I saw a mark of blood on Goodson's face. I only saw two blocks struck.

1969 M. Angelou I know why Caged Bird Sings (1984) xix. 131 The contender's right eye is bleeding and he can't seem to keep his block up.

1992 Martial Arts Illustr. 2 July 15/1 I wanted to know how it felt to have someone actually attacking you and trying to knock you out... I had to adapt the kicking, the punching and the blocks that we learned in kung fu to the ring.

c. American Football and Canadian Football. An act of obstructing an opponent from reaching or tackling the ball carrier by interposing one's body, as a legal move. Cf. block v.¹ 4, body check n.

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society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > ball game > football > American football > [noun] > actions or manoeuvres

rush1857

punt-out1861

goal-kicking1871

safety1879

safety touchdown1879

scrimmage1880

rushing1882

safety touch1884

touchback1884

forward pass1890

run1890

blocking1891

signal1891

fake1893

onside kick1895

tandem-play1895

pass play1896

spiral1896

shift1901

end run1902

straight-arm1903

quarterback sneak1904

runback1905

roughing1906

Minnesota shift1910

quarterbacking1910

snap-back1910

pickoff1912

punt return1914

screen forward pass1915

screen pass1920

power play1921

sneak1921

passback1922

snap1922

defence1923

reverse1924

carry1927

lateral1927

stiff-arm1927

zone1927

zone defence1927

submarine charge1928

squib1929

block1931

pass rushing1933

safetying1933

trap play1933

end-around1934

straight-arming1934

trap1935

mousetrap1936

buttonhook1938

blitzing1940

hand-off1940

pitchout1946

slant1947

strike1947

draw play1948

shovel pass1948

bootleg1949

option1950

red dog1950

red-dogging1951

rollout1951

submarine1952

sleeper pass1954

draw1956

bomb1960

swing pass1960

pass rush1962

blitz1963

spearing1964

onsides kick1965

takeaway1967

quarterback sack1968

smash-mouth1968

veer1968

turn-over1969

bump-and-run1970

scramble1971

sack1972

nose tackle1975

nickel1979

pressure1981

1914 Sun (N.Y.) 16 Sept. 10/4 The ‘Indian block’ that Harvard uses so extensively in putting down opponents on the open field.

1955 Sports Illustr. 7 Nov. 44/3 Brown..has what I like to term ‘second reaction’—the ability to absorb the initial shock of a block and still make the tackle.

1976 Honolulu Star-Bull. 21 Dec. h-1/2 Charley Hannah tipped it and it came right to me. I got a couple of blocks, one I know from Charley.

2008 G. D. Gerson Scoring Points 165 It was not April of 1993, and I had never caught a pass or made a block in real North American football game.

d. Sport (esp. Basketball). An act or instance of blocking the ball with one's hand, body, racket, etc., in order to prevent an opponent from scoring, winning a point, etc. Cf. block shot n. (b) at Compounds 4.

1925 Boys' Life Sept. 14/3 Modlin came in with a perfect block and the left forward was forced to pass back to Dazzy who ‘dribbled’ for a few seconds awaiting an opening.

1957 Physical Conditioning (Headquarters, Dept. Army Technical Man. 21–200) x. 459 The block is a technique of defense used to prevent a spiker from driving the ball across the net.

1979 N.Y. Times 25 Apr. a21/1 Dandridge..took a shot from the right baseline. Roundfield made a block, the ball came back to Dandridge, and a second shot went off the rim.

2021 Herald-Times (Bloomington, Indiana) 16 Oct. b4/4 Dean was a disruptive force at the net, able to hit over a block, dunk overpasses with ease and paint the 10-foot line in front of the back row.

27. Now chiefly Indian English. A stoppage of traffic caused by an obstruction; a traffic jam. Also figurative. Cf. sense 5a.

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society > travel > transport > transport or conveyance in a vehicle > vehicular traffic > [noun] > traffic jam

stop1625

stoppage1727

lock1834

block1861

pinch point1868

tie-up1889

traffic jam1891

traffic snarl1899

traffic snarl1933

traffic snarl-up1947

thrombosis1959

snarl-up1960

back-up1962

tailback1975

gridlock1980

1858 Punch 6 Nov. 191/2 One afternoon last month a passenger to Dover passed along Cheapside in less than half-an-hour, his cab not more than six times coming to a ‘block’.

1863 Cornhill Mag. Feb. 182 It is after you have become lieutenant, that the ‘block’ makes itself felt.

1913 Times of India 28 June 12/6 A block in the road compelled the Grand Vizier's motor car to slacken speed and finally to stop.

2018 A. Anwar Storm 35 He is still absorbed in the paper when his vehicle reaches a block in the road. The flow of cars, rickshaws and red double-deckers is stymied by something up ahead.

28. Physiology. Prevention or inhibition of the passage of a nerve impulse or muscular contraction; spec. prevention of the passage of nerve impulses by the use of a local anaesthetic (cf. nerve block n. at nerve n. Compounds 2); an instance of this.heart block: see the first element. Cf. also block v.¹ 17a.

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the world > health and disease > healing > medical treatment > types of treatment generally > [noun] > other miscellaneous treatments

majoration1626

relaxant1661

diaeresis1706

blistering1711

Perkinism1798

tranquillizing1801

tractoration1803

tractorism1827

moxibustion1833

traction1841

remediation1850

moxocausis1857

bed-rest1872

aerotherapeutics1876

aerotherapy1876

metallotherapy1877

block1882

counter-irritation1882

bacteriotherapy1886

mechanotherapy1890

mobilization1890

seismotherapy1901

bacterization1902

replacement therapy1902

biotherapy1912

occupational therapy1915

protein therapy1917

psychophysicotherapeutics1922

recovery programme1922

plombage1933

bacteriostasis1936

oestrogenization1960

hyperalimentation1962

vegetablization1963

pain management1966

palliative care1967

gene therapy1970

1873 Jrnl. Anat. & Physiol. 8 i. 80 We have here to deal with a block of nervous impulses.

1882 W. H. Gaskell in Philos. Trans. (Royal Soc.) 173 1031 If the section [of the auricle of the heart of the tortoise] is severe the block will be complete; no contractions will pass.

1916 P. J. Flagg Art Anaesthesia ii. 59 We may account for muscular relaxation by supposing an anæsthetic ‘block’ acting on the motor nerves.

2014 A. Chuan & D. M. Scott Regional Anaesthesia iv. 112 This block [of the sciatic nerve] is very well tolerated by patients if performed following femoral nerve block for knee surgery.

29. Chess. More fully block problem. A problem in which Black is not under threat but cannot move without being threatened by White. Cf. block v.¹ 3, Zugzwang n.

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society > leisure > entertainment > pastimes > game > board game > chess > [noun] > problems

jeopardyc1369

problem1817

Indian problem1846

mover1868

Indian1878

retractive problem1890

waiting problem1891

retractor1893

help-mate1897

sui1897

miniature1903

waiter1906

grab theme1909

fairy chess1914

King's (or Queen's) Indian1931

1887 A. F. MacKenzie Chess Gloss. Block Problems, problems in which the Black King has no liberty. Generally used in referring to two movers. Some writers employ the term as indicating a waiting position.

1931 B. Harley Mate in Two Moves ii. 20 We now come to the last of the big groups into which the two-mover can be divided: the Complete Block both before and after the Key, which changes one or more mates.

1992 Oxf. Compan. Chess (ed. 2) 46/1 Having no waiting move and unable to set up a new block, White makes a key move that creates a threat.

30. Psychiatry and Psychology. An inability to perform a mental process or to express freely one's thoughts, feelings, etc.; a mental or psychological inhibition. Cf. block v.¹ 19, blocking n.² 12.See also mental block n., psychological block n., writer's block n.

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the mind > mental capacity > psychology > psychology of ideas > association of ideas > [noun] > inhibition of

blocking1890

block1931

1931 A. G. Bills in Amer. Jrnl. Psychol. 43 230 The term ‘block’..refers to those periods, experienced by mental workers, when they seem unable to respond and cannot, even by an effort, continue until a short time has elapsed.

1946 W. S. Knickerbocker 20th Cent. Eng. 187 Some ‘block’ in his mental make-up.

1969 Times 15 Nov. (Sat. Review) p. iv/3 Henry James..freeing himself from emotional and work blocks.

2006 N. Shulman, & E. Spenser Get Between Covers v. 53 As we toiled to complete this book, if one of us experienced a ‘block’ we would take a step back, have a conference call with each other, and get reenergized.

Phrases

P1. in block: as a whole, all together. Cf. sense 16a, en bloc adv. rare.Quot. c1485 appears to be an isolated early use. [In later use probably after French en bloc (1559 in Middle French: see en bloc adv.).]

c1485 ( G. Hay Bk. Law of Armys (2005) 137 Na jn his condicioun of feying was diuisioun maid of his wageing, bot jn blok and somme.

1859 Dublin Univ. Mag. Oct. 473/2 The French nation, in block, were indeed ‘sensible to the gratification of playing..the brilliant part of generous and disinterested liberators’.

1876 W. E. Gladstone in Contemp. Rev. June 3 Puritans..who rejected in block the authority of creeds.

1977 Transfer U.S. Prop. to District of Columbia Redevelopment Land Agency 25 in Pretrial Release or Detention. Hearings & Markups before Subcommitte on Judiciary (U.S. Govt. Printing Office) I would like to propose a series of amendments that, without objection, could be taken in block.

†P2. In various proverbial phrases, in collocation or contrast with straw. Cf. sense 5a. Obsolete.In quot. 1551 with allusion to Matthew 7:3; cf. mote n.¹ 1a(a), beam n.¹ 3c.

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?1495 R. Fitzjames Sermo Die Lune in Ebdomada Pasche (de Worde) sig. giv^v We take more dylygence. and ben more obedyent to mannys tradicion. thanne to the lawe of god. Stomblynge atte a strawe And lepynge ouer a blocke.

1526 W. Bonde Pylgrimage of Perfection iii. sig. aiiii Lesse of a strawe we make a blocke.

1551 T. Cranmer Answer S. Gardiner 201 You can spye a litle moote in another mans eye, that cannot see a great blocke in your owne.

1797 W. Warren Polit. & Moral Pamphlet 77 Man sees but darkly through the glass of life; ‘he leaps over a block, and he stumbles at a straw; he swallows a camel, and he is choked by a gnat.’

P3. to put one's head on the block and variants. Also similarly with neck. Cf. sense 4a.

†a. To surrender oneself to another person's will or judgement. Obsolete.

1553 J. Bradford Let. 6 Oct. in M. Coverdale Certain Lett. Martyrs (1564) 294 If they commaund that, which with good conscience you can not obey, lay your head on the block and suffer what souer they shal do or say.

a1640 W. Fenner Christs Alarm (1646) 350 Doest thou..accept of thy punishment, lay thy head on the block, does thy soule lye groveling before God?

b. To sacrifice one's own position, to resign. Now rare.

1785 Morning Chron. 21 Feb. 2/1 Mr. Hastings..saved his life, like Sir Roger, by laying his head upon the block.

1854 New Hampsh. Statesman 8 Apr. 2/2 Anti-Nebraska Democrats of New-Hampshire! prepare to obey this Government order, or lay your heads upon the block!

1921 T. Raleigh Ann. Church in Scotl. 320 One minister had spoken of laying his head on the block for spiritual independence, but when the day of trial came he remained in his manse.

2002 Assoc. Press Internat. (Nexis) 23 July I offered the board my resignation and they accepted it... You can't be the scapegoat if you decide yourself to put your head on the block.

c. To put one’s position or reputation at risk by speaking boldly or proceeding with a particular course of action. Cf. to stick one's neck out at neck n.¹ Phrases 15, to lay it on the line at line n.² 13f(c).

1939 Crisis July 210/1 The whole history of the NAACP is studded with examples of people in public life and jobs who have put their necks on the block to prove a principle.

1970 Financial Times 26 Mar. 9/7 Mr. Court has put his head on the block in championing the operation.

2005 M. Kennedy & J. Wonnacott in J. Taylor & B. Daniel Child Neglect xiii. 233 Will they be willing to put their heads on the block to challenge policy and financial discrimination?

P4. Originally and chiefly Nautical. block and block: so that the two blocks of a tackle (see sense 2) are drawn as close together as possible; = chock-a-block adv. Cf. two-blocks adv. Now rare.

ΘΚΠ

society > travel > travel by water > vessel, ship, or boat > equipment of vessel > tackle or purchase > [adverb] > with the two blocks close together

chock-a-block1824

1627 J. Smith Sea Gram. v. 19 When wee hale any Tackle or Haleyard to which two blocks doe belong, when they meet, we call that blocke and blocke.

1769 W. Falconer Universal Dict. Marine Suppl. Block and block, the situation of a tackle when the two opposite blocks are drawn close together, so that the..power becomes destroyed.

1839 Sporting Rev. Apr. 272 The tackles were block and block, and no apparent power could elevate it [sc. a statue] one hair's breadth higher.

1919 Marine Rev. May 330/3 At this juncture, the tackles were block and block.

1945 E. H. Lederer Port Terminal Operation ii. 209 Block and block. The condition that exists when two blocks of a tackle come together; the tackle must then be overhauled before another pull.

P5. to cut blocks with a razor and variants: to do something absurdly incongruous; (also) to apply one's abilities or resources to no purpose. Now rare.In quot. 1727 to hew Blocks with a Razor is used similatively as a type of such activity.

ΘΚΠ

the world > action or operation > harm or detriment > disadvantage > uselessness > misuse > [verb (intransitive)] > use means absurdly

to cut blocks with a razor1774

1727 J. Swift Thoughts Var. Subj. in J. Swift et al. Misc.: 1st Vol. 339 To endeavour to work upon the Vulgar with fine Sense, is like attempting to hew Blocks with a Razor.]

1774 O. Goldsmith Retaliation 42 'Twas his fate, unemploy'd, or in play, Sir, To eat mutton cold, and cut blocks with a razor.

1878 Truth 6 June 714/2 He saw that a further attempt to cut a block with a razor would be unavailing.

1973 Amer. Lit. Realism 6 75 Cutting blocks with a razor is proverbially unprofitable, and a million-magnifying microscope does not help a bit to tell the time by the City Hall clock.

P6. block and tackle: a mechanism consisting of a pulley block together with ropes and a hook, used for lifting or moving heavy objects; cf. tackle n. 3a.In quot. 1864 figurative.

ΘΚΠ

society > occupation and work > equipment > lifting or hoisting equipment > [noun] > tackle

tackle1539

teagle1828

block and tackle1838

society > travel > travel by water > vessel, ship, or boat > equipment of vessel > tackle or purchase > [noun]

tackle1539

purchase1711

made block1794

block and tackle1838

1754 W. Emerson Princ. Mech. 308 Their use is to raise any weight by help of a block and tackle at top.

1864 O. W. Norton Army Lett. (1903) 221 General Birney seems to consider the Eighth as..block and tackle by which to hoist his favorites into place and power.

1935 Discovery Mar. 77/1 A suitable block-and-tackle is essential in order that the boat may be hauled far enough up the shore.

2005 New Yorker 28 Feb. 64/2 I joined them on small moving jobs, more than once mooring the guide rope on a block and tackle as we shifted a couch through the upstairs window of a Brooklyn apartment.

P7. slang. Phrases in which block denotes the head or face. Cf. sense 7c.

a. off one's block: (very) angry; insane. Cf. off one's head at head n.¹ Phrases 1h.

ΘΠ

the mind > emotion > anger > furious anger > [adjective] > furiously angry

grim971

aweddeOE

woodlyc1000

anburstc1275

woodc1275

aburstc1300

eagerc1325

brotheful1330

brothely1330

furiousc1374

wroth as (the) wind1377

throc1380

fella1382

wrothlya1400

grindelc1400

raginga1425

furibund1490

bremit1535

outraging1567

fulminant?1578

wood-like1578

horn-mad1579

snuff1582

woodful1582

maddeda1586

rageful1585

furibundal1593

gary1609

fierce1611

wild1653

infuriate1667

hopping mad1675

maddened1735

sulphureous1751

savage1789

infuriated1796

bouncing mad1834

frenzy1859

furyinga1861

ropeable1870

furied1878

fulminous1886

livid1888

fit to be tied1894

hopping1894

fighting mad1896

tamping mad1946

up the wall1951

ravers1967

the world > health and disease > mental health > mental illness > [adjective] > insanity or madness > affected with

woodc725

woodsekc890

giddyc1000

out of (by, from, of) wit or one's witc1000

witlessc1000

brainsickOE

amadc1225

lunaticc1290

madc1330

sickc1340

brain-wooda1375

out of one's minda1387

frenetica1398

fonda1400

formada1400

unwisea1400

brainc1400

unwholec1400

alienate?a1425

brainless1434

distract of one's wits1470

madfula1475

furious1475

distract1481

fro oneself1483

beside oneself1490

beside one's patience1490

dementa1500

red-wood?1507

extraught1509

misminded1509

peevish1523

bedlam-ripe1525

straughta1529

fanatic1533

bedlama1535

daft1540

unsounda1547

stark raving (also staring) mad1548

distraughted1572

insane1575

acrazeda1577

past oneself1576

frenzy1577

poll-mad1577

out of one's senses1580

maddeda1586

frenetical1588

distempered1593

distraught1597

crazed1599

diswitted1599

idle-headed1599

lymphatical1603

extract1608

madling1608

distracteda1616

informala1616

far gone1616

crazy1617

March mada1625

non compos mentis1628

brain-crazed1632

demented1632

crack-brained1634

arreptitiousa1641

dementate1640

dementated1650

brain-crackeda1652

insaniated1652

exsensed1654

bedlam-witteda1657

lymphatic1656

mad-like1679

dementative1685

non compos1699

beside one's gravity1716

hyte1720

lymphated1727

out of one's head1733

maddened1735

swivel-eyed1758

wrong1765

brainsickly1770

fatuous1773

derangedc1790

alienated1793

shake-brained1793

crack-headed1796

flighty1802

wowf1802

doitrified1808

phrenesiac1814

bedlamite1815

mad-braineda1822

fey1823

bedlamitish1824

skire1825

beside one's wits1827

as mad as a hatter1829

crazied1842

off one's head1842

bemadded1850

loco1852

off one's nut1858

off his chump1864

unsane1867

meshuga1868

non-sane1868

loony1872

bee-headed1879

off one's onion1881

off one's base1882

(to go) off one's dot1883

locoed1885

screwy1887

off one's rocker1890

balmy or barmy on (or in) the crumpet1891

meshuggener1892

nutty1892

buggy1893

bughouse1894

off one's pannikin1894

ratty1895

off one's trolley1896

batchy1898

twisted1900

batsc1901

batty1903

dippy1903

bugs1904

dingy1904

up the (also a) pole1904

nut1906

nuts1908

nutty as a fruitcake1911

bugged1920

potty1920

cuckoo1923

nutsy1923

puggled1923

blah1924

détraqué1925

doolally1925

off one's rocket1925

puggle1925

mental1927

phooey1927

crackers1928

squirrelly1928

over the edge1929

round the bend1929

lakes1934

ding-a-ling1935

wacky1935

screwball1936

dingbats1937

Asiatic1938

parlatic1941

troppo1941

up the creek1941

screwed-up1943

bonkers1945

psychological1952

out to lunch1955

starkers1956

off (one's) squiff1960

round the twist1960

yampy1963

out of (also off) one's bird1966

out of one's skull1967

whacked out1969

batshit1971

woo-woo1971

nutso1973

out of (one's) gourd1977

wacko1977

off one's meds1986

1887 Sporting Times 11 June 4/4 You have not found out what we asked you. A trifle off her block, as Mr. Tagg would say.

1935 Australasian (Melbourne) 6 Apr. 3/4 I'm not suggesting that either Mr. Tunnestan or Mr. Duncliffe is off his block, as we say in the home town.

2022 @Innoculant1 25 Feb. in twitter.com (accessed 27 May 2022) You knew he was off his block all along and neglected your duty and you [sic] country.

b. to knock a person's block off and variants: to hit someone very hard in the head; to assault a person severely. Frequently as a threat or warning.

ΘΠ

the world > movement > impact > striking > striking on specific part of the body > strike on specific part of the body [verb (intransitive)] > on the head

nob1812

to scuttle (a person's) nob1834

1892 Philadelphia Inquirer 24 Oct. 5/8 The cowboy demanded an explanation. Armed with a rock in each hand, the leader of the ‘Spiders’ shouted: ‘We'se de “Spiders”, see? and if you don't take a sneak we'll knock your block off.’

1923 P. G. Wodehouse Leave it to Psmith ix in Sat. Evening Post 3 Mar. 137/1 ‘I'd like’, said Mr. Cootes with asperity, ‘to beat your block off.’

1939 H. G. Wells Holy Terror i. i. 12 Many suggestions were made, from ‘Knock his little block off’, to ‘Give him more love’.

1997 Independent 12 Aug. iii. 8/2 If I told him I was going to knock his block off, he would be very scared.

c. Chiefly Australian and New Zealand. to keep one's block: to refrain from losing one's temper or self-control; to remain calm. Cf. to keep one's head at head n.¹ Phrases 4g(b). Now rare.

1902 Sydney Sportsman 10 Dec. 8/3 Had Walcott kept his block he must have ended it there and then.

1918 Chrons. N.Z.E.F. 21 June 22/1 If you can keep your block, while those about you are losing theirs.

1949 Northern Star (Lismore, New S. Wales) 29 Jan. 6/3 The doctor angrily compared the Mayor to a very defunct member of the canine tribe. ‘W.T.’, however, kept his block and laughed.

d. Chiefly Australian and New Zealand. to lose, to do (in) one's block and variants: to lose one's temper or self-control; to become angry, excited, or anxious. Cf. to lose one's head at head n.¹ Phrases 4j(b).

ΘΠ

the mind > emotion > excitement > nervous excitement > be in state of nervous excitement [verb (intransitive)]

to take ona1450

seethe1609

trepidate1623

to take on oneself1632

flutter1668

pother1715

to be upon the nettle (also in a nettle)1723

to be nerve all over1778

to be all nerve1819

to be (all) on wires1824

to break up1825

to carry on1828

to be on (occasionally upon or on the) edge1872

faff1874

to have kittens1900

flap1910

to be in, get in(to), a flap1939

to go sparec1942

to keep (also blow, lose) one's cool1964

faffle1965

to get one's knickers in a twist1971

to have a canary1971

to wet one's pants1979

tweak1981

the mind > emotion > anger > [verb (intransitive)] > become angry

wrethec900

wrothc975

abelghec1300

to move one's blood (also mood)c1330

to peck moodc1330

gremec1460

to take firea1513

fumec1522

sourdc1540

spitec1560

to set up the heckle1601

fire1604

exasperate1659

to fire up1779

to flash up1822

to get one's dander up1831

to fly (occasionally jump, etc.) off (at) the handle1832

to have (also get) one's monkey up1833

to cut up rough, rusty, savage1837

rile1837

to go off the handle1839

to flare up1840

to set one's back up1845

to run hot1855

to wax up1859

to get one's rag out1862

blow1871

to get (also have) the pricker1871

to turn up rough1872

to get the needle1874

to blaze up1878

to get wet1898

spunk1898

to see red1901

to go crook1911

to get ignorant1913

to hit the ceiling1914

to hit the roof1921

to blow one's top1928

to lose one's rag1928

to lose one's haira1930

to go up in smoke1933

hackle1935

to have, get a cob on1937

to pop (also blow) one's cork1938

to go hostile1941

to go sparec1942

to do one's bun1944

to lose one's wool1944

to blow one's stack1947

to go (also do) one's (also a) dingerc1950

rear1953

to get on ignorant1956

to go through the roof1958

to keep (also blow, lose) one's cool1964

to lose ita1969

to blow a gasket1975

to throw a wobbler1985

1907 C. MacAlister Old Pioneering Days in Sunny South 19 At this Mr Donovan ‘lost his block’ completely.

1916 J. B. Cooper Coo-oo-ee i. 19 Mrs. Muller went on no end! Did in her block, thinking of the night's ride Nipper had given her.

1931 V. Palmer Separate Lives 220 There was a sheelah back in Salisbury who did her block on me.

1966 ‘L. Lane’ ABZ of Scouse 10 I done me block; I went off my head; I lost my temper.

2014 W. W. Johnstone & J. A. Johnstone Stand your Ground i. 8 One of the linemen—Ernie Gibbs, big but slow and stupid—lost his block and suddenly a McElhaney linebacker was right in Andy's face.

P8. colloquial. to put the blocks (also block) on: to thwart; to put an end to (an action or proceeding). Cf. sense 5b.

ΘΠ

the world > action or operation > difficulty > hindrance > hindering completely or preventing > hinder completely or prevent [verb (transitive)] > thwart or foil

false?c1225

confoundc1315

blenk?a1400

matea1400

interrupt1464

blench1485

fruster?a1513

frustrate?a1513

infatuate1533

disappoint1545

prevent1555

foila1564

blank1566

thwart1581

confute1589

dispurpose1607

shorten1608

foola1616

vain1628

balk1635

throwa1650

scotch1654

bafflea1674

crossbar1680

transverse1770

tomahawk1773

throttle1825

wreck1855

stultify1865

derail1889

to pull the plug1923

rank1924

1880 Nottingham Evening Post 16 Mar. 4/4 If the Liberals desired to prevent any particular piece of legislation they what they called ‘put the block on’.

1916 Telephone Engineer (Chicago) Mar. 118/1 I guess his reply put the blocks on further questions.

1967 J. Speight Till Death us do Part: Scripts (1973) 74 Look, there isn't any free orange juice now—your lot—your Tories—put the block on that, mate.

2007 B. Page Boy's own Offshore Adventure viii. 30 There then ensued a rather unstructured debate about the merits of starting the whole film again, but Sid put the blocks on this proposal.

P9. U.S. slang. to put the blocks to: (of a man) to have sexual intercourse with.Probably as a figurative use of sense 5b.

c1890 Stag Party The ould man puts the blocks to her sister.

1922 R. McAlmon Hasty Bunch 148 I'll bet you let Bill O'Brien put the blocks to you.

1974 C. Loken Come Monday Mornin' 77 He never would forget the time after the team barbecue he tried to put the blocks to one'a the pom-pom girls out in the desert someplace between Buckeye an' Apache Junction.

2022 @khanSpiraci 6 Jan. in twitter.com (accessed 16 June 2022) That bottom one looks a lot like yo'mama... The last time I put the blocks to her I shaved my phone number on her back.

P10. colloquial (originally U.S.). to have been around the block and variants: to have had extensive experience; to be worldly-wise. Cf. to have been around and to have been round.

ΘΠ

the mind > mental capacity > understanding > wisdom, sagacity > worldly wisdom > have worldly wisdom [phrase]

to know what's whatc1422

to know (also learn, show, teach, tell) (a person) a thing or two1760

to know one's way around1814

to have one's head screwed on right (also the right way)1821

to have been around1872

to know (also have) all the answers1896

to know how many (blue) beans make five-

the mind > mental capacity > knowledge > knowledge, what is known > experience > be experienced [phrase]

to know the ginc1530

to know what something is1535

to find (know, etc.) the length (also measure) of a person's foot1580

to know one's way around1814

to be more than seven1896

to know whereof one speaks (or writes, etc.)1922

1914 Sat. Evening Post 14 Mar. 12/1 ‘You're as good as a married man this minute.’ ‘Don't you bet no money on it!’ said Buck warmly. ‘I'm over seven and I've been round the block several times. Nobody ain't kidnaped me yet.’

1984 Daily Herald (Chicago) 24 July (Flair section) 4/6 The Mayor (who's been around the block enough times to know better) looked like he left his cool way downtown.

2007 Independent on Sunday 29 July (New Review) 20/1 Americans want someone in the White House who's been around the block and who knows his (or her) stuff.

P11. U.S. slang. on the block (also occasionally on the blocks): (working) as a prostitute.Probably as an extended use of sense 13b. However, see also sense 18a and to be on the street, to be on the streets at street n. and adj. Phrases 4b.

1941 Pittsburgh Courier 3 May 7/6 He was the kind of a guy who put women on the spot if he couldn't put 'em on the block.

1970 E. Bullins Theme is Blackness (1973) 170 The girls all got knocked-up and set up homes, got married, went on the block or on welfare.

2007 C. C. Robinson From Classroom to Corner 162 Young girls and older women, they was prostituting together... The youngest one was 12 years old on the block and she died, oh, about a couple of weeks after her birthday.

P12. slang. figurative. (up) on blocks: (a) in a state of suspension from normal activity; out of use, inactive; (b) (of a woman) menstruating, and therefore regarded as sexually unavailable.Cf. sense 10a.

1986 N.Y. Times 30 Nov. (Late ed.) 4 s/4 With Goodyear's announcement that it was ending its financial support, the sport of grand prix racing is, figuratively speaking at least, up on blocks.

1998 B. Sterling Distraction i. 17 America has lost it. We can't get a grip... Our country's up on blocks!

2000 Mirror 13 June (M mag.) 12/1 My partner..doesn't like to have sex when she's ‘on’... I can go to the pub more because she likes to get early nights. I tell my mates she's ‘up on blocks’, like a car.

2021 @ghostofkev 18 June in twitter.com (accessed 16 June 2022) Are the painters in?.. Are you ‘up on blocks’?.. Is it that week?

P13. as deaf (etc.) as a block: see sense 1c. chip off the old block: see chip n.² Phrases 2.

Compounds

C1. As a modifier.

a. In sense 2, as in block pulley, block sheave, etc.

1495 in M. Oppenheim Naval Accts. & Inventories Henry VII (1896) 156 Grete Blokkepollyes for Raysing up of Mastes.

1769 W. Falconer Universal Dict. Marine (at cited word) It is bound with a sort of rope-ring..which is called a block strop.

1864 R. Chambers Bk. of Days II. 684/2 [Brunel's] plan for making block-pulleys for ships by machinery.

2011 J. van der Veen Consumption, Trade & Innovation (Jrnl. African Archaeology Monograph Series) 32/1 This sebakh contained both maritime artefacts (lead sheathing, block sheave, paddle, brail rings) and domestic rubbish.

b. In sense 3, with the sense ‘designating a material or product formed or sold in blocks’, as in block ice, block stone, etc.

c1640 in R. Willis & J. W. Clark Archit. Hist. Univ. Cambr. (1886) I. 94 Block-stone.

a1878 G. G. Scott Lect. Mediæval Archit. (1879) I. 270 If he used blockstone..he studied to use [it] so as to look well.

1894 Country Gentleman's Catal. 104 Cabinet refrigerator..For use with Rough or Block Ice.

1959 R. Postgate Good Food Guide 308 Niege en chemise, block chocolate melted in strong black coffee with rum, nuts and praline ice-cream, refrozen and served with whipped cream.

2019 S. Jourdain Dream Dancers II. p. xxii Crushed and block granite from the Granite Hill Plantation and other local quarries could now be transported to buyers in faraway markets.

c. In sense 16a. Cf. Compounds 5.

(a) With the sense ‘regarded, treated, or managed as a unit’.

ΚΠ

1864 Ld. Lyttelton in Morning Post 22 Jan. 2/3 The first cost requires a block sum, which..is just what the working class cannot command.

1898 Daily Mail 12 Apr. 4/6 They have taken a plan of the City, cut it up in sections, and placed on each section a block rate in addition to the present high tariff rate.

1901 Daily Chron. 14 Aug. 3/6 There was a block closure to which the Government could resort.

1909 Westm. Gaz. 1 Mar. 10/3 The insurance offices are reducing the block rate of £1 per cent. that has been charged in the fire-zone of the City.

1990 Building Amer. Health Syst.: Hearings Sel Comm. Aging (U.S. House of Representatives, 101st Congr., 1st Sess.) 167 The medical associations determine how they take the block amount given to them by the provincial government.

(b) Music. With the sense ‘designating each of a sequence of chords in which all the parts change in the same rhythm; of or relating to such a sequence’, as in block chord.

ΚΠ

1901 Etude Jan. 14/2 The majority of teachers teach harmony so badly because they ignore the great contrapuntal school which preceded the harmonic. They have to do only with block chords, moving in a lump, so to speak.

1942 E. Blom Music in Eng. v. 81 The choruses that often move impressively in solid block harmony.

1955 G. Abraham in H. van Thal Fanfare for E. Newman 15 Block changes of harmony at each half-bar are now avoided.

2008 JazzTimes Feb. 108/1 Gomes' shakers and Cain's block chords combine with Blake's chantlike phrases.

d. Railways. In sense 21, designating equipment, procedures, etc., connected with the working of a railway line as a series of block sections, as in block indicator, block signal, block telegraph, block working, etc.Cf. earlier block system n. at Compounds 4.

ΘΚΠ

society > travel > rail travel > railway system or organization > [noun] > types of signal system > types of signal

switch-signal1838

semaphore signal1845

distance signal1848

home signal1857

block signal1864

dwarf signal1870

distant signal1874

switch-lantern1875

distant1881

spectacle1881

switch-lamp1898

banjo1902

peg1911

1865 W. H. Preece Brit. Patent 2016 4 There is no current passing through the distant signal apparatus which the switch apparatus is intended to control, and the block signal is consequently up.

1874 Pall Mall Gaz. 6 Mar. 5/1 Of the collision at Bowesfield Junction..the same inspector remarks that ‘it would not have occurred had block-working been in force, as it might and ought to have been’, between the two junctions.

1905 Westm. Gaz. 19 Apr. 8/1 He announced the fact..by sending to him the block telegraph bell-signal ‘Vehicles running away on right line’.

1936 Gloss. Terms Railway Signalling (B.S.I.) 9 The block indicator shows ‘Line Blocked’ or ‘Normal’, ‘Line Clear’ and ‘Train on Line’.

1940 Railroad Mag. Apr. 32/1 I explained that No. 39 was backing off the wye while No. 36 was standing at the block signal waiting for a clear track.

1978 G. M. Kichenside & A. Williams Brit. Railway Signalling (ed. 4) iii. 28 Block working from signal box to signal box..may be abolished where colour-light signals are installed and provided the line is equipped with continuous track circuiting.

2005 S. Hall Mod. Signalling Handbk. (rev. ed.) 53/2 In theory the train should be perfectly safe from any risk of another train running into the back of it, because the block signalling system should protect it.

e. Computing. In sense 25 as in block name, block transfer, etc.

1948 Math. Tables & Other Aids Computation 3 11 Characterizing a block of data on a table tape by a single block number.

1956 Proc. IRE-AIEE-ACM Western Joint Computer Conf. 48/1 When used with an RPT command, they will effect block transfer in a direct or inverse manner, or open up a series so that interpolated values may be interspersed.

1983 IEEE Trans. Educ. 26 97/1 Students are introduced to some of the more powerful instructions of the Z80, particularly the data manipulation instructions found in the block move, the bit rotation and shift, and the jump groups of instructions.

1992 IEEE Spectrum Mar. 26/2 The SMPTE Task Force on Headers/Descriptors investigated such factors as the header kernel, appropriate error-correcting codes, and block length specification.

1996 H. G. Cragon Memory Syst. & Pipelined Processors ii. 19 A memory address is composed of two fields, the block name and the displacement, within the block.

2012 M. Waschke Cloud Standards viii. 161 The interface generates an interrupt after the block transfer is complete.

C2. Forming adjectives with the sense ‘that has a —— like a block’, by combining with a noun + -ed, as in block-faced, block-shaped, etc.Recorded earliest in blockheaded adj.See also block-heeled adj.

1542 N. Udall in tr. Erasmus Apophthegmes f. 105^v (margin) Dawecockes, lowtes, cockescombes & blockehedded fooles.

1751 T. Smollett Peregrine Pickle I. v. 32 A squinting, block-faced, chattering piss-kitchen.

1927 Daily Mail (Atlantic ed.) 30 Jan. 8/2 The land would be leased..in block-sized parcels to builders.

2005 N.Y. Times (National ed.) 4 Mar. d7/2 For the uninitiated, ‘brick’ is a term of endearment for the classic, block-shaped Volvo.

C3. With verbal nouns and agent nouns, forming compounds in which block expresses the object of the underlying verb, as in block maker, block making, etc.See also block-cutter n., block-river n., blocklayer n., block laying n.

1613 in Proc. Soc. Antiquaries Scotl. (1875) 10 222 The compt of the haill furnishing to the bark deburset in Orknay... Item to W^a Guid, blok makir, for thrie dussoun of grit and small blokis.

1793 J. Smeaton Narr. Edystone Lighthouse (ed. 2) §122 (note) An ingenious blockmaker at Plymouth.

1883 Stonemason Jan. It is then trimmed (or scalped) into shape by men called ‘block-choppers’, who adroitly wield heavy axes.

1979 Nature 20 Dec. 765/1 It requires the endless attention to detail of typesetters, printers and blockmakers.

2001 Agenda No. 48 49/2 One group..have been able to change..to the much more profitable activity of block-making and running a block-yard.

C4.

block ball n. Baseball a ball, either hit or thrown, which is handled or stopped by a non-player.

ΘΚΠ

society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > ball game > baseball > [noun] > fouls or errors

balk1845

foul ball1855

block ball1891

interference1927

rock1937

1887 G. E. Stackhouse et al. in H. Hall Tribune Bk. Open-air Sports iv. 84 A block ball is a ball stopped by an outsider.

1939 Austin (Texas) Statesman 24 June 3/1 The instant the bat boy touched the ball, Umps Gibson should have called loudly: ‘Block ball!’

2009 forum.officiating.com 15 July (forum post, accessed 9 June 2022) I'm leaning toward a block ball if they are in the on-deck circle and possible interference if there was a play possible.

† block battery n. Military Obsolete a movable battery for two or more light guns.Apparently only recorded in dictionaries.

ΘΚΠ

society > armed hostility > military equipment > weapon > device for discharging missiles > firearm > gun carriage > [noun] > movable battery

block-battery1802

1753 Chambers's Cycl. Suppl. Block battery, in the military art, denotes a wooden battery on four wheels, moveable from place to place.

1802 C. James New Mil. Dict. (1816) 54/1 Block-battery, in gunnery, a wooden battery for two or more small pieces mounted on wheels, and moveable from place to place.

blockboard n. †(a) rough, unpolished board (obsolete); (b) chiefly British a building material consisting of a core of wooden strips between two layers of plywood; (as a count noun) a piece of this.

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society > occupation and work > materials > raw material > wood > wood in specific form > [noun] > board or plank > types of

quarter-board1355

deal1400

fir-deala1450

planchettec1450

crust1486

deal-board1568

slab1573

scabbard1635

scale1683

scale-board1711

planchet1730

shinbin1791

rack deal1808

rack1835

shinlog1842

slabwood1844

society > occupation and work > materials > derived or manufactured material > wood-based materials > [noun] > plywood

plywood1907

laminboard1927

ply1929

plyboard1929

block-board1932

improved wood1937

multi-ply1940

glulam1953

1323–4 in F. R. Chapman Sacrist Rolls Ely (1907) II. 40 Item in vj. bord. de blokbord. empt.

1927 Timberman Feb. 130/3 With the introduction of several new kinds of plywood, more especially the kinds with cores of various dimension and types, the confusion in terminology has increased. Thus, we see reference made to ‘laminated-plywood’, ‘laminated board’, ‘built-up stock’ and ‘block board’.

1936 Archit. Rev. 79 76/1 The only structural difference between a sheet of three-ply and a laminated board or blockboard is that in both the latter the core is of composite vertical formation instead of being a single or continuous horizontal sheet of veneer.

2003 Routing Oct. 24/1 It makes not only financial sense to use a quality grade of plywood or blockboard, but this method of construction also has the benefit of not moving with any variation in humidity as would a solid timber base.

block bond n. Bricklaying a bond (bond n.¹ 13a) in which the courses are laid so as to create a block-like pattern of bricks on the face of the wall.Originally as an alternative name for English bond or Flemish bond (see quots. 1852, 1901).

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society > occupation and work > industry > building or constructing > disposition of stones or bricks > [noun] > bond > types of

toothing1672

Flemish bond1774

heart-bond1819

English bond1825

block bond1864

cross-bond1876

raking bond1876

1852 Appleton's Dict. Machines I. 161 The cross-bond..differs from the old English or block bond, by the change of the second stretcher-line.

1901 R. Sturgis Dict. Archit. I. 328 Block Bond. Same as Flemish Bond.

2008 R. Ham Masonry 184/2 The block bond is determined and marked along the footing.

block brush n. a brush used for cleaning a butcher's block (see sense 4b); Heraldry a representation of a bunch of butcher's broom (butcher's broom n. 1).

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1780 J. Edmondson Compl. Body Heraldry I. sig. nnnn^v/2 On a chief ar[gent] a boar's head couped gu[les] between two block-brushes (i. e. bunches of knee-holly) vert.

1921 Butchers' Advocate 26 Oct. 10/1 (advt.) Scales, baskets, enamel trays, block brushes, skewers, paper bags and twine.

1964 F. A. Girling Eng. Merchants' Marks 82 A small brass shield which displays a butcher's block-brush, made from Butcher's Broom.

2016 @DecGilmore 16 Nov. in twitter.com (accessed 10 June 2022) [In response to Butchers block scrubbed down & tools ready to go] Looking good Olly but I don't see a block brush for the ‘apprentice’ @foodborn [‘grinning face’ emoji].

block capital n. (chiefly in plural) a capital letter written or printed without serifs; a plain capital letter.in block capitals sometimes implies (large or clear) capital letters as opposed to cursive handwriting.

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society > communication > writing > handwriting or style of > formation of letters > [noun] > capital letter

capital1467

square capital1699

uncial1775

block capital1902

1863 W. Chaffers Hall Marks Gold & Silver Plate 49 Egyptian, or block capitals.

1924 Contemp. Rev. Apr. 482 I published an article in the Novoie Vremya under the title ‘Bread’, which appeared in large block capitals.

1996 G. Linscott Dead Man's Music (1997) i. 9 A joint letter from my nephews, in a mixture of painstaking joined-up writing and haphazard block capitals.

block caving n. Mining a method of working a body of ore by marking out and undercutting it in sections, causing the ore to crumble and subside into the space beneath, from which it can be removed.

1898 Proc. 5th Ann. Meeting Lake Superior Mining Inst. Plate I (heading) (following p. 44) Plan showing drifts, crosscuts and raises preparatory to ‘block caving’ in Pewabic Mine.

1956 C. C. Popoff Information Circular No. 7758 (U.S. Dept. Interior) 6 The block-caving method of mining consists of dividing suitable ore bodies into blocks of predetermined size and undercutting each from the bottom and, when necessary, from the sides.

2011 Review (Rio Tinto) June 11/1 Block caving is the only method that can compete with the open pits in terms of productivity.

block coal n. coal having the form of blocks or large lumps, or that splits easily into such pieces; a variety of such coal; spec. (in the United States) a kind of hard coal used in smelting (now rare).

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society > occupation and work > materials > fuel > coal or types of coal > [noun]

coal1253

sea-coal1253

pit-coal1483

cannel1541

earth coala1552

horse coal1552

Newcastle coal1552

stone-coal1585

cannel coal1587

parrot1594

burn-coal1597

lithanthrax1612

stony coal1617

Welsh coala1618

land-coala1661

foot coal1665

peacock coal1686

rough coal1686

white coal1686

heathen-coalc1697

coal-stone1708

round1708

stone-coal1708

bench-coal1712

slipper coal1712

black coal1713

culm1742

rock coal1750

board coal1761

Bovey coal1761

house coal1784

mineral coal1785

splint1789

splint coal1789

jet coal1794

anthracite1797

wood-coal1799

blind-coal1802

black diamond1803

silk-coal1803

glance-coal1805

lignite1808

Welsh stone-coal1808

soft1811

spout coals1821

spouter1821

Wallsend1821

brown coal1833

paper coal1833

steam-coal1850

peat-coal1851

cherry-coal1853

household1854

sinter coal1854

oil coal1856

raker1857

Kilkenny coal1861

Pottery coal1867

silkstone1867

block coal1871

admiralty1877

rattlejack1877

bunker1883

fusain1883

smitham1883

bunker coal1885

triping1886

trolley coal1890

kibble1891

sea-borne1892

jet1893

steam1897

sack coal1898

Welsh1898

navigation coal1900

Coalite1906

clarain1919

durain1919

vitrain1919

single1921

kolm1930

hards1956

1795 W. W. Wright Let. 20 Feb. in Ann. Agric. 24 199 Block coal, from Oxford canal, sold at Reading for 1s. 6d. per cwt.

1871 E. T. Cox in 2nd Ann. Rep. Geol. Surv. Indiana 1870 121 The character of the coal is generally non-caking or block-coal.

1953 F. D. Spencer Coal Resources Indiana U.S. Geol. Surv. Circular 266 10/1 Block coals generally are noncaking and noncoking. Most of this coal has been mined out in Indiana.

2014 D. B. Toporov Combustion Pulverised Coal Mixture of Oxygen & Recycled Flue Gas ii. 9 The method has the advantage of using block coal directly and burning coals of a wide range of coal rank (from anthracite to lignite).

block code n. Computing and Telecommunications an error-detecting or error-correcting code that is applied to fixed-size blocks of a transmitted data stream; cf. sense 25a.

1956 IRE Trans. Information Theory 2 17 A zero error block code of length n can be found for such a feedback channel.

1981 G. C. Clark & J. B. Cain Error-Correction Coding Digital Communications i. 41 The random coding bound is computed by calculating the average sequence error rate over the ensemble of all possible block codes with a specified rate and length.

2014 J. Korhonen Introd. 4G Mobile Communications v. 64 The block code simply indicates to the receiver whether or not the data block was received correctly.

block coefficient n. Shipbuilding the ratio of the volume of the immersed part of a vessel's hull to the volume of a rectangular block of the same length, width, and height as the immersed hull.A high block coefficient indicates a full-bodied vessel and a low coefficient one with a finer profile, more suited to speed.

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society > travel > travel by water > vessel, ship, or boat > shipbuilding and repairing > [noun] > shipbuilding > degree of fineness of hull

block coefficient1901

1882 Trans. Inst. Naval Architects 23 249 If we had two steamers at similar proportional draughts, and both had the same coefficients of load water-line, the one with the smallest block coefficient of displacement would have the highest series of metacentres.

1901 Feilden's Mag. 4 421/1 In every case it is advisable also to calculate the value of the ‘block coefficient’ or so-called coefficient of fineness.

2021 K.-H. Grote & H. Hefazi Springer Handbk. Mech. Engin. (ed. 2) xxv. 1142/1 A low block coefficient is associated with lower resistance, thus enabling higher speeds to be reached.

block colour n. †(a) a type of ink or dye used for block printing (block printing n.) (obsolete); (b) a solid, uniform colour that covers a whole area or item, esp. a piece of clothing (cf. sense 20b).

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society > leisure > the arts > visual arts > painting and drawing > equipment for painting or drawing > [noun] > paints

oil colour1498

oila1536

oil paint1759

cake colour1784

colour cake1794

moist colour1842

powder colour1862

tube-colour1881

tempera1883

powder paint1911

poster colour1925

finger paint1935

poster paint1939

1836 Rec. Gen. Sci. 3 284 Salt of tin is an important ingredient for yellow and red block-colours.

1860 R. Hunt Ure's Dict. Arts (ed. 5) I. 528 Block colours are made from any of the preceding receipts, by making them a little thinner.

1924 Bee (Danville, Va.) 4 Dec. 6/1 (advt.) Coats..in those new block colors.

1988 V. Bramwell Women Bk. Beauty & Health iii. 40 The best way to disguise grey hair is with a light vegetable (semi-permanent) dye which will allow your varied natural shades to show through rather than a block colour which looks dense and unnatural.

2010 Esquire (Nexis) Mar. Winter was about block colour, but for spring bright, bold patterns are the big story.

block copolymer n. Chemistry a copolymer whose molecules consist of alternate sections or blocks each made up of a single type of monomer residue.

1953 Jrnl. Amer. Chem. Soc. 75 1756/2 Obviously this reaction could in principle be used to prepare certain ‘block’ copolymers by polymerizing vinyl monomers in the presence of polymeric disulfides.

1979 Chem. Week (Nexis) 3 Oct. 21 The new polypropylene plant at Morris..has so far been producing only homopolymer resins but later will mainly turn out various higher-price block copolymers.

2019 T. F. Tadros Formulation Sci. & Technol. III. vi. 108 These block copolymers consist of a hydrophobic B block that is insoluble in water and one or two A blocks which are very soluble in water and strongly hydrated by its molecules.

block-cutter n. a worker who carves or engraves blocks used in printing on paper or fabric (see sense 11).

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society > leisure > the arts > visual arts > printmaking > engraving > [noun] > engraver

sculptor1634

under-engraver1656

engraver1705

scratcher1736

scraper1763

print cutter1766

block-cutter1859

burinista1864

point-draughtsman1872

cutter1880

print trimmer1892

1788 in J. Durham Clavis Cantici (new ed.) 463/2 (list of subscribers) Ja. Campbell, block-cutter.

1859 D. Chadwick in S. Smiles Workmen's Earnings (1861) 21 Block-cutters and printers in calico-printing.

2017 Art in Print 6 5/1 What a great block-cutter could do..was transform a murky cloud of forms into an intricate, high-stakes silhouette.

block diagram n. (a) a figure showing the structure of a block of the earth's crust, showing surface features and vertical cross-sections; (b) a diagram showing in schematic form the general arrangement of the parts or components of a complex system or process, such as an industrial apparatus or an electronic circuit.

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society > communication > representation > a plastic or graphic representation > graphic representation > drawing plans or diagrams > [noun] > diagram > other types of diagram

map1797

base map1862

polar diagram1879

Gantt chart1918

pie diagram1921

pie chart1922

pie graph1930

histomap1931

process sheet1935

rose diagram1938

process chart1939

stereodiagram1945

wall chart1958

network1959

concept map1967

polar1975

mind map1987

society > communication > representation > a plastic or graphic representation > graphic representation > drawing plans or diagrams > [noun] > diagram > flow chart

flowsheet1912

flow chart1920

block diagram1924

flow diagram1943

process model1961

1911 Pop. Sci. Monthly May 424 Block diagram to show the formation of the travertine natural bridge at Pine, Arizona.

1925 Proc. Inst. Radio Engineers 13 330 Altho', in the case of an amplifier system the design of each unit is closely associated with the others, it will be convenient to consider them independently and to subdivide and reinstate the problem as applied to each part. For this purpose the block diagram shown in Figure 12 has been prepared.

1966 J. Sankey Chalkland Ecol. i. 7 (caption) A block diagram of the South Downs of Sussex to show the Coombe deposit and solid geology.

2000 P. Scherz Pract. Electronics for Inventors ix. 271 The 555 gets its name from the three 5-kΩ resistors shown in the block diagram.

block dweller n. a person who lives in a block dwelling (now historical); (later also more generally) a person who lives in a block of flats.

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society > inhabiting and dwelling > inhabitant > inhabitant by type of accommodation > [noun] > inhabitant of house > inhabitants of specific types of house

cottager1523

cotquean1547

coter1631

cottier1820

tenement householder1894

homecrofter1897

block dweller1902

soddy1958

1894 Brit. Med. Jrnl. 6 Oct. 790/1 It has been proved that the poorer block dweller has a low death- and sickness-rate.

2014 Film Comment 50 55/3 The local bureaucrats are too tied up in mutual blackmail and favor-seeking for the fortunes of the block dwellers to concern them.

block dwelling n. now historical (chiefly in plural) an apartment or flat in a large, multi-storey, residential building.

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society > inhabiting and dwelling > inhabited place > dwelling place or abode > a dwelling > a house > types of house > [noun] > block of flats or apartments

land1456

tenement1681

tenement house1858

barrack1862

mansions1868

apartment house1874

apartment building1883

single-decker1896

block dwellings1899

project1932

apartment block1955

condominium1962

condo1964

multi1973

1866 Builder 10 Feb. 98/2 In advocating the construction of block dwellings, he regarded the matter purely in the light of an ordinary investment.

1899 Daily News 17 Jan. 3/2 The slums are sickening,..and the block dwellings often more like warehouses than homes.

2015 Dublin Hist. Rec. 68 53 The exhibitions presented plans, photographs of housing, block dwellings (flats), plans of unhealthy areas before and after clearance and renewal, [etc.]

block faulting n. Geology faulting which divides a region into blocks having different elevations.Cf. fault-block n. at fault n. Compounds 2.

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the world > the earth > structure of the earth > formation of features > tectonization or diastrophism > [noun] > faulting

rifting1865

thrust-faulting1912

block-faulting1921

transcurrence1971

taphrogenesis1978

1895 Bull. N.Y. State Mus. No. 14. 328 One can not resist the conviction when viewing the dome-shaped peaks or knobs, that they are in a large part due to block faulting.

1957 G. E. Hutchinson Treat. Limnol. I. i. 15 The Sierra Nevada and Great Basin region of western North America exhibits block faulting or basin-and-range topography on a scale that is probably unparalleled.

2005 S. M. Stanley Earth Syst. Hist. (ed. 2) ix. 203 This block faulting is expressed by a graben running along the ridge's midline.

block flute n. Music (a) an organ stop producing a flute tone, which can be either open or stopped; = recorder n.² 3; (b) a recorder (recorder n.² 1) or similar instrument. [After German Blockflöte recorder (17th cent., from the 18th cent. also used to denote an organ stop with a similar sound), so called with reference to the solid block (typically) of wood in the mouthpiece, with which the sound is created.]

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society > leisure > the arts > music > musical instrument > keyboard instrument > organ > [noun] > register > types of

ruler1813

block-flute1852

society > leisure > the arts > music > musical instrument > wind instrument > woodwind instruments > [noun] > flute > recorder

recorderc1430

doucetc1450

recordc1560

English flute1732

flauto piccolo1792

1736 St. James's Evening Post 15 June The said Organ..containing eleven [stops], viz. An Open Diapazon, Stop'd Diapazon, Principal, Stop'd Flute, Block-Flute, [etc.].

1930 Daily Tel. 1 Nov. 7/7 Organ Recital..for Discant, Contralto, Bass, Block Flute, and Clavichord.

1996 S. Bicknell Hist. Eng. Organ (2001) viii. 145 The pipe markings are more like those of Smith than Harris, and so is the nomenclature (Block flute not Cart, Small twelfth not Larigot).

2007 World of Music 49 52 Flute #3 is a beautiful instrument with a sweet open tone, similar in sound to today's Native American block flute.

block front n. U.S. n. a front (of a desk, chest of drawers, etc.) whose central section is recessed; a piece of (esp. antique) furniture having such a front; also (and in earliest use) as a modifier, as in block-front desk.

1880 Newburyport (Mass.) Daily Herald 4 Oct. (advt.) Antique furniture, consisting of one block-front desk, [etc.].

1906 N. H. Moore Collector's Man. 293 One [bureau] with a small Dutch foot and very elaborate handles, and the other with a block front.

1969 ‘V. Packer’ Don't rely on Gemini xviii. 151 The bureau was an old blockfront, a Goddard.

1995 Country Living May 103/2 For your first project, refrain from attempting too ambitious a piece, like a grandfather clock or a block-front desk.

block furnace n. rare a furnace in which a block or bloom of iron or other material is formed; cf. bloomery n.¹

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society > occupation and work > equipment > furnace or kiln > furnace > [noun] > furnaces for melting or refining metals > furnaces for treating iron

string-hearth1409

smithy1565

bloomery1584

chafery1663

air-bloomery1825

blast-bloomery1860

scrap-furnace1861

block-furnace-

1830 S. F. Gray & A. L. Porter Chem. of Arts II. 501 The single block furnace, or German stueck oven... [This] is the smallest furnace used in manufacturing charcoal pig iron.

1895 Farm Implem. News 29 Aug. 34/2 It was found that the stronger the blast and the higher the furnace the more favorable were the results. The highest furnace in use then was the high bloomery, or block furnace, and it was in this class of furnaces that pig iron was first produced unintentionally.

1990 P. Cichy in L. D. Hart Alumina Chem. 413/2 The block furnace in Fig. 5 is nearly always a tilt furnace, which allows continuous production.

block graph n. a type of simple graph in which categories are listed along a horizontal axis and the number of items in each category is represented by a vertical column of equal square or rectangular blocks; (more widely) a bar chart.

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society > communication > representation > a plastic or graphic representation > graphic representation > drawing plans or diagrams > [noun] > diagram > graph > type of

wave-line1888

periodogram1898

periodograph1899

Lorenz curve1909

bar chart1914

growth curve1916

bar diagram1923

bar graph1925

line graph1956

1919 C. Alexander School Statistics & Publicity xi. 293 For a continuous distribution, some form of the block graph is probably best.

1967 Times 30 June 9/4 Block graphs about heights, weights and favourite television programmes decorate the classroom walls.

1998 I. McEwan Amsterdam (1999) iv. ii. 98 Vernon made his public-interest case for publishing the photographs..with pie charts, block graphs and spreadsheets and soothing precedents.

block graphics n. Computing low-resolution graphics in which the images are constructed using standard keyboard symbols (or other components occupying a comparable area) as opposed to smaller dots.

1978 Byte May 90/1 The problem is further complicated by a 10 bit shift register which shifts out the blank dots first and the VTI ‘block graphics’ circuitry.

1996 Scotsman (Electronic ed.) 19 Oct. Most of the financial services Web Sites on the Net are little more than rather tedious assemblies of product leaflets, uninspiring scanned photographs and block graphics.

2012 M. Margolis Arduino Cookbk. (ed. 2) xi. 363 You can create your own symbols and block graphics with a text LCD, but if you want fine graphical detail, you need a graphical display.

block heater n. (a) (chiefly Canadian) a device for heating the engine block of a motor vehicle (cf. sense 15); (b) British a heating unit which accumulates warmth during the night and gives it off during the day; = block storage heater n.

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the world > matter > properties of materials > temperature > heat > heating or making hot > that which or one who heats > [noun] > a device for heating or warming > devices for heating buildings, rooms, etc. > operated by stored heat

storage heater1894

block heater1958

block-storage heater1960

night storage heater1963

night storage radiator1970

1930 Sheboygan (Wisconsin) Press 4 Dec. 21 (advt.) The new S & S motor Block heater will keep your motor warm as toast throughout the coldest night.

1955 Birmingham Daily Post 19 Mar. 17/2 Thermal storage type block heaters, which work on the same principle of heat radiated from concrete blocks.

1972 J. Metcalf Going Down Slow x. 157 Sid thought it the Board's duty to supply outlets for block-heater.

1990 Canad. Farming Summer 20/1 It began, of all places, in the block heater of the Ontario dairy farmer's tractor.

block heel n. a square, chunky heel on a shoe, boot, etc.; (also) an item of footwear having this type of heel.

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the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > types or styles of clothing > footwear > shoe or boot > [noun] > types of

crakowc1367

veldskoen1822

lace-up1824

right1825

purrer1827

stitchdown shoe1840

clump-sole1879

high-top1895

low-tops1913

zip-up1942

peep-toe1947

Dr. Martens1969

waffle stomper1974

the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > types or styles of clothing > footwear > parts of footwear > [noun] > heel > types of

heelc1400

cork1609

Polonia heel1613

high heel1645

French heel1651

spur box1862

rubber heel1867

boot-heel1870

Louis Quinze1875

Louis heel1906

Cuban heel1908

brogue heel1927

spike heel1929

stiletto heel1931

wedge-heel1939

stiletto1953

wedge1959

stacked heel1960

stilt heel1973

1793 Reading Mercury 9 Dec. (advt.) Wm. Hodges, Clog, Patten and Heel-Maker..makes and sells Peg Heels, Block Heels, and common Heels, at the lowest prices.

1888 Daily Inter Ocean (Chicago) 7 Mar. 6/1 The slippers!—not much longer than a lead pencil, with block heels and pretty toes, beaded, bowed, or embroidered.

1984 J. Chaloner Bottom Line v. 86 I noticed he wears block heels—to give him height.

2019 B. Kirshenbaum Rabbits for Food 223 Dr. Fitzgerald is wearing navy-blue leather shoes with one-inch block heels.

block-heeled adj. (of a shoe, boot, etc.) having a square, chunky heel (cf. block heel n.).

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the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > types or styles of clothing > footwear > shoe or boot > [adjective] > with heel > with specific type of heel

corked1519

high-heeled1618

high heel1677

red-heeled1709

low-heel1712

stilt-heeled1772

court1903

wedge-heeled1939

Cuban-heeled1940

spike-heeled1953

stiletto-heeled1959

1934 Northern Standard (Darwin) 31 Aug. 1/3 (advt.) Low block-heeled sports shoes.

2014 Wall St. Jrnl. 13 Sept. d3/2 Add flat or block-heeled knee boots and you're ready to go.

blockhole n. Cricket the spot on which a batter rests the end of the bat while waiting to receive the ball; cf. sense 26a(b).

1837 D. Walker Games & Sports 215 The popping crease..having in its middle..a hole called the block hole.

1994 I. Botham My Autobiogr. vii. 134 Bob bowled a ball to Lillee as near to the block hole as he could manage.

2022 Birmingham Evening Mail (Nexis) 8 June Craig Miles sealed the win by getting the all-or-nothing last ball right up in the blockhole.

block hour n. Aeronautics a unit of measurement of the time in hours required for an aircraft to begin to move prior to take-off, fly to its destination, and come to a halt following landing; cf. sense 5b, blocktime n. 2.For the origin of this term, see note at blocktime n. 2.

1944 Aeronaut. Engin. Rev. Dec. 32/2 The cruising speed V_cr in m.p.h. is equal to Distance/T_A or Distance/(T_B-T_G), where T_A = air hours, T_B = block hours, and T_G = ground hours.

2003 G. Yu et al. in T. A. Ciriani et al. Operations Res. in Space & Air xxi. 413 Block hours can be estimated based on the average number of block hours each aircraft in an airline's fleet will complete each day.

block lava n. Geology lava consisting of angular blocks; a flow or field of lava of this kind; cf. aa n.²

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the world > the earth > structure of the earth > structural features > volcanic formations > [noun] > lava formations > others

pahoehoe1825

malpais1844

spatter rampart1856

ring wall1858

aa1859

pedregal1881

pillow structure1897

pillow1899

pillow lava1903

block lava1914

ring dyke1915

louderback1930

1914 R. A. Daly Igneous Rocks & their Origin xiii. 291 The vesiculation of pahoehoe or ropy lava was found to be more evenly developed than in the aa or block lava.

1962 E. A. Vincent tr. A. Rittmann Volcanoes i. 33 When the supply of lava..comes to an end, the still-fluid lava inside the stream continues to flow out and the mantle of scoriae collapses, leaving a more or less even flow of scoriaceous block lava.

2021 M. J. Branney & J. Zalasiewicz Volcanoes: Very Short Introd. iv. 65 It is not unusual for block lavas to solidify without crystallizing at all, resulting in spectacular black splintery volcanic glass.

block letter n. (a) Typography (now historical) (in plural) a large type cut from a wooden block; (b) (chiefly in plural) a capital letter written or printed without serifs; a plain capital letter; = block capital n.

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society > communication > writing > handwriting or style of > formation of letters > [noun] > block letter

block letter1908

1826 S. T. Coleridge Let. 19 Nov. (1971) VI. 646 Idle, wilful, egregiously unreflecting and irretentive of impression—these are small-capital'd in Block Letter on the very forehead of his Character.

1849 J. G. Bruff Jrnl. 19 Sept. in Gold Rush (1944) I. ii. 179 Neatly painted in black block letters, upon it, ‘POST OFFICE’.

2009 S. Bell Fakes & Forgeries 11 Early printing was composed by placing individual block letters into a tray organized in rows.

2014 B. Van der Kolk Body keeps Score (2015) xiv. 241 As participants changed topics, they might move from cursive to block letters and back to cursive.

block machine n. a machine for making blocks (in various senses).

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1801 Hampshire Repository 2 87 This machine has been used ever since in all capital yards for ship building; and the formation of this slide was of the greatest service to him in the invention of his block machines.

1991 Troop Constr. Middle East (Dept. Navy, U.S. Marine Corps) 6-15 Mold and compact the concrete with a block machine or by hand with metal molds.

2016 D. Waller Iron Men i. 14 Brunel himself went along to Wells Street, showing Maudslay a partial drawing for one of the block machines, without disclosing what it was for.

block machinery n. machinery for making blocks (in various senses).

ΚΠ

1805 in J. Britton & E. W. Brayley Beauties Eng. & Wales VI. 119 The formation of this slide was afterwards of the greatest service to him in the invention of his block machinery.

1919 Concrete Products Aug. 87/1 A copy of the standard specifications and building regulations for concrete block as adopted by the American Concrete Institute was sent to manufacturers of block machinery.

2011 W. H. G. Kingston Yacht Voy. round Eng. 11 Of course we visited Brunel's block machinery, which shapes from the rough mass of wood, with wonderful accuracy and speed, the polished block fit for use.

block matrix n. Mathematics a matrix consisting of blocks that are themselves matrices; cf. sense 23.

1934 Amer. Jrnl. Math. 56 344 The matrix R is now the diagonal block matrix [D₁, D₂···, D_t], where D_i is a square matrix of order e_i, all of whose elements are zero except those in the counter diagonal, each of which is unity.

1961 W. M. Kaula Anal. Gravitational & Geom. Aspects Geodetic Utilization Satellites NASA Techn. Note D–572 1 The block matrices C and M comprise the coefficients of the equations.

2013 R. A. Horn & C. R. Johnson Matrix Anal. (ed. 2) ii. 87 If a unitary matrix is presented as a 2-by-2 block matrix, then the ranks of its off-diagonal blocks are related by a simple formula.

block model n. Shipbuilding a solid scale model of a vessel, spec. one made from pieces of wood fastened together which shows the waterlines of the ship to be built (cf. water-line model).

ΘΚΠ

society > travel > travel by water > vessel, ship, or boat > shipbuilding and repairing > [noun] > shipbuilding > model

water-line model1848

block model1901

1826 Mechanics' Mag. 20 May 35/1 The young shipwright is next desired to prepare a block model to the timbers, which, if correctly proportioned, will displace water equal to the weight of the vessel.

1901 Feilden's Mag. 4 426/1 The angle of entrance..may either be measured from the block-model or calculated.

2014 B. Lavery Ship of Line iv. 47/1 With the block model becoming established, it was a natural step to plank it to give it a much more natural appearance.

block mountain n. Geology a mountain bounded by natural faults in the earth's crust, formed by block faulting.

ΘΚΠ

the world > the earth > land > landscape > high land > mountain > [noun] > type of

iron mountain1658

jokul1780

table mountain1822

mountain of accumulation1864

voel1876

nunatak1877

monadnock1893

block mountain1896

fold mountain1908

hen-cackle1934

1891 Industries 2 Oct. 331/2 As denudation has not yet removed the raised areas, they stand out as ‘block mountains’ with almost vertical faces.

1933 Ann. Assoc. Amer. Geographers 23 170 These two systems of faults cross each other at an oblique angle, thus creating a series of block mountains of sub-rhombic form.

2011 Jrnl. Trop. Ecol. 27 291/1 It [sc. the study area] consists of plateaux, escarpments, a block mountain and the Rift Valley where Lakes Abaya and Lake Chamo are located.

† block ornament n. slang (British and Australian) Obsolete a small piece of inferior meat placed for sale on the butcher's block, as opposed to a joint hung on a hook; cf. blocker n.¹ 3.

ΘΚΠ

the world > food and drink > food > animals for food > cut or piece of meat > [noun] > piece on butcher's block

blocker1848

block-ornament1851

1843 Sun (Sydney) 18 Mar. ‘Block Ornaments’ made into stew!

1909 Westm. Gaz. 7 Jan. 2/1 How often, after a search through the old purse they clutch so tightly, they turn away the coveted ‘block-ornimint’ being beyond their means.

† blockpate n. Obsolete rare a stupid or foolish person; a blockhead.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > mental capacity > lack of understanding > stupid, foolish, or inadequate person > stupid person, dolt, blockhead > [noun]

asseOE

sotc1000

beastc1225

long-ear?a1300

stock1303

buzzard1377

mis-feelinga1382

dasarta1400

stonea1400

dasiberd14..

dottlec1400

doddypoll1401

dastardc1440

dotterel1440

dullardc1440

wantwit1449

jobardc1475

nollc1475

assheada1500

mulea1500

dull-pate15..

peak1509

dulbert?a1513

doddy-patec1525

noddypolla1529

hammer-head1532

dull-head?1534

capon1542

dolt1543

blockhead1549

cod's head1549

mome1550

grout-head1551

gander1553

skit-brains?1553

blocka1556

calfa1556

tomfool1565

dunce1567

druggard1569

cobble1570

dummel1570

Essex calf1573

jolthead1573

hardhead1576

beetle-head1577

dor-head1577

groutnoll1578

grosshead1580

thickskin1582

noddyship?1589

jobbernowl1592

beetle-brain1593

Dorbel1593

oatmeal-groat1594

loggerhead1595

block-pate1598

cittern-head1598

noddypoop1598

dorbellist1599

numps1599

dor1601

stump1602

ram-head1605

look-like-a-goose1606

ruff1606

clod1607

turf1607

asinego1609

clot-poll1609

doddiea1611

druggle1611

duncecomb1612

ox-head1613

clod-polla1616

dulman1615

jolterhead1620

bullhead1624

dunderwhelpa1625

dunderhead1630

macaroona1631

clod-patea1635

clota1637

dildo1638

clot-pate1640

stupid1640

clod-head1644

stub1644

simpletonian1652

bottle-head1654

Bœotiana1657

vappe1657

lackwit1668

cudden1673

plant-animal1673

dolt-head1679

cabbage head1682

put1688

a piece of wood1691

ouphe1694

dunderpate1697

numbskull1697

leather-head1699

nocky1699

Tom Cony1699

mopus1700

bluff-head1703

clod skull1707

dunny1709

dowf1722

stupe1722

gamphrel1729

gobbin?1746

duncehead1749

half-wit1755

thick-skull1755

jackass1756

woollen-head1756

numbhead1757

beef-head1775

granny1776

stupid-head1792

stunpolla1794

timber-head1794

wether heada1796

dummy1796

noghead1800

staumrel1802

muttonhead1803

num1807

dummkopf1809

tumphya1813

cod's head and shoulders1820

stoopid1823

thick-head1824

gype1825

stob1825

stookiea1828

woodenhead1831

ning-nong1832

log-head1834

fat-head1835

dunderheadism1836

turnip1837

mudhead1838

donkey1840

stupex1843

cabbage1844

morepork1845

lubber-head1847

slowpoke1847

stupiditarian1850

pudding-head1851

cod's head and shoulders1852

putty head1853

moke1855

mullet-head1855

pothead1855

mug1857

thick1857

boodle1862

meathead1863

missing link1863

half-baked1866

lunk1867

turnip-head1869

rummy1872

pumpkin-head1876

tattie1879

chump1883

dully1883

cretin1884

lunkhead1884

mopstick1886

dumbhead1887

peanut head1891

pie-face1891

doughbakea1895

butt-head1896

pinhead1896

cheesehead1900

nyamps1900

box head1902

bonehead1903

chickenhead1903

thickwit1904

cluck1906

boob1907

John1908

mooch1910

nitwit1910

dikkop1913

goop1914

goofus1916

rumdum1916

bone dome1917

moron1917

oik1917

jabroni1919

dumb-bell1920

knob1920

goon1921

dimwit1922

ivory dome1923

stone jug1923

dingleberry1924

gimp1924

bird brain1926

jughead1926

cloth-head1927

dumb1928

gazook1928

mouldwarp1928

ding-dong1929

stupido1929

mook1930

sparrow-brain1930

knobhead1931

dip1932

drip1932

epsilon1932

bohunkus1933

Nimrod1933

dumbass1934

zombie1936

pea-brain1938

knot-head1940

schlump1941

jarhead1942

Joe Soap1943

knuckle-head1944

nong1944

lame-brain1945

gobshite1946

rock-head1947

potato head1948

jerko1949

turkey1951

momo1953

poop-head1955

a right one1958

bam1959

nong-nong1959

dickhead1960

dumbo1960

Herbert1960

lamer1961

bampot1962

dipshit1963

bamstick1965

doofus1965

dick1966

pillock1967

zipperhead1967

dipstick1968

thickie1968

poephol1969

yo-yo1970

doof1971

cockhead1972

nully1973

thicko1976

wazzock1976

motorhead1979

mouth-breather1979

no-brainer1979

jerkwad1980

woodentop1981

dickwad1983

dough ball1983

dickweed1984

bawheid1985

numpty1985

jerkweed1988

dick-sucker1989

knob-end1989

Muppet1989

dingus1997

dicksack1999

eight ball-

1598 R. Bernard tr. Terence Heautontimoroumenos v. i, in Terence in Eng. 251 To be called a blockpate [L. caudex], a dulhead, an asse, a lumpish sot.

block paving n. paving made from bricks or blocks of stone, concrete, wood, etc., laid in an interlocking pattern.

ΘΠ

society > occupation and work > industry > building or constructing > paving and road-building > [noun] > paving > types of paved work

pavementa1300

pavagec1376

paving1448

paithmentc1480

plainstones1611

pitching1693

pitchwork1758

pebble paving1819

pave1835

slabbing1893

concrete1911

crazy paving1923

1829 Manch. Courier 25 July (advt.) To be let, a Stone Quarry, containing a bed of Stone, twenty yards thick, of an excellent quality, for block paving, street flagging, &c.

1915 Engin. & Contracting 18 Aug. 134/2 An investigation of the use of wood for block paving has just been completed.

2004 V. McDermid Torment of Others (2005) 106 The car tyres hissed on the block paving of the pedestrianized zone at the heart of the area.

block plan n. now chiefly historical an outline plan or sketch, esp. of a building site; cf. block v.¹ 6a.

ΘΚΠ

society > occupation and work > industry > building or constructing > [noun] > plans of buildings or structures

ground-plot1563

model1570

ichnography1598

skiagraphy1636

plane1639

skiagraph1648

plain1659

plan1664

planography?1668

scheme1703

ground plan1731

working plan1767

working drawing1785

detail1819

floor-plan1867

Z-plan1887

block plan1909

master plan1914

1833 Gentleman's Mag. Nov. 396/1 The symmetry of the elevation..was no less complete than that of the block-plan, from whose foundations it rose.

1941 City of Oxf. Building Byelaws No. 134. A person who intends to erect a building..shall send or deliver to the clerk or surveyor..a block plan of the building.

2018 S. Roper Victorian Jamaica v. 197 As the block plan of the Boys' Reformatory in Stony Hill in 1885 shows, a kitchen, woodshed, smithy shed, and latrine surrounded the south barracks.

block plane n. a metal-bodied plane with a blade set at a shallow angle, suitable for planing across the end grain of wood.

ΘΚΠ

society > occupation and work > equipment > shaping tools or equipment > plane > [noun] > other planes

rabat1440

long plane1665

strike-block1678

mitre plane1688

straight block1812

ice plane1823

side fillister1841

upright1842

scraping-plane1846

sun plane1846

beading plane1858

bead-plane1858

fluting-plane1864

panel plane1873

badger plane1874

shooting-plane1875

whisk1875

block planea1884

scraper-plane1895

chariot plane1909

shoulder plane1935

1837 1st Exhib. & Fair Mass. Charitable Mech. Assoc. 68 Corthell & Davis, Boston. One iron block Plane—this appears designed to answer a good purpose.

1964 W. L. Goodman Hist. Woodworking Tools 92 These small block planes were very useful to violin and other musical-instrument makers.

2002 Fine Woodworking May 51/1 Trim down the inlay a bit with a block plane.

block quotation n. a quotation from a secondary source within a printed or electronic document, typically presented as an indented block of text that is typographically distinct from the main body of the text.

ΘΠ

society > leisure > the arts > literature > literary and textual criticism > literary criticism > [noun] > practice of citing or quoting > that which is quoted

concordance1538

citation1548

remnant1601

traverse1608

quotation1618

tag1702

quote1885

cite1941

1919 Son of Temperance 157/1 Take page 26; the top six lines and the block quotations underneath must be learned, and so on throughout the chapters.

2013 C. Juzwiak Touchstones iv. 325 Use block quotations sparingly, or else you will be relying on your secondary source too much and your essay will lack authority.

† block-river n. [ < river n.²] Obsolete a person who splits blocks (of wood, stone, etc.).

1671 J. Eachard Some Observ. Answer to Grounds Contempt of Clergy 22 An honest Block-River with his Beetle, heartily calling.

1698 L. Milbourne Notes Dryden's Virgil 15 Wonderfully Heroical, and somewhat like honest Tyrrheus the Block-River.

blockship n. a ship which is moored, grounded, or scuttled in order to block a channel, for purposes of war or to provide shelter. [Probably influenced by block v.¹ I.; compare earlier blockhouse n. 1a.]

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society > travel > travel by water > vessel, ship, or boat > war vessel > [noun] > block-ship

blockader1759

block-ship1802

1801 Naval Chron. 6 121 Elephanten..Block-ship..Captain Von Thura.

1943 Ld. Alanbrooke Diary 4 Feb. in War Diaries (2001) 378 We did a complete tour of the harbour in a launch and visited the blockships which they are busy clearing.

2005 Ships Monthly Oct. 24/1 (advt.) The remaining vessels stayed in Admiralty service, conducting operations such as the raising of the Dover blockships and other wartime obstructions.

block shot n. (a) Cricket a defensive stroke by the batter, intended to protect the wicket rather than to score runs; = sense 26a; (b) (in racket sports, originally and chiefly Tennis) a defensive shot with little backswing and shortened action; cf. sense 26d.

ΘΚΠ

society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > ball game > cricket > batting > [noun] > types of stroke

long ball1744

nip1752

catch1816

no-hit1827

cut1833

short hit1833

draw1836

drive1836

square hit1837

skylarker1839

skyer1840

skyscraper1842

back-cut1845

bum1845

leg sweep1846

slog1846

square cut1850

driver1851

Harrow drive1851

leg slip1852

poke1853

snick1857

snorter1859

leg stroke1860

smite1861

on-drive1862

bump ball1864

rocketer1864

pull1865

grass trimmer1867

late cut1867

off-drive1867

spoon1871

push1873

push stroke1873

smack1875

Harrow drive1877

pull-stroke1880

leg glance1883

gallery-hit1884

boundary-stroke1887

glide1888

sweep1888

boundary1896

hook1896

leg glide1896

backstroke1897

flick1897

hook stroke1897

cover-drive1898

straight drive1898

square drive1900

edger1905

pull-drive1905

slash1906

placing stroke1907

push drive1912

block shot1915

if-shot1920

placing shot1921

cow-shot1922

mow1925

Chinese cut1937

haymaker1954

hoick1954

perhapser1954

air shot1956

steepler1959

mishook1961

swish1963

chop-

1908 Bedfordshire Mercury 24 July 7/1 It was at the Modern School where Mr. A.O. Jones learned his famous ‘block shot’.

1915 J. P. Paret Methods & Players Mod. Lawn Tennis iii. 31 Soft block shots and slow passing strokes.

1946 Grenfell (New S. Wales) Rec. 26 Feb. 2/5 Most of his strokes are very choppy, but nevertheless admirably blended with block shots.

1971 S. Wasserman Table Tennis ii. 48 You can use the block shot. This is a half-volley—trapping the ball on the short bounce, with the bottom of the racket blade just off the table.

2014 Western Advocate (U.S.) (Nexis) 10 Sept. 24 You play your return as a block shot with very little back swing.

block storage heater n. British a heating unit which accumulates warmth during the night and gives it off during the day; cf. night storage heater n., storage heater n. (b) at storage n. Compounds 2.So called because of the ceramic or concrete blocks within the unit which store and release the warmth.

ΘΚΠ

storage heater1894

block heater1958

block-storage heater1960

night storage heater1963

night storage radiator1970

1954 Milngavie & Bearsden Herald 26 June One of the most interesting pieces of equipment was the block storage heater.

1996 G. Hassan Building Services 253 Block storage heaters can often benefit from an extra input of energy to the room, especially towards the end of the day.

block storage heating n. British heating by means of one or more block storage heaters; cf. storage heating n.

1957 Evesham Standard 5 Apr. 10/4 Floor warming, the latest electrical method of space heating or block storage heating.

1999 Evening Express (Aberdeen) 20 Jan. 25/1 (advt.) Preference will be given to candidates with experience of any of the following systems: Block storage heating; Warmair units.

block-structured adj. Computing that uses a group of statements as a basic organizing unit (cf. sense 25b); spec. designating high-level programming languages organized in this way, esp. in block-structured (programming) language.The majority of modern programming languages are block-structured.

1963 Ann. Rev. Automatic Programming 4 203 This table is based on the block and procedure structure of the program... The ‘scope check’ checks that all identifiers and labels are used in contexts in which their use is valid, and uses the block structured tables compiled in phase one.

1982 Computerworld (Nexis) 15 Mar. 47 The package reportedly consists of a relational data base management system (DBMS) and operating system, a data definition language, an interactive query language, a block-structured programming language and a full-screen text editor.

2020 @advit_software 30 Nov. in twitter.com (accessed 15 June 2022) #Swift is a general-purpose, multi paradigm, object-oriented, functional, imperative and block structured language.

block system n. Railways a system by which a railway line is divided into block sections, controlled by signals and allowing only one train to occupy a block at any one time; cf. sense 21.

ΘΠ

society > travel > rail travel > railway system or organization > [noun] > types of signal system

block system1864

lock and block1872

signalling1873

1864 Realm 29 June 1 The only remedy for the danger is the adoption of what is technically called the ‘block system.’

1908 W. G. Raymond Elem. Railroad Engin. x. 120 The general method of operation of the automatic block system may be explained with the aid of Fig. 69.

1978 G. M. Kichenside & A. Williams Brit. Railway Signalling (ed. 4) i. 8 Here, at last, was an instrument that permitted the replacement of time-interval working by the block system, for the signalmen..could communicate with the men at adjoining stations or junctions.

1991 Mod. Railways Apr. 181/2 On the signalling front, plans are afoot for replacing the tokenless block system installed on the section west of Salisbury at the time of the singling of the route in 1967.

block tin n. tin cast into blocks; solid tin as distinct from tin plate; (also) †a receptacle made from solid tin (obsolete).

1639 Proclam. Charles I conc. Tin 19 Feb. (single sheet) To receive, ship, carry, land, or contract for any Block Tin unblown.

1745 J. Fothergill Let. in J. Bartram Corr. (1992) 257 Ile endeavor to procure a vessel of Block Tin.

1853 C. Dickens Bleak House xxvi. 259 He could play 'em a tune on any sort of pot you please, so as it was iron or block tin.

1879 M. E. Braddon Vixen I. xiii. 255 The silver kettle..was conducting itself as spitfireishly as any blackened block-tin on a kitchen hob.

1910 G. B. Shaw Let. 21 Mar. (1972) II. 915 You inherited from your father a sense of the importance of block-tin piping.

2011 T. P. Murphy in R. W. Revie Uhlig's Corrosion Handbk. (ed. 3) lx. 853/2 Some use is made of block tin in the brewing industry, but this has largely been superseded by stainless steel.

block train n. a railway train of which the component parts are kept permanently made up.

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society > travel > rail travel > rolling stock > [noun] > train > kept permanently made up

block train1902

1875 Liverpool Mercury 4 June 6/7 The introduction upon the Southport branch of the above-mentioned company's railway of what was termed ‘a block train’, including first, second, and third class carriages.

1963 Times 18 Feb. 6/5 Instead of its being carried in mixed freight trains, the block trains will carry nothing but coal.

1992 Mod. Railways Mar. 138/1 Two terminals have been identified on the Continent which might make suitable destinations for block trains from South Wales.

block universe n. Philosophy the universe conceived as resembling an unchanging block, typically being regarded as a unitary closed four-dimensional system of interlocking parts in which there can be neither genuine development nor room for alternative possibilities.

ΘΚΠ

the world > the universe > [noun] > specific

block universe1881

plenum1887

expanding universe1931

steady state1948

1881 T. Davidson Let. 24 Dec. in R. B. Perry Thought & Char. W. James (1935) I. 736 That last remnant of mythology and scholasticism, viz., theism and a block-universe.

a1910 W. James Some Probl. Philos. (1911) xii. 191 It is the famous ‘principle of causality’ which, when combined with the next two principles, is supposed to establish the block universe, and to render the pluralistic hypothesis absurd.

1996 Nature 19 Sept. 228/2 The author..adopts the ‘block universe’ view of spacetime as an objective entity, as opposed to imagining that time is just an artefact of a special human perspective on cosmic events.

2015 V. Vedral in M. Brooks Chance iv. 142 According to Einstein the universe actually exists all at once, and everything that has happened and will happen is already there in what we now call the ‘block universe’.

block welding n. a method of welding in which a number of separate joints are made first, leaving gaps which are filled in to complete the weld.

ΘΚΠ

society > occupation and work > industry > working with specific materials > working with metal > [noun] > welding > types of

butt welding1878

lead burning1886

arc welding1890

thermite process1905

thermite welding1906

resistance welding1908

spot welding1908

seam welding1917

fusion welding1918

projection welding1918

stud welding1918

metal arc welding1926

pressure welding1926

metallic arc welding1927

flash-butt welding1933

flash welding1933

stitch welding1934

rightward welding1936

block welding1943

submerged-arc welding1945

friction welding1946

T.I.G.1960

microwelding1962

1940 Specif. Welding Vessels U.S. Navy: Pt. I (U.S. Navy Dept. Bureau of Ships: Gen. Specif. App. 5) (new ed.) i. 59 (index) Block welding.

1943 W. G. John in Electr. Welding in Shipbuilding (H.M.S.O.) 187 Block welding should be used for thicknesses above ⁵/ ₈″, the blocks starting from the centre of a seam and alternate block welds made from the centre outwards.

1980 K. Masubuchi Anal. Welded Structures vii. 314 Block-welding sequences were generally found to cause less shrinkage than multi-layer sequences.

2003 Proc. 6th Internat. Conf. Climbing & Walking Robots 706 A climbing robot that uses permanent magnets to adhere to the ferrous surfaces on the hull of cargo container ships during the block welding of a ship in a dry dock.

† block-wheat n. Obsolete rare buckwheat. [Perhaps originally an error for buckwheat n.; compare the form bockwheate at that entry.]

ΘΚΠ

the world > food and drink > food > corn, cereals, or grain > [noun] > other grains

buckwheat1548

brank1577

bullimong1578

sesame1600

block-wheat1611

fundi1670

kurakkan1681

manna seeds1764

manna1780

teff1790

bajra1813

semsem1866

sesame grain1867

the world > plants > particular plants > cultivated or valued plants > particular food plant or plant product > cereal, corn, or grain > [noun] > other grains

buckwheat1548

brank1577

bullimong1578

block-wheat1611

kurakkan1681

rice1713

teff1790

bajra1813

1611 R. Cotgrave Dict. French & Eng. Tongues Dragée aux chevaux,..also, the course graine called Bolymong, French-wheat, Blocke-wheat, or Bucke-wheat.

blockwork n. (a) Printing printed work created from a carved or engraved block, rather than from composed type; (b) building work constructed from blocks, esp. of concrete or a similar material (frequently contrasted with brickwork, stonework).

ΚΠ

?1789 P. Withers Aristarchus (ed. 2) 309 The Composition of a Page of Types is much cheaper than Block Work.

1840 D. P. Thompson Green Mountain Boys 119/2 The two adventurers removed a portion of the blockwork at the mouth of the passage sufficient for an egress.

1921 C. W. Hackleman Commerc. Engraving & Printing 615 Block work is mostly used for the production of posters.

1993 Collins Compl. DIY Man. (new ed.) iii. 174/4 Generally, it pays to make a rendering mix somewhat stiffer for blockwork than for brickwork.

block-yard n. a yard or site where any of various types of block are manufactured.

ΘΠ

society > occupation and work > workplace > place where specific things are made > [noun] > others

coal pitOE

wireworks1598

alum works1617

copperas-worka1661

saltpetre house1683

nailery1802

railworks1863

lockworks1864

sulphur-work1870

tack-mill1884

pitch-boilery1885

rubber plant1886

soot house1957

1772 London Evening-post 8–11 Aug. This morning, a little after eight o'clock, a fire broke out at Mr. Varlo's Block-yard on the Point.

1881 Taranaki (New Plymouth, N.Z.) Herald 20 Oct. Thirty blocks have been made, and are at present undergoing the process of hardening in the block-yard.

2001 Agenda No. 48 49/2 One group..have been able to change..to the much more profitable activity of block-making and running a block-yard which supplies all building projects in their area.

C5. Compounds relating to sense 16a. Cf. Compounds 1c(a).

block grant n. a grant issued by a central body to a subsidiary body to be used at the subsidiary body's discretion; spec. a grant from central government which a local authority can allocate to a wide range of services.

ΘΚΠ

society > trade and finance > fees and taxes > grants and allowances > [noun] > other types of grant, etc.

lock1608

vote1704

capitation fee?1809

capitation allowance1832

capitation grant1854

capitation payment1857

King's (or Queen's) bounty1872

block grant1900

1865 J. E. Phillips in Rep. Proc. Church Congr. Bristol 88 The Society for the Propagation of the Gospel make what are called ‘Block Grants’ i.e. give Colonial Bishops a certain sum to employ as they please, rendering to them an account of how the same is expended.

1899 H. Macan Work Agric. Educ. Comm. 7 Subject and attendance grants must go, and a block grant on general efficiency be allocated to each school taking up the rural curriculum.

1997 U.S. News & World Rep. 14 July 30/3 Under a new law agreed on last year..federal block grants and 50 different state programs replace six decades of federally guaranteed aid to families with children.

block release n. chiefly British and Irish English a system in which an employee is released from work for the whole of a stated period in order to undertake an educational course; frequently as a modifier.

ΘΚΠ

society > occupation and work > working > career > [adjective] > training scheme

work–study1924

block release1958

1949 Aberdeen Jrnl. 23 Feb. 3/6 The apprentices must be released from their work to attend technical colleges by day... If for those who live in remote areas that is not possible, then the alternative is block release—release for continuous periods at a time.

1958 Engineering 28 Feb. 279/3 The theoretical side of apprentice training can best be covered by block-release courses instead of by part-time day releases.

2006 Good Woodworking June 13/1 Local building firms and joinery manufacturers send in students on day-release or block-release.

block vote n. (a) the collective votes of a group of people, cast so as to further a particular goal or interest; (b) chiefly British a vote by delegates, esp. at a trade-union meeting or conference, in which each delegate's vote is equivalent to the votes of all of that delegate's constituents (cf. card vote n.).In quot. 1864, probably referring to the increasing tendency of electors in the electoral college to vote en bloc in a U.S. presidential election when instructed to by their state legislatures.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > will > free will > choice or choosing > expression of choice by some approved method > [noun] > block voting

block vote1901

the mind > will > free will > choice or choosing > expression of choice by some approved method > [noun] > a vote > collective vote of a body

voice?a1400

voice1488

suffrage1531

vote1562

block vote1901

1864 Freeman's Jrnl. (Dublin) 7 Nov. The block vote, which returns the electors for the Presidency, may be generally inferred from the colleges.

1879 Western Daily Press 25 Apr. 8/1 The Liberal tacticians preferred to assail particular items of expenditure as more likely to break up the block vote of the Ministerial majority.

1901 Daily Chron. 15 July 7/3 Welsh miners, who, by the block vote, were enabled to return a Welshman to the Victorian Parliament.

1955 Times 12 July 9/3 Resolutions from the branches are critical of the way in which the block vote of the union is used at the Trades Union Congress and Labour Party conferences.

1990 Independent on Sunday 18 Feb. 1/2 Through its 1.25 million block vote, giving it 20 per cent of the votes at Labour conferences, the TGWU has an unrivalled influence on the Labour Party.

block voting n. the action or practice of casting a block vote.

ΚΠ

1865 Aris's Birmingham Gaz. 6 May 8/3 He had expected to find what they called a ‘wholesale block voting’, and thought of seeing forty or fifty papers filled up the same way.

1990 F. Dannen Hit Men (1991) vi. 113 CBS and Warner even win an outsize share of Grammy Awards, thanks to the power of their block voting.

C6. Compounds relating to sense 18a.

block association n. U.S. a residents' association for occupants of a particular block or neighbourhood.

ΚΠ

1911 Westville (Indiana) Indicator 13 July The agents were willing enough to permit the Block association to lay out the lawns with flower gardens.

1974 Amer. Sociol. Rev. 39 480/1 The creation of such voluntary associations as storefront clubs and block associations.

2011 S. Orr Tomorrow's Garden xii. 219/1 The drive of this block association to help unify its diverse neighborhood..is a model that can be replicated.

block captain n. North American a resident of a neighbourhood or unit of houses who takes responsibility for coordinating crime prevention programmes or activities aimed at maintaining the safety, security, and appearance of the area.

1889 Sunday Herald (Salt Lake City, Utah Territory) 24 Nov. 8/3 The Twentieth People's club meet in the schoolhouse Monday evening... The block captains are expected to report at close of meeting.

1959 Public Health Rep. (U.S. Public Health Service) 74 359/1 Block captains, a new aristocracy of citizens, work seriously, diligently, and enthusiastically with their groups.

2010 J. A. Jance Queen of Night (2011) x. 256 Most of the time I'm right here at home, so I volunteered to serve as block captain, and I do keep watch.

block group n. U.S. a geographical unit used by the United States Census Bureau, representing the smallest area for which demographic statistics are published; frequently as a modifier, esp. in block-group level.

ΘΠ

society > authority > rule or government > territorial jurisdiction or areas subject to > an administrative division of territory > [noun] > subdivision

subprovince1665

sub-district1790

1944 Jrnl. Amer. Statist. Assoc. 39 306 Occupied blocks in cities of 50,000 inhabitants or more were arranged in groups based on number of dwelling units in 1940 and on location of the block within the city as indicated by census tract number. Every Nth block was selected from the block groups after they had been arranged in this order.

1976 Amer. Behavioral Scientist Nov. 271 Data were mapped to the block-group level, the first level of disaggregation within census tracts.

2018 RSF: Russell Sage Found. Jrnl. Social Sci. 4 217/2 Block groups in the Detroit ring average 1,300 residents.

block-long adj. chiefly North American as long as a block; cf. sense 18b.

1930 School Life Jan. 90/2 Inverted cups of light stabbed the darkness of the block-long room.

1995 Globe & Mail (Toronto) 14 Jan. a4/4 The block-long parade of hundreds of Indians..marched up Bay Street.

2005 J. B. Whitely Young Las Vegas x. 183/1 The block-long stretch used to house a row of one- and two-storey buildings with porches.

block parent n. chiefly Canadian an adult volunteer whose home is made available as a refuge for members of the community, esp. children, in case of an emergency; (also occasionally) the official programme that screens and oversees these volunteers.A proprietary name in Canada.

1957 Kokomo (Indiana) Tribune 25 Mar. 2/3 A ‘block parent’ system for protection of schoolchildren from molesters, or in case of injury, is catching on in an area of West Los Angeles.

1992 E. Wilson Prairie Dog Conspiracy iii. 28 ‘Always use the same route between school and home. Know where the block parents live.’ ‘Don't let anyone get close enough to grab you.’

2002 London Free Press (Electronic ed.) 9 Oct. London program co-ordinator Gail McMahon said the city has more than 6,300 Block Parents, but needs more to ensure there are always people available to help. Volunteers participate by hanging the red-and-white Block Parent sign in a window of their home.

block party n. North American a party for all the residents of a block or neighbourhood, usually held outdoors.

ΘΚΠ

society > leisure > social event > social gathering > party > [noun] > other parties

play-party1796

tail1837

surprise-party1840

street party1845

costume party1850

pound party1869

all-nighter1870

neighbourhood party1870

simcha1874

ceilidh1875

studio party1875

pounding1883

house party1885

private function1888

shower1893

kitchen shower1896

kitchen evening1902

bottle party1903

pyjama party1910

block party1919

house party1923

after-party1943

slumber party1949

office party1950

freeload1952

hukilau1954

BYOB1959

pot party1959

bush party1962

BYO1965

wrap party1978

bop1982

warehouse party1988

rave1989

1902 Philadelphia Inquirer 16 July 3/7 An ideal spot in the very heart of Camden to inaugurate the first block party in the city.

1992 Buffalo (N.Y.) News 23 Aug. c1/1 Mrs. Gates and a dozen or so neighbours decided to throw a block party on Saturday to thank the police and firefighters who serve them.

2008 N.Y. Mag. 21 July 87/2 Local community organizations..host a Lower East Side family-centric block party.

block-rocking adj. of music or a piece of music: having an energetic, lively rhythm that is conducive to dancing or partying; chiefly (and earliest) in block-rocking beats.Popularized by the song Block Rockin' Beats (1997) by the Chemical Brothers, which sampled Schoolly D's Gucci Again (see quot. 1989).

ΘΠ

society > leisure > the arts > music > type of music > [adjective] > style by rhythm

jiggy1898

polyrhythmical1898

syncopated1908

polyrhythmic1916

mensuralist1940

isorhythmic1954

1989 ‘Schoolly D’ Gucci Again (transcribed from song) in Am I Black enough for You? Schoolly D is back with another one of those block-rocking beats.

2002 Roctober Winter 8/2 The music is everything a block-rocking party mix should be: infectious, intense, catchy.

2005 Time Out 7 Dec. 110/3 (advt.) Expect a right royal, hands-in-the-air mashup of block rockin' beats, acid house squelches and maybe some special guest vocalists.

block watch n. North American (a programme of) systematic vigilance by local people in order to combat crime in their neighbourhood; frequently as a modifier, as in block watch committee, block watch meeting, etc.; cf. neighbourhood watch n.

ΘΠ

the world > action or operation > safety > protection or defence > watching or keeping guard > [noun] > guarding the streets > by the citizens of a neighbourhood

crime watch1969

neighbourhood watch1972

1970 Law Enforcem. Assistance Amendm.: Hearings before Subcomm. No. 5 of Comm. on Judiciary (U.S. House of Representatives, 91st Congr., 2nd Sess.) 772 (Block Watch—Building Watch Committees.) Interested local residents and businessmen could provide protective services in the local areas.

1992 J. R. Dominguez & V. Robin Your Money or your Life vii. 240 As a neighbor, you dig up your dandelions, chat over the fence or in the elevator and join the block watch.

2017 Pittsburgh Post-Gaz. (Nexis) 5 Nov. d4 She started attending block watch meetings and working with police.

Derivatives

block-like adj.

ΘΚΠ

the world > space > shape > angularity > specific angular shape > [adjective] > cube > like a block

block-like1561

blockish1565

1561 J. Heywood tr. Seneca Hercules Furens iv. sig. K4 Her head from blocklyke bodye [L. corpori trunco] gone Is quight.

1646 T. Swadlin Jesuite iv. 36 An Antagonist neither stock like, nor block-like.

1861 L. L. Noble After Icebergs 85 Numbers of block-like bergs.

2021 H. M. Griffin At Home in Exile vi. 47 Sometimes these block-like houses had stairs to the roof, for sleeping under nets on a stinking hot night.

This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, December 2022).

blockv.¹

Brit.

/blɒk/, U.S.

/blɑk/

Forms: 1500s–1600s blok, 1500s– block, 1600s bloc; also Scottish pre-1700 block; English regional (Yorkshire) 1900s– blog.

Origin: Formed within English, by conversion. Etymon: block n.¹

Etymology: < block n.¹Compare Middle French bloquer to strengthen (a construction) with stones (early 15th cent.), early modern Dutch blokken to obstruct (16th cent.; in this sense now superseded by blokkeeren (17th cent.)), German blockieren to obstruct (a passage) by means of a barrier (early 17th cent.).

I. To obstruct physically, and related senses.

a. transitive. To prevent (a person or thing) from moving or advancing by placing or constituting a physical obstacle; to prevent the passage of (light, sound, etc.) by means of an obstacle or barrier; to obstruct the view of (something). Also with off. Also (and earliest) in figurative contexts.See also to block in 1 at Phrasal verbs, to block out 2a at Phrasal verbs, to block up 2 at Phrasal verbs.

ΘΚΠ

the world > movement > motion in a certain direction > movement towards a thing, person, or position > meeting or encounter > meet or encounter [verb (transitive)] > meet and obstruct the course of

to cross the path of (any one)1820

to head off1841

to block off1893

a1500 (c1425) Andrew of Wyntoun Oryg. Cron. Scotl. (Nero) vii. Prol. l. 21 Swa my wayne wit..A matere gud sulde blok or spil.

1723 H. Rowlands Mona Antiqua Restaurata i. 4 There was a small Isthmus, or ridge of Land blocking the Current in that Place.

1836 I. C. Wright tr. Dante Purgatorio xvi. 151 Clouds of massy darkness block the light.

1886 Football, Lacrosse, Rounders: Laws 26 The goal-keeper..may..block the ball in any manner with his crosse or body.

1893 W. K. Post Harvard Stories 86 The two opposing crowds..swept across the diamond ‘blocking off’ the owners of the two dogs.

1960 N.Y. Times 5 June (Sports section) 2/5 This tourist stopped at the foot of Ingo's chair. He sensed that someone was blocking his sunshine.

1978 Peace News 1 Dec. 5/2 They..recently held a series of ‘die-ins’ at which cyclists blocked traffic during rush-hour.

1982 R. Sheppard & M. Valpy National Deal i. 13 A tiny-book-lined study..with a thick padded door to block the noise from the television.

1994 G. Paulsen Winterdance Prelude 4 I went through a tight stand of dense spruce. They were set thickly and blocked the wind completely.

1994 Fighting Firearms Autumn 40/2 The safety blocks the trigger and, most important, permits this double-action pistol to be carried ‘locked and cocked’.

2017 J. Cohen Moving Kings 5 Those billboards that're always blocking the signs and making you miss the airport turn.

b. transitive. To impede passage along or through (an opening, thoroughfare, waterway, etc.) by placing or constituting an obstacle; to obstruct, close off, or cause a blockage in (a passage, channel, opening, etc.). Also formerly (in military contexts): †to blockade, surround (a place) (obsolete). Also in figurative contexts.See also to block up 1a.

ΘΚΠ

society > armed hostility > attack > action or state of siege or blockade > besiege or blockade [verb (transitive)]

belieOE

besita1100

beset?c1225

assiege1297

besiege1297

belayc1320

umsiegea1325

ensiegec1380

environa1382

to set before1382

siege1390

forset?a1400

foldc1400

setc1400

to lay siege to, unto, about, against, beforec1449

oppugn?a1475

pursue1488

obsess1503

ferma1522

gird1548

begird1589

beleaguer1590

block1591

invest1591

intermure1606

blockade1684

to lay blockade to1713

leaguer1720

to form the siege1776

cerne1857

the world > space > relative position > closed or shut condition > close or shut [verb (transitive)] > shut up (a place)

steeka1250

shut1340

to shut in1390

spear1445

seclude1451

to shut up1530

mure1550

block1630

lock1773

to lock up1824

seal1931

to sew up1962

to lock down1980

the world > space > relative position > closed or shut condition > close or shut [verb (transitive)] > close by obstruction or block up > block the way or a passage

forsetc900

withseta1300

stop13..

speara1325

withsperre1330

to stop one's way1338

shut1362

forbara1375

beseta1400

stopc1400

precludea1513

interclude1526

to shut up1526

forestall1528

fence1535

hedge1535

quar1542

foreclose1548

forestop1566

to flounder up1576

obstruct1578

bar1590

retrench1590

to shut the door in (also upon) (a person's) face1596

barricade1606

barricado1611

thwartc1630

blocka1644

overthwart1654

rebarricado1655

to choke up1673

blockade1696

embarrass1735

snow1816

roadblock1950

1591 A. Colynet True Hist. Ciuill Warres France ii. 89 They planted a Barricado before the gate,..blocked the entreyes into the sayd Castell, supposing by these meanes to feare the said Lady.

1591 H. Unton Let. 7 Aug. in Corr. (1847) 30 All Poictou is reduced..excepte Poictiers, by the Prince Conty, who hath also blocked that.

a1644 F. Quarles Solomons Recantation (1645) v. 24 All his ways Are blokt with troubles.

1796 Ld. Nelson in Dispatches & Lett. (1845) II. 228 I ought not to have less than four Vessels to block the Port.

1853 E. K. Kane U.S. Grinnell Exped. xxii. 178 Our little harbor at Barlow's Inlet was completely blocked in by heavy masses [of ice].

1863 A. P. Stanley Lect. Jewish Church I. xi. 243 The mouth of the cave was blocked by huge stones.

1871 R. Browning Balaustion 7 Back must you, though ten pirates blocked the bay!

1978 Detroit Free Press 5 Mar. b4/1 Blood clots that block arteries are formed by platelets.

1997 This Caring Profession July 1/3 A fine slurry, which will not block drains or the sewage system.

2012 S. Perry Illumini xxi. 114 Three state police cars blocked the road directly ahead.

2017 E. Batuman Idiot ii. 232 A man was blocking the aisle trying to stuff a large quilt-wrapped object into the overhead bin.

c. transitive. To obstruct (a view of an object, or a person's view).

1821 G. Oliver Hist. Exeter ii. iv. 154 We must likewise object to the position of that overgrown desk and pulpit, which blocks the view and perverts the order of things.

1844 Westm. Rev. Mar. 153 A wall which rises so high above the bridge itself as to block the view as you cross?

1938 Reno (Nevada) Evening Gaz. 15 June 12/6 An irate fan unsheathed a razor to tickle the legs of a photographer who was blocking his view.

1959 Irish Times 16 Mar. 11/7 Whizzy moved and completely blocked her view of the screen.

2004 F. Itani Poached Egg on Toast xix. 244 Tall hillocky dunes that block the view of the beach.

a. Cricket.

(a) transitive Of a batter: to stop (a ball) with the bat, playing a defensive stroke so as to protect the wicket, without attempting to hit the ball to score runs; to protect (the wicket) in this way. Cf. block shot n. (a) at block n.¹ Compounds 4.

ΘΚΠ

society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > ball game > cricket > batting > bat [verb (transitive)] > hit > hit with specific stroke

take1578

stop1744

nip1752

block1772

drive1773

cut1816

draw1816

tip1816

poke1836

spoon1836

mow1844

to put up1845

smother1845

sky1849

crump1850

to pick up1851

pull1851

skyrocket1851

swipe1851

to put down1860

to get away1868

smite1868

snick1871

lift1874

crack1882

smack1882

off-drive1888

snip1890

leg1892

push1893

hook1896

flick1897

on-drive1897

chop1898

glance1898

straight drive1898

cart1903

edge1904

tonk1910

sweep1920

mishook1934

middle1954

square-drive1954

tickle1963

square-cut1976

slash1977

splice1982

paddle1986

1772 Public Advertiser 11 July As the lame Man could only block his Wicket.

1773 Gentleman's Mag. Nov. 568 The modern way of blocking every ball at play.

1836 C. Dickens Pickwick Papers (1837) vii. 69 He blocked the doubtful balls, missed the bad ones, took the good ones.

1862 E. Routledge Handbk. Cricket 32 If you have a long reach, go in and play it forward; if not, however, keep your bat down, and block it.

1934 Advocate (Tasmania) 30 Nov. 5/1 It is a pity to see some of our young batsmen ‘poking’ and blocking loose balls.

2012 Daily Times (Pakistan) (Nexis) 25 Sept. He blocked the first ball and then tried to hit a six the very next ball which did not work.

(b) intransitive. To play defensively; to be very defensive or cautious in one's batting.

1827 E. Neale Living & Dead 165 I've heard of him. Blocked well—best long stop in England.

1879 W. G. Grace in James Lillywhite's Cricketer's Ann. i. ii. 32 When you hit, hit hard; when you block, do not be deterred from using vigour even in this movement.

1990 Independent (Nexis) 2 Sept. 28 Fairbrother drove and slogged, and Atherton blocked and forced.

2005 Herald Sun (Melbourne) (Nexis) 22 July 108 The pressure has stifled his ability to move beautifully through the gears, which was a hallmark of his game. Now he tends to block or bash.

b. transitive. Tennis. To hit (the ball) with a block shot, a defensive shot with little backswing and shortened action. Cf. block shot n. (b) at block n.¹ Compounds 4.

ΘΚΠ

society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > ball game > racket games > lawn tennis > play tennis [verb (transitive)] > strike ball in specific way

cut1875

volley1875

smash1882

lob1889

block1895

overhit1919

softball1927

1895 Daily Inter Ocean (Chicago) 13 July 4/2 Foote..contented himself with blocking the ball back and waiting for an opportunity to smash it.

1925 Manch. Guardian 23 June 6/7 He blocked back the service.

1955 Washington Post 14 Mar. 22/1 When the ball is hit very fast to you when you are standing close to the net, hold your wrist firm and block the ball back.

2003 O. Shine Lang. Tennis 17 Serena then blocked a backhand into the net.

3. transitive. In chess, draughts, and other board games: to cause (a piece) to be in such a position that it is unable to move. Cf. to block up 3.

ΘΚΠ

society > leisure > entertainment > pastimes > game > board game > play (a board game) [verb (transitive)] > tactics

pin1688

society > leisure > entertainment > pastimes > game > board game > chess > [verb (transitive)] > tactics

to shut up1474

to take upc1475

neck1597

catch1674

to discover check1688

attack1735

retreat1744

fork1745

pin1745

retake1750

guard1761

interpose1761

castle1764

retract1777

to take (a pawn) en passant1818

capture1820

decline1847

cook1851

undouble1868

unpin1878

counter1890

fidate1910

sacrifice1915

fianchetto1927

society > leisure > entertainment > pastimes > game > board game > draughts > [verb (transitive)] > actions

huff1688

block1850

1877 Encycl. Brit. VII. 445/2 The game [sc. draughts] proceeds until one of the players has all his men and kings taken, or has all those left on the board blocked.

1960 R. C. Bell Board & Table Games (1979) 35 Pieces unable to move because they were blocked by enemy ordinarii were known as inciti.

2001 Times 27 June ii. 27/5 Blocking the pawns on the kingside and leaving White with a potentially bad bishop.

4. transitive and intransitive. American Football and Canadian Football. To obstruct (an opponent) from reaching or tackling the ball carrier by interposing one's body, as a legal move. Cf. block n.¹ 26c.

ΘΚΠ

society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > ball game > football > American football > play American football [verb (intransitive)] > actions or manoeuvres

rush1873

return1884

block1889

goal1900

drive1902

interfere1920

submarine1925

lateral1927

lateral1930

pull1933

to hand off1937

shovel pass1948

bootleg1951

scramble1964

spear1964

blitz1965

convert1970

society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > ball game > football > American football > play American football [verb (transitive)] > actions to players

tackle1884

nail1888

block1889

quarterback1892

rough1904

rush1913

to fake out1931

straight-arm1934

submarine1941

red-dog1950

clothesline1959

spear1964

sack1969

1887 Times (Philadelphia) 30 Oct. 2/3 Ziegler worked finely against Cross and blocked successfully.

1896 W. Camp & L. F. Deland Football v. 108 It is wise to get as close as possible to the man you wish to block.

1957 Encycl. Brit. IX. 479/1 Most young football players are decidedly upset if they have been taught to block a given defender on a given play and then suddenly discover that the foe is not there to be blocked.

1990 Sports Illustr. 8 Oct. 55/1 Teams used tight offensive formations then, and eight defenders were blocked by eight offensive players.

1997 E. Gruver Amer. Football League: 1960–1969 136 They blocked and tackled and just knocked the hell out of us.

2001 Chicago Tribune 11 Nov. iii. 8/3 Don't go off on Chris, go off on the linemen. Those dudes aren't blocking.

5. transitive. British. Of a patient, esp. an elderly patient: to continue to occupy (a hospital bed needed by another patient) when treatment is complete, due to a lack of suitable care elsewhere. Also: (of an administrator) to cause (a hospital bed) to be occupied in this way. Cf. bed-blocking n.

1913 Cambr. Independent Press 7 Mar. 5/3 If it were not for the Home of Recovery they would be under the necessity of turning these patients out.., or keeping them in the Hospital and blocking beds which were wanted for more urgent cases.

1955 Social Work 12 29 Many elderly men were admitted to hospital for social reasons rather than purely medical ones, sometimes blocking beds.

1982 Brit. Med. Jrnl. (Clin. Res. ed.) 19 June 1862/1 Some hospital administrators attempt to avoid blocking beds with chronic cases by adopting a policy of restricted admission for pensioners.

1998 Community Care 16 July 5/1 Elderly people are blocking beds in a Redbridge hospital because the social services department is too short of cash to fund care home placements.

II. Senses relating to a block or blocks.

†a. transitive. Chiefly Scottish. To shape, draft, or sketch (something) roughly, as a preliminary to further development or refinement; to lay out, plan. Obsolete except in to block out 1 at Phrasal verbs.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > will > intention > planning > plan [verb (transitive)] > roughly

block1584

to rough out1738

1574 J. Davidson Ane Dialog betuix Clerk & Courteour in J. Cranstoun Satirical Poems Reformation (1891) I. 324 Perchance sum Poet will delyte To put it in mair plesand Ryme, That I haue blokit at this tyme.

1584 King James VI & I Ess. Prentise Poesie sig. Kiij I tuke earnist and willing panis to blok it [sc. this short treatise].

1652 T. Urquhart Εκσκυβαλαυρον 200 Which designe though intended, essayed, and blocked by many others.

1902 W. B. Yeats Let. 27 May (1994) III. 192 I am trying to block in the rough a good many things to be worked over in the smooth while I am with you.

b. transitive. Theatre, Film, and Television. To plan (a scene, act, etc.) with reference to the position and movement of actors, placement of props, etc.; to plan (the position and movement of actors) on a stage or film set; = to block out 6.

ΘΚΠ

society > leisure > the arts > performance arts > the theatre or the stage > the staging of a theatrical production > stage [verb (transitive)] > plan production or business

plot1933

block1961

1967 P. McGerr Murder is Absurd vi. 73 Wednesday Warren finished blocking the first act.

1997 A. Wesker Birth of Shylock 91 Yesterday John finished blocking the whole play, ahead of schedule.

2000 T. J. Erdmann & P. M. Block Star Trek Deep Space Nine Compan. 241/1 He blocked the scene in which Rom and Quark tussle on the floor.

a. transitive. To shape or reshape (a hat) on a block (block n.¹ 7).

ΘΚΠ

the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > tailoring or making clothes > making headgear > make headgear [verb (transitive)] > make hats > carry out specific processes

block1622

plait1723

shear1728

ruff1842

plank1875

shave1875

velure1880

twang1882

half-block1884

1622 S. Rowlands Good Newes & Bad Newes sig. E2 His hat new block'd.

1832 Lady's Bk. Nov. 318 The bonnets are..sent to the blockers to be blocked.

1976 ‘W. Allen’ Without Feathers 4 If I had listened to him I would be blocking hats for a living.

2016 C. Hinger Nicodemus iv. 60 She used native bluestem grass and blocked the hats on a form she brought with her.

b. transitive. To shape (part of a leather boot or shoe) on a mould. Cf. block n.¹ 7e.

1828 Amer. Jrnl. Improvem. Useful Arts 1 50 (heading) Machine for crimping or blocking boot leather.

1878 Boot & Shoemaker 4 May 91/1 Sometimes Blucher vamps are not blocked, but cut.

1906 P. N. Hasluck Boot & Shoe Pattern Cutting & Clicking iii. 46 In all tongued boots there is a certain amount of blocking necessary, and the higher the tongue reaches the more difficult it is to block.

2014 www.carreducker.blogspot.com 28 Feb. (blog, Internet Archive Wayback Machine 13 June 2015) Rather than having several blocking boards, Dominic showed us one..which has provided the ideal curvature for him, for most boot vamps and heels (it has a second surface ideal for blocking boot counters).

c. transitive. Knitting. To shape and finish (a piece of knitting) by wetting or steaming and pinning out flat to the desired proportions.

1936 Vogue 15 June 100/3 Here it is at last a really simple, economical, practical adjustable Frame for washing and blocking your hand or machine knitted waists, skirts and dresses.

2006 Simply Knitting June 85/2 When you've finished all your knitted pieces we recommend that you block them before you join them together.

2022 @OldTownCourtney 31 Mar. in twitter.com (accessed 6 June 2022) Finished another cowl! Can't wait to block it so you can see the beautiful stitching details in the lace.

8. transitive. In haberdashery: to wrap (fabric or ribbon) around a board for storage and display. See block n.¹ 12. Now rare.

ΘΚΠ

the world > textiles and clothing > textiles > textile manufacture > manufacture textile fabric or that which consists of > manufacture of textile fabric > treating or processing textile fabric > treat or process textile fabric [verb (transitive)] > other processes

starch1390

scour1467

burl1483

waterc1500

calender1513

shoot1532

press1555

gum1612

reimbale1623

strike1701

bias1838

pad1839

spirit1854

bray1879

stream1883

crisp1892

block1905

Schreiner1905

mercerize1911

1834 E. E. Perkins Lady's Shopping Man. 40 China—is an inferior satin ribbon... It..is kept on flat boards, being too narrow to be blocked as other goods.

1847 Proc. Old Bailey 1 Feb. 427 I sent 603 pieces of mouselin-de-laine to Mr. Matthews, our dresser and hot-presser, to block and board them.

1905 H. G. Wells Kipps i. iii. 64 He meditated about her when he was blocking cretonne.

1934 H. G. Wells Exper. in Autobiogr. I. iv. 149 I had to measure and refold it when the manufacturers delivered it, to block it or to roll it in rolls.

9. transitive. To apply (a design) using a block (block n.¹ 11); to print or emboss (a surface, esp. the cover of a book) in this way.

ΘΚΠ

society > communication > book > manufacture or production of books > book-binding > ornament or lettering on binding > [verb (transitive)] > impress design in or on > emboss covers by pressure from block

block1869

1839 Bent's Monthly Lit. Advertiser May 79/1 Cloth Cases gilt and blind blocked.

a1867 S. Davenport Engraving in Brit. Manuf. Indust. (1876) VIII. 112 In the case of flock paper, the pattern or design is blocked into the paper in strong size, and the flock..is then spread over the entire surface.

1891 Brit. Bookmaker 4 23/2 A special arrangement is added for blocking bound books.

1985 Texas Monthly Mar. 32/1 The wallpapers are still blocked by hand.

2005 J. Donnelly in Y. Lamonde et al. Hist. of Bk. in Canada II. iii. 106 Techniques of blocking the cover and spine in blind or gold were developed.

†10. transitive. To cover (a surface, esp. a road surface) with blocks. Obsolete.

ΘΚΠ

society > occupation and work > industry > building or constructing > paving and road-building > pave or build roads [verb (transitive)] > pave > pave with specific material

causeya1552

flag1615

causeway1744

metal1806

blind1812

macadamize1823

slab1832

flint1834

pebble1835

asphalt1872

concrete1875

cube1887

cobble1888

block1891

wood-block1908

tarmacadam1910

tarviate1926

tarmac1966

1868 Arbroath Guide 20 June The workmen at present employed in preparing the road at East Grimsby for being blocked with granite, came upon two stone coffins constructed of rough slabs of stone.

1882 Dundee Advertiser 10 Jan. 3/6 It was stated that a great saving of expense had resulted from blocking other streets, and that such work should be gone on with until all the principal streets in the burgh were paved.

1891 Argus (Melbourne) 25 Nov. 7/8 Only those streets in which the most traffic takes place will be blocked. The other roadways will be metalled.

1910 Surveyor 29 July 151/1 The leat between these two reservoirs is blocked with granite on the sides and concreted in the bottom for most of its length.

1927 Forfar Disp. 4 Aug. Victoria Street is to be blocked with whinstone, small portions of Arbroath Road and Glamis Road also with whinstone, and other streets or roads patched.

11. transitive. To support or reinforce (something) with blocks. Also intransitive. Cf. earlier to block up 4 and block n.¹ 10.

ΘΚΠ

the world > space > relative position > support > [verb (transitive)] > with blocks

block1881

1881 Mechanic §765 When the top of any table of this kind is a fixture, it is generally blocked, that is to say rectangular blocks of wood..are glued at short intervals into the angle formed by the meeting, etc.

1895 Canada Gaz. 17 Aug. 294/2 The bearing joists to be strutted or blocked from the ceiling of the vessel.

1908 Electr. World 1 Aug. 243/2 In setting the poles the driver would drive up close to the hole, block the wagon, unhook the double tree, [etc.].

1933 W. S. Lowndes Carpentry III. 4 In nailing the side jambs the space between the outsides of the jambs and the studs is blocked.

2004 R. German Remodeling Basement v. 61/2 You may need to block between the last joist and the rim joist on top of an exterior wall.

†12. transitive. Mining. To remove or cut out (coal, ore, earth, etc.) in blocks or sections; = to block out 3. Obsolete.

ΘΚΠ

society > occupation and work > industry > mining > mine [verb (transitive)] > cut (coal) > specific method

hole1829

pool1839

undercut1883

underhole1891

overcut1907

plough1950

1881 Rep. Comm. Mining & Manuf. 17 in App. to Senate Jrnl. (Missouri) (31st Gen. Assembly) The process adopted, is to remove from six to ten feet of dirt lying on top of the coal, with plow and scraper, then blocking the coal of convenient size to handle, when it is loaded upon horse-cars.

1887 N.E.D. at Block Mod. Coal is always blocked from the bottom of the seam.

1909 Rep. Hearings Joint Select Comm. to investigate Cause Mine Explosions (W. Va. Legislature) 317 They make an undercut clear across the room, blocking the coal with the pick.

13. transitive. Sheep-shearing. To shape the fleece of (a sheep) in preparation for showing. Cf. to block out 4.

ΚΠ

1911 Shepherd's Jrnl. (Chicago) June 10/2 By leaving wool on those parts of the body showing decided defects they are able to block the animal into better shape and thus, perhaps, better deceive the judge.

2013 Sheep Newslet. June in www.premier1supplies.com (accessed 9 June 2022) (caption) Gear up with the right equipment for clipping or blocking your sheep for the show.

14. transitive. To group (data) in blocks.Cf. earlier blocked adj. 7.

1960 Ann. Math. Statistics 31 857 It is usually desirable to block the trials in such a way that the coefficients can be estimated efficiently while the error is confined to the magnitude of variation within blocks.

1985 Personal Computer World Feb. 157/3 Since this system blocks the data it has the advantage of being more secure than the normal communications option.

2010 B. Ariel & D. P. Farrington in A. R. Piquero & D. Weisbud Handbk. Quantitative Criminol. xxi. 446 Blocking the data according to type of drug use, as in the hypothetical drug treatment trial presented above, is very clear.

III. To prevent, hinder, and related senses.

15. transitive. To prevent (something) from occurring or progressing; to prevent (a person) from doing something; to hinder, suppress. Also with off.

ΘΚΠ

the world > action or operation > difficulty > hindrance > hinder [verb (transitive)]

letc888

shrenchc897

forstanda1000

amarOE

disturbc1290

impeachc1380

stopc1380

withstandc1385

hinder1413

accloy1422

hindc1426

to hold abackc1440

appeachc1460

impeditec1535

inhibit1535

obstacle1538

damp1548

trip1548

embarrass1578

dam1582

to clip the wings ofa1593

unhelp1598

uppen1600

straiten1607

rub1608

impediment1610

impedea1616

to put out1616

to put off1631

scote1642

obstruct1645

incommodiate1650

offend1651

sufflaminate1656

hindrance1664

disassist1671

clog1679

muzzle1706

squeeze1804

to take the wind out of the sails of1822

throttle1825

block1844

overslaugh1853

snag1863

gum1901

slow-walk1965

society > authority > rule or government > ruler or governor > deliberative, legislative, or administrative assembly > governing or legislative body of a nation or community > procedure of parliament or national assembly > [verb (transitive)] > obstruct (business)

to talk out1873

block1884

to speak out1893

1783 J. C. Adelung Neues Grammatisch-kritisches Wörterbuch I. at Block To block the trade, die Handlung hemmen.

1844 G. W. Kendall Narr. Santa Fé Exped. II. xiii. 260 Soon after [he] ordered his own men to leave the gambling cot of the leper, and by this means ‘blocked the game’.

1867 Daily Tel. 30 July 2/2 Mr. Locke launched his amendment, intended to block the bill at once.

1899 A. H. Quinn Pennsylvania Stories 190 I tried to fix up two or three things with Miss Fitzgerald and she blocked me off each time, very nicely, it is true, but still she blocked me off.

1953 Sarasota (Florida) Herald-Tribune 11 May 1/3 I can think of no more effective way of blocking congressional investigatings of communism.

1958 F. B. Vickers Though Poppies Grow 97 I blocked him turning One Tree into a brick area. He had a brick house so he thought everybody else ought to have one.

1989 L. Bryce Influential Woman (1990) ii. 33 In other cases, the job may not provide enough opportunities for you to interact with senior people, or your boss may block you from speaking to them.

2005 Nature 24 Mar. 437/2 [He] successfully vetoed Cantor′s applications for senior academic posts and blocked the publication of his papers.

2007 Wall St. Jrnl. 21 Dec. a1/3 This year, the senator..single-handedly blocked or slowed more than 90 bills... He blocked a ban on genetic discrimination by health insurers.

16. Cards.

a. transitive. In whist, bridge, etc.: to prevent (cards of a particular suit) from being played as winners.

ΘΚΠ

society > leisure > entertainment > pastimes > game > card game > play a card [verb (transitive)] > actions or tactics

to hold up?1499

decardc1555

to turn up1580

discard1591

pulla1625

to sit out1659

face1674

to make out1680

to lay out1687

to throw away1707

lead1739

weaken1742

carry1744

to take in1744

force1746

to show down1768

throw1866

blank1884

block1884

cover1885

unblock1885

pitch1890

1872 Field 14 Sept. 273/3 My partner leads the knave, and then my ten blocks his suit.

1885 ‘Cavendish’ Whist Devel. 57 If the lead was from ace, queen, knave, ten only, B would block his own suit.

1938 Times 27 Dec. 11/5 This might have been a wise manœuvre on B's part to block Spades in case Z held only two.

1958 Listener 18 Dec. 1053/1 The run of the suit was blocked.

2020 J. B. Elwell Adv. Bridge 71 To be able to use proper judgment in ridding yourself of cards that you fear may block your partner's suit, you should thoroughly understand the leads.

b. transitive. In a game of patience: to prevent (a card or sequence of cards) from being available for use. Cf. chocker v.

ΘΠ

society > leisure > entertainment > pastimes > game > card game > patience or solitaire > [verb (transitive)] > block or obstruct

block1884

chocker1887

1874 A. Cadogan Illustr. Games Patience 1 Great care is requisite, lest in releasing one card another still more necessary to success should be blocked.

1901 ‘Tarbart’ Games of Patience 1 A Patience is said to be blocked when, before completion, no further card is playable.

1992 J. Harrod Pick of Pack Patience Games (1997) iii. 103 Beware of blocking cards soon needed.

17.

a. transitive. Physiology. To prevent the passage of (a muscular contraction or nerve impulse); to prevent conduction of impulses in (a nerve). Cf. block n.¹ 28.

ΘΚΠ

the world > health and disease > healing > medical treatment > types of treatment generally > apply type of treatment [verb (transitive)] > obstruct nervous or muscular impulse

block1876

1876 G. J. Romanes in Proc. Royal Soc. 1875–6 24 149 Sometimes..the strip will admit of being further elongated for some distance before the waves are again blocked.

1912 E. A. Schäfer Exper. Physiol. ix. 43 The constant current from the Daniell cells blocks the nerve.

1990 Sciences Jan. 7/3 Cocaine and other drugs that resemble it, such as novocaine and xylocaine, all work the same way—by blocking the electrical discharge of a nerve.

2009 Daily Tel. 9 Nov. 30/1 Once inside the body, the bacteria multiply and release a neurotoxin called tetanospasmin, which can spread through the bloodstream, blocking nerve signals from the spinal cord to the muscles.

b. transitive. Physiology and Biochemistry. To prevent, inhibit, or counteract the activity, effect, or production of (a cellular system or receptor, hormone, enzyme, etc.); to prevent or inhibit (a physiological or metabolic process).

1926 Jrnl. Exper. Med. 44 81 Assuming then that the trypan blue completely blocked the reticulo-endothelial system and that phagocytosis is the only means by which platelets are destroyed, it would be expected that the platelets would continue to increase ad infinitum provided there was no inhibition of production.

1963 Adv. in Clin. Chem. 6 176 The excretion of DOPA when tyrosine was given was taken to show the use of alternative metabolic pathways when the main pathway was blocked.

1997 C. Thomas & S. Scott All Stings Considered 131 Other chemicals in minimally spoiled fish..may help histamine pass into the bloodstream by blocking enzymes that normally break down histamine.

2020 Sunday Tel. (Nexis) 9 Feb. 25 In practice, this puts an immediate end to the use of drugs that delay the development of sex organs by blocking the hormones testosterone and oestrogen.

18. transitive. Meteorology. Esp. of an area of high pressure: to prevent or retard the movement of (a low-pressure weather system), typically causing weather in a region to remain unchanged for a prolonged period.

1916 Weather Forecasting in U.S. (U.S. Dept. Agric. Weather Bureau) vi. 160 Sometimes a ridge of high pressure will block a low that is centered directly west of the Rockies and finally force it back to the Pacific Coast.

1973 J. L. Baldwin Climates of U.S. 222 In its summer position, this semipermanent Pacific High effectively blocks the passage of storms into the California-Oregon-Washington coastal area.

2005 N.Z. Herald (Nexis) 19 May A high-pressure system to the south of the country was blocking the low from moving.

19. intransitive. Psychiatry and Psychology. To experience a mental block; to be unable to perform a mental process or to express freely one's thoughts, feelings, etc.; to exhibit blocking (blocking n.² 12).

1936 N.Y. Times 14 Aug. 17/1 Stutterers ‘block’ about twice as often as normal subjects.

1938 Jrnl. Exper. Psychol. 23 477 The situations were so arranged that unless the subject blocked completely there were only three possible modes of resolution.

1980 A. Clare Psychiatry in Dissent (ed. 2) iii. 93 Some exhausted and anxious people can..easily lose the thread of their conversations and may appear to block.

2010 E. Polster in J. K. Zeig Evol. Psychotherapy 149/1 The patient blocks—by repetitions, deletions, changing the subject, abstractions that do not get fleshed out, [etc].

20. transitive. To restrict the use or conversion of (currency or other assets). Cf. freeze v. 5e.

ΘΚΠ

society > trade and finance > financial dealings > types of money-dealing > [verb (transitive)] > other money-dealing operations

to part stakes (also shares)1553

marshal1771

float1872

squeeze1885

hedge1909

block1932

to lock in1950

divest1962

reintermediate1971

launder1973

wash1973

1937 E. Ambler Uncommon Danger i. 30 At that time all German bonds were ‘blocked’ and not negotiable abroad.

1998 Times 23 Oct. 21/1 The features of the Pope are likely to turn up..on the coins of monetary union unless France wins a battle to block the currency issued by the Vatican.

2004 9/11 Commission Rep. (National Comm. Terrorist Attacks upon U.S.) vi. 185 OFAC..blocked more than $34 million in Taliban assets held in U.S. banks.

21. transitive. To use an automated process to prevent (a phone number, email address, social media account, etc.) being used to reach a particular person or audience; to use an automated process to prevent (a person) making contact via telephone, email, or social media.

1991 Wall St. Jrnl. 25 Mar. b2/5 Some are trying to counter the trend toward blocking with ‘block the blocker’ devices. A caller ID display unit with the feature intercepts blocked calls and delivers a curt rebuff: ‘This party does not receive blocked calls.’

1997 PC Week 6 May 40/2 The censorware..successfully blocked addresses offering free email accounts..but had no trouble at all with such addresses as www.porn.com.

2015 T. Gevinson Rookie Yearbk. 4 43/1 The people you've blocked on social media for starting too many posts with ‘So grateful for my amazing boyfriend/girlfriend... I'm the luckiest person in the world!!!!!’

2019 C. Carty-Williams Queenie (2020) xix. 239 Either her phone was still off, or she'd blocked my number.

Phrasal verbs

With adverbs in specialized senses. to block in

1. transitive. To prevent (a person or thing) from leaving a place by causing an obstruction; (now) esp. to park one's vehicle in a way that prevents (another car or driver) from driving away. Also formerly: †to blockade (a place) (obsolete).

1591 tr. True Disc. Ouerthrow Armie of Leaguers of Prouince sig. A.iii The citie of Aix which y^e said Lords haue with al diligence enuironed & blocked in.

1595 E. Hoby tr. L.-V. de La Popelinière Hist. France iii. 167 The Emperour..commanded the viceroy of Naples.., that assembling together all the forces which he possibly could, he should blocke in the Sienois as much as in him lay.

1761 Whitehall Evening-post 28–31 Mar. A Squadron will shortly sail to the Enemy's Coast, to block in the few Ships of War now equipping in their several Ports.

a1974 B. L. Coombes With Dust still in his Throat (1999) 79 Isn't it terrible, Mrs Davies; more than forty still down, they can't get at them, blocked in, they are.

1994 Sun (Baltimore) 15 Apr. c1/3 She commandeered a school bus they were using and blocked in all the parked cars.

2005 M. M. Frisby Wifebeater xxxvi. 254 I went to pull out from the curb and Minerva pulled up beside me and blocked me in.

2. transitive. To add blocks of colour to (a painting or drawing), esp. roughly or as a preliminary step; to colour in.

1855 Athenæum 26 May 624/3 Mr. S. Cooper paints too rapidly. His cows are all from the same mould—coarse, and blocked in with a dangerous facility.

1884 Lady M. Majendie Out of their Elem. I. viii. 110 Pictures blocked in roughly are often capable of a high degree of ultimate finish.

1952 G. H. Dury Map Interpr. ii. 20 Where flats have to be emphasized selectively they may be blocked-in or stippled.

2003 National Art Coll. Fund Rev. 2002 107/2 He seems to have first blocked in the composition to establish its tonal and colouristic values, and then added the details, working outwards from the centre.

3. transitive. To reserve (a period of time) in one's schedule for a particular activity. Cf. to block out 5 at Phrasal verbs.

1996 Richmond (Va.) Times Disp. 4 Aug. (City ed.) (Discover Richmond Suppl.) 40/1 When you're checking your calendar for activities to enjoy, consider blocking in some time to volunteer.

2007 Community Care (Nexis) 9 Aug. Block in regular slots..for answering e-mails or returning phone calls.

to block out

1. transitive. To shape, draft, or sketch (something) roughly, as a preliminary to further development or refinement.

1738 S. Madden Refl. & Resol. sig. A2 I forced my self to hew and block out this rude Sketch of a much larger Design, which I had drawn up for abler Work-men to polish.

1753 G. Washington Diary 13 Dec. (1925) I. 59 They..told 50 [canoes]..besides many others which were blocked-out, in Readiness to make.

1829 Massachusetts Spy 16 Dec. There are portions [of the message] which bear the marks of having been ‘blocked out’ by General Jackson.

1837 J. G. Lockhart Mem. Life Scott (1839) III. 15 The latter Cantos having..been merely blocked out when the first went to press.

1922 St. Nicholas Aug. 1043/2 The form was at first only roughly blocked out in the marble.

1946 M. Lowry Let. 28 June in Sursum Corda! (1995) I. 590 A thing I recently blocked out in Mexico, entitled Dark as the Grave Wherein my Friend is Laid, potentially my best to date.

2000 Daily Tel. 30 Aug. 17/2 Having first blocked out the masses and worked out the composition, he was free to minimise differences in tone and texture.

a. transitive. To prevent (light or sound) from reaching a person.

1815 Gentleman's Mag. July 27 A clumsy clock-case blocking out the light and sight of the West window.

1972 Village Voice (N.Y.) 1 June 50/3 Many would rather take the chance of being robbed than block out the sunshine with an ominous gate.

2016 N. Yoon Sun is also Star 50 The headphones are the kind that have giant ear pads for blocking out sound.

b. transitive. To exclude (something unpleasant or distracting) from one's thoughts or consciousness.

1948 Sierra Educ. News (Calif. Teachers Assoc.) Dec. 18/3 Repression..is a process of deliberately avoiding conflict involved in a problem solving situation. Blocking out the memory of unpleasant experiences.

1980 M. Thelwell Harder they Come (1996) xiii. 275 She couldn't block out the laughter or curses or the shrill yelps and whinneys that came through the wall.

2003 Bowling Digest June 17/3 For years, I've worked on blocking out distractions and concentrating.

2008 Observer 20 Jan. 39/4 Like other child soldiers, he blocked out what was happening with drugs.

3. transitive. Mining. To remove or cut out (coal, ore, earth, etc.) in blocks or sections. Cf. sense 12.

ΘΠ

society > occupation and work > industry > mining > mine [verb (transitive)] > cut (coal) > specific method

hole1829

pool1839

undercut1883

underhole1891

overcut1907

plough1950

1859 Star (Ballarat, Victoria) 20 Jan. If defendants had complied with the regulations, instead of blocking out their ground they would long since have proved whether or not a junction existed.

1908 R. S. G. Stokes Mines & Minerals Brit. Empire vii. 68 Shafts are sunk in squares, 40 feet apart, from which the daring miners block out the dirt.

1996 D. Gaddy in V. Ford Silver Peak (2000) viii. 191/2 (transcript) If you're mining hard rock, you go out and drill a hole, and you sample, and you can block out the ore, and you know exactly what you have.

4. transitive. Sheep-shearing. To shape the fleece of (a sheep) in preparation for showing. Cf. sense 13.

1872 Trans. Highland & Agric. Soc. Scotl. 4 239 At an early part of the season the sheep is blocked out upon the old wool, and is subject to occasional clippings and dressings, till it is moulded into what is considered a fine form.

1932 O. A. C. Rev. (Ontario Agric. College) Feb. 372 With a sharp pair of shears, block out the sheep to the desired confirmation.

5. transitive. To organize (one's time) by assigning blocks of time to particular activities; to reserve (a period of time) in one's schedule for a particular activity. Cf. to block in 3 at Phrasal verbs.

1882 Forest Republican (Tionesta, Pa.) 19 Apr. Block out your time; be sure you have a period for study, for reading educational journals.., and for recreation.

1948 Motive Jan. 42/2 Block out some time, in your year's schedule, for unhurried ‘sings’.

2005 N. Hornby Long Way Down 184 You'll have to block out some time in your diary. Otherwise life will keep getting in the way.

2007 Independent 12 Dec. (Property section) 10/3 Ready for the party of the century? Then block out next Tuesday night!

6. transitive. Theatre, Film, and Television. To plan (a scene, act, etc.) with reference to the position and movement of actors, placement of props, etc.; to plan (the position and movement of actors) on a stage or film set. Cf. sense 6b.

1935 J. L. Latham 555 Pointers for Beginning Actors & Directors 8 Blocking out a scene. Planning the movement of the characters on stage in a scene.

1967 Listener 24 Aug. 240/1 At the first rehearsal..we were blocking out the moves.

2000 N.Y. Times Mag. 8 Oct. 120/1 Midler and the director block out a piece of stage business, and they shoot the scene six more times.

7. transitive. Cricket. To play out (an over, a number of deliveries, etc.) defensively and without losing one's wicket. Cf. sense 2a(a).

1988 Sandwell Evening Mail 13 Sept. 44/4 His final act in first class cricket was to block out three deliveries from Vic Marks that brought Warwicks a draw against Somerset.

1994 I. Botham My Autobiogr. ix. 166 I decided to try and block out the final over from John Emburey.

2015 Age (Melbourne) (Nexis) 14 July 41 We hate blocking out an over and always try to take the initiative.

to block up

a. transitive. To impede passage along or through (an opening, thoroughfare, waterway, etc.) by placing or constituting an obstacle; to obstruct, close off, or cause a blockage in (a passage, channel, opening, etc.). Also formerly (in military contexts): †to blockade, surround (a place) (obsolete). Also in figurative contexts.Sometimes implying complete or permanent obstruction; cf. earlier sense 1b.

1602 T. North tr. S. Goulart Lives Epaminondas, Philip of Macedon 11 They shut and blocked vp all the waies from the one sea to the other, with mighty great peeces of timber a crosse.

1630 W. Prynne God no Impostor (rev. ed.) 9 Blocking vp their hearts against the Lord.

1709 R. Steele Tatler No. 40. ⁋10 The Blockade of Olivenza was continued..it is at present so closely blocked up that [etc.].

1719 D. Defoe Life Robinson Crusoe 63 I block'd up the Door..with some Boards.

1801 Port Folio 10 Oct. 327/3 When they find all the direct avenues to greatness blocked up they will not poorly and abjectly climb or creep up some other way.

1934 G. Phillips Mem. of Camp-follower x. 192 The trouble I had in persuading the railway officials to allow my voluminous baggage to go with me. It completely blocked up the corridor.

1999 R. Deakin Waterlog (2000) iv. 44 James's brother Edward thought Brooke snooty, so he blocked up the path from the mill to Byron's Pool to stop him using it.

b. transitive. To give (a person) constipation.

1960 J. Lehmann I am my Brother ii. iv. 57 Eternal chunks of bread, potato pudding, pie, etc.,..just blocks me up and gives me the stitch.

2006 Irish Times 29 Aug. (Health Suppl.) 2 I can't eat cheese because it blocks me up.

2. transitive. To shut up, confine (a person, military force, etc.) within a place. Also in figurative contexts. Now rare.

?1614 G. Chapman tr. Homer Odysses xx. 186 I told them all; And that those [ills] could not proue, more capitall Then those the Cyclop blockt vs vp in.

1631 W. Gouge Gods Three Arrowes ii. §22. 160 Blocking up people within narrow compasses.

1639 P. Massinger Unnaturall Combat i. i. sig. B4 Our Navie should be block'd up.

1733 Swift's Lett. (1766) II. 187 We are throwing down a parcel of walls, that blocked us up every way.

1790 R. Beatson Naval & Mil. Mem. I. 334 The British fleet..bombarded and blocked it up by sea.

1839 C. Thirlwall Hist. Greece (new ed.) II. 303 The danger of being defeated and blocked up in Salamis.

1957 Fate Mag. Jan. 23/2 The king..trapped Nan-japue in one of the buildings of Nan-matol and blocked him up.

3. transitive. In chess, draughts, and other board games: to cause (a piece) to be in such a position that it is unable to move; = sense 3.

1764 R. Lambe Hist. Chess 91 When the King has no man whom he can play, and is not in check, yet is so blocked up, that he cannot move without going into check, this position is called a stale-mate.

1819 J. G. Pohlman Pract. Treat. Game Draughts 8 When one player has captured all his antagonist's men, or has blocked them up..the game is pronounced to be won.

1850 H. G. Bohn et al. Hand-bk. Games 408 The game is won by him who can first succeed in capturing, or blocking up, all his adversary's men.

2019 P. Wolff Learn to play Chess like a Boss x. 233 Black could play 12...c5! to keep White's black-squared bishop blocked up for the foreseeable future.

4. transitive. To support or reinforce (something) with blocks; esp. to place blocks under (a boat) to support it when out of the water. Cf. sense 11 and block n.¹ 10.

1771 L. Carter Diary 18 July (1965) II. 596 My Carpenters have been..repairing the sills of my Fork tobacco house, all rotten because never blockt up as they should have been.

1786 G. Cartwright Jrnl. Resid. Coast Labrador 17 July (1792) III. 188 Our people assisted the Indians to block up one of their shallops, that we might repair it for them.

1940 H. R. O'Conor Maryland iii. 430 In spring, every waterman has his boat blocked up for painting on the beach in front of his house.

2005 P. Molyneaux Doryman's Reflection xiii. 174 They set the boat on the gravel beach, blocked her up, and left her for the tide to float.

This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, December 2022).

单词	block
释义	blockn.¹ Brit. /blɒk/, U.S. /blɑk/ Forms: Middle English blok, Middle English bluk, Middle English–1500s blokke, Middle English–1600s blocke, Middle English– block; also Scottish pre-1700 blok. Origin: A borrowing from French. Etymon: French bloc. Etymology: < Old French, Middle French, French bloc tree trunk, log (1285; 1262 denoting a receptacle for donations), bulky or massive piece of any solid substance (1409), instrument of punishment similar to the stocks (perhaps 16th cent.), (figuratively) number of elements grouped together in a whole (1559), large homogeneous quantity of something (a1781), political alliance or union (1901) < Middle Dutch bloc log, tree trunk, large solid item, obstacle, instrument of punishment similar to the stocks, enclosed field (in Old Dutch in a place name; Dutch blok , also in sense ‘pulley’ (c1600)), cognate with Old Frisian blok log, kind of field (West Frisian blok ), Middle Low German bloc log, tree trunk, large solid item, instrument of punishment, enclosed field, Old High German bloh , bloc piece of wood, pole (Middle High German bloch , bloc log, tree trunk, large solid item, instrument of punishment, German Block , †Bloch ), further etymology uncertain (see note). In branch II. after block v.¹The word does not appear to be attested in Anglo-Norman, and it is possible that the English word may partly have been borrowed directly from other West Germanic languages, rather than entirely via French. Further etymology of the West Germanic word. A derivation of the West Germanic word < the same Indo-European base as balk n.¹ has sometimes been suggested, but this poses formal problems. Alternatively, it has been suggested that it is ultimately related to the base of Gothic bliggwan to strike, beat (see the discussion at blow n.¹), with the noun denoting a piece that has been struck off a larger object. Parallels in other languages. Compare ( < Middle Low German) Old Swedish blokker (Swedish block ), Danish blok (17th cent.), and also ( < French) Spanish bloque , Portuguese bloco (both 19th cent.; compare bloco n.), Italian blocco (1644). Early use in names. Perhaps attested early in surnames, e.g. Robert Bloc (1199), Benedictus Blok de Bungey (1325), Benedict Blok (1327), although the origin of these is unclear, and some may alternatively reflect a variant of blake adj. Perhaps also attested early in field names, e.g. Bloc , Willerby, East Riding of Yorkshire (13th cent.), but its meaning in such names is unclear. Specific senses. In use with reference to a pulley (see sense 2) probably after Middle Low German bloc , in the same sense. With use with reference to a political alliance (see sense 24) compare earlier bloc n. In North America, in use with reference to a division of land (see sense 17a) and to a section of a built-up area (see sense 18a) perhaps after Dutch blok (17th cent. in these senses; compare the more specific Middle Dutch blok enclosed field). In use with reference to a defensive structure (see sense 19b) either short for or with allusion to blockhouse n. 1a. I. A mass; a unit. * A solid or bulky piece of something; a mass. 1. a. A log or bulky piece of wood; (formerly also) †part of the trunk of a tree, a stump, a stock (obsolete).Recorded earliest in blockboard n. (a) at Compounds 4.In later use merged in sense 3a; in the specific sense ‘a log of wood’ now regional. ΘΚΠ society > occupation and work > materials > raw material > wood > wood in specific form > [noun] > block blockc1305 clogc1440 chocka1582 chunk1781 wood-block1837 buntons1839 1323–4 in F. R. Chapman Sacrist Rolls Ely (1907) II. 40 Item in vj. bord. de blokbord. empt. c1390 in F. J. Furnivall Minor Poems Vernon MS (1901) ii. 620 (MED) Whon crist was knit with corde on a stok, His bodi bledde aȝein þat blok. 1481 W. Caxton tr. Hist. Reynard Fox (1970) 27 They..drewe hym ouer stones and ouer blockes wythout the village. 1594 T. Bowes tr. P. de la Primaudaye French Acad. II. 131 [No] more motion or feeling then is in a blocke or stone. 1663 in J. S. Moore Goods & Chattels Forefathers (1976) 89 In the oxestalle..one parcell of strawe 5s 0d. one parcell of blocks 5s 0d. 1705 Fugitive 18 He provides himself of a large Block, the which he laid in his Chimney, and when he was Cold, he put just as much Fire under, as he thought would not kindle it. 1830 B. Disraeli Home Lett. x. 84 I looked at the wood fire and thought of the blazing blocks in the hall at Bradenham. 1855 T. Carlyle Let. 10 Aug. in J. A. Froude T. Carlyle: Life in London (1884) II. xxiii. 176 Sitting patient on a big block—huge stump of a tree-root. 1985 J. Edwards Talk Tidy 13 Let's have another block on the fire, it's a sharp one tonight! 2020 @odhran_19 4 Feb. in twitter.com (accessed 26 May 2022) When your hear your father come in and you haven't put a block on the fire in 2 hours. †b. figurative. A headless body. Cf. trunk n. 2a. Obsolete.In quot. 1535 with reference to the image of the Philistine god Dagon; cf. sense 1e, Dagon n.² a. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > the arts > visual arts > plastic art > statuary > [noun] > statue > bust or torso block1535 term1604 busto1626 torse1634 terminus1638 busty1684 bust1691 shoulder-piece1692 protome1737 torso1797 portrait bust1827 terminal1876 term figure1880 c1400 (?c1390) Sir Gawain & Green Knight (1940) l. 440 (MED) Þaȝ hedlez h[e] we[re]..He brayde his bluk aboute, Þat vgly bodi þat bledde. 1535 Bible (Coverdale) 1 Sam. v. 5 The block laie there onely. c. A log or piece of wood regarded as a type of something inert, stupid, or lacking sense or perception. Cf. sense 1d; see also post n.¹ 3. Now rare.In later use probably without specific reference to wood; cf. sense 3a. ΘΚΠ the mind > mental capacity > lack of understanding > stupidity, dullness of intellect > [noun] > typical example of assc1175 stock1303 blockc1410 beetle1520 post1778 dunce capa1791 the mind > emotion > absence of emotion > [noun] > want of or incapacity for emotion > type or emblem stock1303 stonea1400 blockc1410 the world > physical sensation > physical sensibility > physical insensibility > [noun] > that which is stock1303 stonea1400 blockc1410 non-sensitive1628 inanimate1652 a1464 J. Capgrave Abbreuiacion of Cron. (Cambr. Gg.4.12) (1983) 42 Sche answerd that hir comnaunt was to ouircom a man and not a blok. a1500 (a1400) Sir Cleges (Adv.) (1930) l. 452 (MED) He yaffe the styward sech a stroke That he fell dovn as a bloke. a1665 G. Starkey Expos. Six Gates vi. 383 in Ripley Reviv'd (1678) They are as stupid as Blocks. 1712 A. Pope Misc. Poems 147 When you, like Orpheus, strike the warbling Lyre, Attentive Blocks stand round you, and admire. 1875 F. T. Buckland Log-bk. Fisherman 68 As deaf as a block. 1950 M. B. Stern Louisa May Alcott (1999) v. 67 This plain man.., reading a manuscript through his spectacles or standing motionless as a block. †d. figurative. A person likened to a log or piece of wood in lacking intelligence; a blockhead. Also: a person likened to a log or piece of wood in being emotionally unresponsive; a hard-hearted person. Obsolete.In later use probably without specific reference to wood; cf. sense 3a. ΘΚΠ the mind > mental capacity > lack of understanding > stupid, foolish, or inadequate person > stupid person, dolt, blockhead > [noun] asseOE sotc1000 beastc1225 long-ear?a1300 stock1303 buzzard1377 mis-feelinga1382 dasarta1400 stonea1400 dasiberd14.. dottlec1400 doddypoll1401 dastardc1440 dotterel1440 dullardc1440 wantwit1449 jobardc1475 nollc1475 assheada1500 mulea1500 dull-pate15.. peak1509 dulbert?a1513 doddy-patec1525 noddypolla1529 hammer-head1532 dull-head?1534 capon1542 dolt1543 blockhead1549 cod's head1549 mome1550 grout-head1551 gander1553 skit-brains?1553 blocka1556 calfa1556 tomfool1565 dunce1567 druggard1569 cobble1570 dummel1570 Essex calf1573 jolthead1573 hardhead1576 beetle-head1577 dor-head1577 groutnoll1578 grosshead1580 thickskin1582 noddyship?1589 jobbernowl1592 beetle-brain1593 Dorbel1593 oatmeal-groat1594 loggerhead1595 block-pate1598 cittern-head1598 noddypoop1598 dorbellist1599 numps1599 dor1601 stump1602 ram-head1605 look-like-a-goose1606 ruff1606 clod1607 turf1607 asinego1609 clot-poll1609 doddiea1611 druggle1611 duncecomb1612 ox-head1613 clod-polla1616 dulman1615 jolterhead1620 bullhead1624 dunderwhelpa1625 dunderhead1630 macaroona1631 clod-patea1635 clota1637 dildo1638 clot-pate1640 stupid1640 clod-head1644 stub1644 simpletonian1652 bottle-head1654 Bœotiana1657 vappe1657 lackwit1668 cudden1673 plant-animal1673 dolt-head1679 cabbage head1682 put1688 a piece of wood1691 ouphe1694 dunderpate1697 numbskull1697 leather-head1699 nocky1699 Tom Cony1699 mopus1700 bluff-head1703 clod skull1707 dunny1709 dowf1722 stupe1722 gamphrel1729 gobbin?1746 duncehead1749 half-wit1755 thick-skull1755 jackass1756 woollen-head1756 numbhead1757 beef-head1775 granny1776 stupid-head1792 stunpolla1794 timber-head1794 wether heada1796 dummy1796 noghead1800 staumrel1802 muttonhead1803 num1807 dummkopf1809 tumphya1813 cod's head and shoulders1820 stoopid1823 thick-head1824 gype1825 stob1825 stookiea1828 woodenhead1831 ning-nong1832 log-head1834 fat-head1835 dunderheadism1836 turnip1837 mudhead1838 donkey1840 stupex1843 cabbage1844 morepork1845 lubber-head1847 slowpoke1847 stupiditarian1850 pudding-head1851 cod's head and shoulders1852 putty head1853 moke1855 mullet-head1855 pothead1855 mug1857 thick1857 boodle1862 meathead1863 missing link1863 half-baked1866 lunk1867 turnip-head1869 rummy1872 pumpkin-head1876 tattie1879 chump1883 dully1883 cretin1884 lunkhead1884 mopstick1886 dumbhead1887 peanut head1891 pie-face1891 doughbakea1895 butt-head1896 pinhead1896 cheesehead1900 nyamps1900 box head1902 bonehead1903 chickenhead1903 thickwit1904 cluck1906 boob1907 John1908 mooch1910 nitwit1910 dikkop1913 goop1914 goofus1916 rumdum1916 bone dome1917 moron1917 oik1917 jabroni1919 dumb-bell1920 knob1920 goon1921 dimwit1922 ivory dome1923 stone jug1923 dingleberry1924 gimp1924 bird brain1926 jughead1926 cloth-head1927 dumb1928 gazook1928 mouldwarp1928 ding-dong1929 stupido1929 mook1930 sparrow-brain1930 knobhead1931 dip1932 drip1932 epsilon1932 bohunkus1933 Nimrod1933 dumbass1934 zombie1936 pea-brain1938 knot-head1940 schlump1941 jarhead1942 Joe Soap1943 knuckle-head1944 nong1944 lame-brain1945 gobshite1946 rock-head1947 potato head1948 jerko1949 turkey1951 momo1953 poop-head1955 a right one1958 bam1959 nong-nong1959 dickhead1960 dumbo1960 Herbert1960 lamer1961 bampot1962 dipshit1963 bamstick1965 doofus1965 dick1966 pillock1967 zipperhead1967 dipstick1968 thickie1968 poephol1969 yo-yo1970 doof1971 cockhead1972 nully1973 thicko1976 wazzock1976 motorhead1979 mouth-breather1979 no-brainer1979 jerkwad1980 woodentop1981 dickwad1983 dough ball1983 dickweed1984 bawheid1985 numpty1985 jerkweed1988 dick-sucker1989 knob-end1989 Muppet1989 dingus1997 dicksack1999 eight ball- a1556 N. Udall Ralph Roister Doister (?1566) iii. iii. sig. D.iiij Ye are suche a calfe, suche an asse, such a blocke. 1682 N. O. tr. N. Boileau-Despréaux Lutrin ii. 16 See how the Stupid Block stands mute, and moping! 1803 J. Bristed Ανθρωπλανομενος II. 661 In vain we endeavoured to move the compassion of these two blocks in female shape. 1912 Illinois Mag. Nov. 93 Wait, you block! Don't you see them coming towards us? †e. In contemptuous use: an idol, an image that is worshipped. Cf. stock n.¹ 1d. Obsolete.Cf. quot. 1535 at sense 1b. ΘΚΠ the world > the supernatural > deity > [noun] > idol godeOE anlikenessOE stockc1000 mammetc1225 Mahometc1275 Mahoundc1275 idola1325 simulacre1382 marmoseta1398 mammetrya1400 puppet1534 poppet?1548 block1570 Dagona1572 pagoda1582 pagody1588 Mokisso1634 poppet deitya1641 pageant idol1696 pageant thing1696 afgod1769 cult figure1895 1570 J. Foxe Actes & Monumentes (rev. ed.) II. 1646/1 His great God was not exalted..ouer the aultar, nor his blocke almighty set seemely in the roode loft. 1579 G. Gilpin tr. P. van Marnix van Sant Aldegonde Bee Hiue of Romishe Church iv. iii. f. 239 They did not praye to theire their blockes and stockes onelie as simple creatures. 1675 J. N. Plain Mans Def. against Popery 21 Did the Heathens hold the Images themselves to be Gods, or when their blocks were so old that they placed new in their stead, did they think that by this change of their Images, that they made a change also of their Gods? 2. A pulley or system of pulleys mounted in a case, used to increase the mechanical power of the rope or ropes running through it and employed as a lifting device in the rigging of ships and in other situations. Cf. block and tackle at Phrases 6.cat block, fiddle block, gin block, pulley block, sister block, tackle block, etc.: see the first element. ΘΚΠ society > occupation and work > equipment > lifting or hoisting equipment > [noun] > tackle > pulley(s) mounted in case block1622 tackle-block1793 society > travel > travel by water > vessel, ship, or boat > equipment of vessel > tackle or purchase > [noun] > system of) pulley(s) block1622 1401 Accts. Exchequer King's Remembrancer (P.R.O.: E101/43/6) m. 1 Et in vna carect' maer' empt' de eodem Simone et expendita ibidem in blokkes et alijs necessarijs inde faciend' prec' vj. s. 1588 W. Wynter Let. to J. Hawkyns 28 Feb. (P.R.O.) This winters weather..hath..torn many of our blocks, pulleis and sheevers. 1622 G. de Malynes Consuetudo 143 Damages sustained by bad Hookes, Ropes, Blockes, or Lines. 1762 W. Falconer Shipwreck ii. 20 Thro' rattling blocks the clue-lines swiftly run. 1824 W. Irving Tales of Traveller II. 236 The stump of a mast, with a few ropes and blocks swinging about. 1914 M. S. Ketchum Struct. Engineers' Handbk. xiv. 447 Blocks up to 12 and 15 tons capacity are commonly provided with hooks. 2001 D. Bennet Schooner Sunset xi. 140/1 The yard was cock-billed as high as it would go, the lifts being taken through blocks at the cap and down to the deck for this purpose. 3. a. A bulky or massive piece of any solid substance (in early use usually rock, stone, or wood), in later use typically one having a regular, usually rectangular, shape with relatively smooth faces; (in geological contexts) a body of rock, often of large extent, bounded by faults. Frequently with of or modifying word, denoting the particular substance.In geological contexts, see also erratic block n., fault-block n., rift block n. ΘΚΠ the world > the earth > structure of the earth > constituent materials > stone > [noun] > mass of stone quarrya1398 quar?a1475 block1530 the world > matter > constitution of matter > density or solidity > [noun] > a dense or solid thing or body > with an extended flat surface cake1396 block1530 patty1904 1451 in R. R. Sharpe Cal. Let.-bks. London (1911) K. 342 (MED) By bringing hider of Blokkes and peces of tynne. 1577 W. Harrison Hist. Descr. Islande Brit. i. iv. f. 4^v/2, in R. Holinshed Chron. I These huge blockes were ordeined and created of God. 1665 J. Webb Vindic. Stone-Heng Restored 149 Tumuli were..set about..with petty and difformed blocks of broken craggs. 1744 J. Campbell in Claridge's Shepherd of Banbury's Rules (new ed.) 38 A Block of this Kind of Stone as big as a large rolling Stone. 1799 R. Kirwan Geol. Ess. 166 Granite is most commonly found in huge blocks. 1860 J. Tyndall Glaciers of Alps i. §2. 17 The more solid blocks of ice shoot forward in advance of the lighter débris. 1872 H. I. Jenkinson Guide Eng. Lake District (1879) 149 The Bowder Crag from which the immense block has fallen, is directly above. 1927 H. Peake & H. J. Fleure Hunters & Artists iv. 42 The earliest implements..were mostly core implements, fashioned from a block of flint by removing flakes from its surface. 1939 E. D. Laborde tr. E. de Martonne Shorter Physical Geogr. (rev. ed.) x. 145 Erosion has begun its attack on the block which remained as an escarpment after the faulting. 1963 J. Kirkup Tropic Temper 254 Blocks of pure camphor for burning..before the holy men and penitents carrying kavadis. 2008 K. Miller Same Earth (2009) 20 All day they chipped away at the blocks of ice, putting pieces in the children's bath pans. b. A solid piece of stone, concrete, etc., typically having a rectangular shape with smooth faces, prepared for use in building and construction. Also figurative and in figurative contexts (cf. building block n. 1c).Sometimes contextually denoting a particular design or type of block: see breeze-block n., building block n. 1a, cinderblock n. (b) at cinder n. Additions.In quot. 1775, apparently a specific use of Wedgwood's, referring to parts of a chimney piece. ΘΚΠ society > occupation and work > materials > raw material > stone or rock > [noun] > building stone > dressed or hewn > piece of wall-stoneOE scantling1726 blockc1854 1738 J. Breval Remarks Several Parts of Europe: Tours since 1723 II. 164 There is standing an intire and very beautiful composite Pillar, that belong'd to some ancient Building, as did likewise a very noble Block of Marble that lay near it. 1775 J. Wedgwood Let. 14 Jan. in E. Meteyard Life (1866) II. 321 I..stand in need of your directions relative to the blocks & ovals to the Tablets. 1807 T. Young Course Lect. Nat. Philos. I. xx. 238 We are informed by Pliny that Ctesiphon lowered his large blocks of stone by placing them on heaps of sand bags, and letting out the sand by degrees. 1846 H. W. Longfellow Builders in Guardian (Columbia, Tennessee) Feb. 33/1 Our to-days and yesterdays Are the blocks with which we build. 1992 P. J. Craull Urban Soil in Landscape Design 232 The first method used was concrete building blocks laid upright..over a shallow excavation, then loosely backfilling the spaces and block voids with topsoil... Some installation designs have a layer of sand as an underlayment for the blocks. 2005 Z. Mda Madonna of Excelsior xxiv. 169 Grey walls of slightly roughcast cement blocks. Corrugated-iron roof. c. Chiefly in plural. A wooden or (in later use) plastic toy brick. Cf. building block n. 1b. ΘΠ society > leisure > entertainment > toy or plaything > other toys > [noun] > toy bricks brick1829 toy block1859 1820 E. Appleton Early Educ. xxxi. 196 Another little one has just built up a house of cards; or a pyramid of wooden blocks. 1885 R. L. Stevenson Child's Garden of Verses 63 What are you able to build with your blocks? Castles and palaces, temples and docks. 1940 C. Stead Man who loved Children (1976) viii. 357 Ducky was playing with her blocks—and she was wonderful at building with them. 2008 J. Jenkinson et al. Building Blocks for Learning 256 Ask the chid to place blocks to the left or right of each other. 4. a. A large stump or piece of solid wood on which a condemned person's head was laid for beheading, or a limb was placed for mutilation. Frequently with the. Now historical.In later use frequently in allusive phrases referring to beheading; see also Phrases 3.See also head block n. 1b, heading block. ΘΚΠ society > authority > punishment > capital punishment > [noun] > beheading > block heading blockc1480 block1541 stock1639 head block1873 c1475 Gregory's Chron. in J. Gairdner Hist. Coll. Citizen London (1876) 211 He shulde not be hedyd tylle he sawe the axe and the blocke. 1541 Act 33 Hen. VIII xii. §18 The serieant..shal bring to the said place of execucion a blocke with a betill a staple & cordes to binde the saide hande vpon the blocke. 1600 W. Shakespeare Henry IV, Pt. 2 iv. i. 348 Some guard this traitour to the blocke of death. View more context for this quotation 1704 Clarendon's Hist. Rebellion III. xiv. 384 He laid down his head upon the Block. 1874 J. R. Green Short Hist. Eng. People vii. §1. 341 It was by bills of attainder..that the great nobles were brought to the block. 1990 Opera Now May 9/1 The put-upon Mary, sentenced to death after an exchange of insults with the rival prima donna Elizabeth I, is proceeding at her melodic leisure to the block. 2001 Albion 33 291 Avowed Protestants were being sent to the block under Henry VIII. b. A thick cutting surface (traditionally of wood, in later use sometimes of other materials) on which a butcher chops meat or a fishmonger chops fish; (also) a smaller version of this used in preparing food for cooking. Cf. butcher's block n. 1, chopping-block n. ΘΚΠ society > occupation and work > equipment > work-benches, seats, etc. > [noun] > block blockc1485 ?c1500 Killing of Children (Digby) l. 157 If I fynde a yong child I shall choppe it on a blokke. 1766 J. Entick Surv. London in New Hist. London IV. 65 Stalls for butchers, with..blocks. 1849 C. Dickens David Copperfield (1850) xix. 200 He looked such a very obdurate butcher as he stood scraping the great block. 1878 J. H. Gray China II. xxx. 293 A block upon which it is his custom to cut his fish. 1964 J. Cheever Wapshot Scandal i. iii. 25 The bird squawked..as he lay its neck on the block and chopped off its head. 2014 R. Whyte Whistling Butcher i. 17 A great lump of beef that lay on the block. †c. A whetstone. Obsolete.Only recorded in figurative contexts. ΘΚΠ society > occupation and work > equipment > shaping tools or equipment > [noun] > sharpening > whetstone whetstonec725 hone-stone1393 filourc1400 hone1440 rub1502 rubber1553 knife-stone1571 stone1578 oilstone1585 block1592 oil whetstone1601 greenstone1668 scythe-stone1688 water stone1703 sharping-stone1714 Scotch stone1766 honer1780 Turkey hone1794 polishing-slate1801 burr1816 Turkey stone1816 German hone1817 Arkansas1869 rag1877 rock1889 slipstone1927 1592 Greenes Groats-worth of Witte sig. E^v Hee serued but for a blocke to whet Robertoes wit on. 1607 E. Sharpham Fleire i. sig. C^v Could you finde neuer a fitter block to whet your wit on, but my sister? d. More generally: a large or solid piece of wood or other material used as a work surface, for chopping, hammering, etc.between the beetle and the block: see beetle n.¹ 1c. Π 1596 L. Hutton Blacke Dogge of Newgate sig. C^v When there I came, they set me on a block, With punche and hammer, my Irons off they knock. 1694 A. Clogie Vox Corvi To Rdr. sig. A3^v Thomas Kinnersley..sate himself down upon a Block, by a Wood-pile, before the Door, employing himself in no other Childish Exercise than cutting of a Stick. 1793 Chron. 59/1 in Ann. Reg. This stump had for many years been made use of..as a block for splitting wood. 1862 Brit. Patent 2840 3 These substances..are cut to the required shape or pattern, and placed over a block, and then subjected to the action of heat. 1974 Pop. Sci. Sept. 114/3 Finally flatten down the flange on the block with the hammer. 2015 T. MacWelch Ultimate Winter Survival Handbk. 13 Set up your firewood pieces on the block one at a time, so that they stand upright and can remain stable. e. A solid block of wood or other material containing slots into which kitchen knives are inserted up to the handles for safe storage and ready access; = knife block n. ΚΠ 1979 Washington Post 27 May (Style Sunday Food section) m6/3 The best models are heavy enough to sit firmly on a counter top without any tendency to tip over, even filled with knives—be certain of this stability before you purchase a standing block. 1987 Sydney Morning Herald (Nexis) 1 Oct. (Style section) 4 Blocks cost about $28 for one that holds seven knives and a steel. 2004 W. Puck Makes it Easy 270/2 I recommend storing knives in a block with horizontal slots or, if you have vertical slots, with the cutting edge facing up. 5. a. A lump of wood, stone, etc., that obstructs one's way; a bar, an obstacle, an obstruction. Chiefly figurative and in figurative contexts.See also stumbling-block n. ΘΚΠ the world > action or operation > difficulty > hindrance > [noun] > one who or that which hinders > a hindrance, impediment, or obstacle hinderc1200 withsetting1340 obstaclec1385 traversea1393 mara1400 bayc1440 stoppagec1450 barrace1480 blocka1500 objecta1500 clog1526 stumbling-stone1526 bar1530 (to cast) a trump in (one's) way1548 stumbling-stock1548 hindrance1576 a log in one's way1579 crossbar1582 log1589 rub1589 threshold1600 scotch1601 dam1602 remora1604 obex1611 obstructiona1616 stumbling-blocka1616 fence1639 affront1642 retardance1645 stick1645 balk1660 obstruent1669 blockade1683 sprun1684 spoke1689 cross cause1696 uncomplaisance1707 barrier1712 obstruct1747 dike1770 abatis1808 underbrush1888 bunker1900 bump1909 sprag1914 hurdle1924 headwind1927 mudhole1933 monkey wrench1937 roadblock1945 a1500 in R. L. Greene Early Eng. Carols (1935) 287 (MED) Ale mak many a mane to stombyll at the blokkes. 1597 J. Payne Royall Exchange 38 At which common block many weakelings do stumble. 1660 E. Nicholas Let. 22 June in Papers (1920) IV. 240 But now that block of offence wilbe remoued. a1718 W. Penn Life in Wks. (1726) I. 2 A Block in the Way to Preferment. 1874 Presbyterian Monthly Rec. Sept. 260 Their leading elder is a block in the way of collections for benevolent causes of the church. 1997 J. B. Elshtain & C. Beem in J. Higham Civil Rights & Social Wrongs viii. 153 Walter Lippmann..fretted that American diversity was too great and had become a block in the way of order, purpose, and discipline. b. A piece or wedge of wood or other material placed closely against the wheel of a vehicle, esp. an aircraft, to keep it stationary; = chock n.¹ 5c.See also block hour n., blocktime n. 2.In quot. 1830 in figurative context, and perhaps showing a contextual use of sense 3a. ΘΚΠ society > travel > air or space travel > airfield or airport > [noun] > block placed under wheel of plane chock1917 block1930 1830 Dover Gaz. & Strafford Advertiser (New Hampsh.) 21 Sept. 1/5 A cart, which had been separated from its team, came rolling down the hill with great swiftness... The Jackson man, catching up a large block that lay in the way, ran towards the vehicle, threw it under the wheels and stopped its progress. 1866 Chelmsford Chron. 27 Apr. 8/4 One of the men in charge incautiously removed the blocks from the wheels, and the street being on the descent, the wagon ran backward. 1891 C. Gray Bolton et al. against W. Schriever et al.: Appeal Bk. (Court of Appeals State of N.Y.) 24 You say you blocked this very car that ran over your hand?..I put the block under the wheel, under the lower wheel on the incline down. 1905 Pop. Mech. May 535/1 Block the front wheel [of the bicycle] with a block on each side of the wheel, one in front and one at the rear. 1930 P. White How to fly Airplane xiii. 189 You must remove the blocks from under the wheels. 2006 R. A. Marquise Scotbom xxxiii. 204 The flight arrived in Frankfurt at 11:42 GMT and was on the blocks at 11:50. 6. a. A wooden stump or stone structure from which to mount a horse.See also mounting block n. ΘΚΠ society > travel > transport > riding on horse (or other animal) > [noun] > mounting a horse > mounting-block mounting place1490 riding block1570 block1614 mounting block1659 horsing stone1661 horsing-block1662 upping-stocka1697 joss-block1706 horse-block1713 mounting stone1794 upping-block1796 upping-stone1809 horse-steps1828 leaping-on-stone1837 stepping-stone1837 stirrup-stone1838 pillion stone1907 1562 J. Shute tr. A. Cambini in Two Comm. Turcks i. sig. A.iii^v He caused him to be brought and to sit him downe vpon his knees & elbowes. And thus vsed him in stede of a block [It. scanno] to go to his horse on. 1615 G. Markham Countrey Contentments i. ii. 40 Ever obseruing to mount and dismount at the block onely. 1841 J. W. Orderson Creoleana viii. 76 [He] rode dashingly up to the block. 1950 B. L. Kearley Let's go Hunting iii. 33 Obediently mounting on the old stone block. 2005 N. Scott Special Needs, Special Horses vii. 48 The leader guides horse up close to block. b. Usually in plural. A shaped rigid structure for bracing the feet of a runner at the start of a race. More generally: any structure from which a competitor starts a race. Also in figurative contexts, with reference to the start of any enterprise, activity, etc. Cf. starting block n. 2, 3.Such blocks now usually form a pair, connected together in a single unit.Recorded earliest in starting block n. 2. Π 1910 Boston Post 10 Feb. 13/2 The use of starting blocks in all short distance races in which spike shoes are prohibited. 1930 L. W. Olds Track Athletics 26 Care should be taken that the blocks are firmly implanted in the ground and properly adjusted to each athlete. 1987 S. Barr & J. Poppy Flame xii. 87 Relay runners timed their handoffs, sprinters bounced up and down in the blocks. 2012 Snooker Scene Mar. 23/3 Trump flew from the blocks with a 109 break in the first frame. 7. a. Hat-making. A mould, typically made of wood and in the form of a whole hat, or just the crown, on which the fabric is shaped when making or reshaping a hat; = hat block n.See also half block n. 2. ΘΚΠ the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > tailoring or making clothes > making headgear > [noun] > hat-making > equipment > block or mould blockhead1549 block1575 hat block1653 hat die1883 1573 G. Gascoigne Hundreth Sundrie Flowres 379 A Coptanckt hatte made on a Flemmishe blocke. 1604 T. Dekker & T. Middleton Honest Whore v. ii. 144 We haue blockes for all heads. 1796 J. Ebers New & Compl. Dict. German & Eng. Lang. I. 929/1 Einen Hut über die Form schlagen, to put a Hat on the Block, to draw it over the Block. 1858 N. Hawthorne Jrnl. 19 Feb. in French & Ital. Notebks. (1980) ii. 85 Wolsey's hat..might have been made on the same block. 1916 Amer. Hatter Aug. 113/1 Turn the hats that require stiffening, turn them inside out and pull them down over any block that will fit into them easily. ?1920 Instructions Hat Cleaning, Renovating & Blocking (Hatters' Supply House) 7 After hat is cleaned and dried proceed with the blocking,—that is, the process of pulling hat on block and fitting it on tightly and smoothly. 2005 C. A. Hagen Fabulous Felt Hats 13/2 This band is pulled over the hat body for the final shaping on the block and keeps the felt stretched. †b. figurative. A particular shape, style, or fashion of hat. Obsolete (archaic and rare after the early 17th cent.). ΘΚΠ the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > types or styles of clothing > headgear > [noun] > hat > shape, style, or fashion of block1580 1580 J. Lyly Euphues & his Eng. (new ed.) f. 51^v A Hat of the..best blocke in all Italy. 1600 W. Shakespeare Much Ado about Nothing i. i. 73 He weares his faith but as the fashion of his hat, it euer changes with the next blocke . View more context for this quotation 1612 S. Rowlands More Knaues Yet 6 Hats of newest blocke. 1820 W. Scott Abbot II. x. 329 A beaver hat of the newest block. c. In extended use: a person's head or face. slang in later use.In later use chiefly in phrases: see Phrases 7. ΘΚΠ the world > life > the body > external parts of body > head > [noun] nolleOE headOE topa1225 copc1264 scalpa1300 chiefc1330 crownc1330 jowla1400 poll?a1400 testea1400 ball in the hoodc1400 palleta1425 noddle?1507 costard?1515 nab?1536 neck1560 coxcomb1567 sconce1567 now1568 headpiece1579 mazer1581 mazardc1595 cockcomb1602 costrel1604 cranion1611 pasha1616 noddle pate1622 block1635 cranium1647 sallet1652 poundrel1664 nob1699 crany?1730 knowledge box1755 noodle1762 noggin1769 napper1785 garret1796 pimple1811 knowledge-casket1822 coco1828 cobbra1832 coconut1834 top-piece1838 nut1841 barnet1857 twopenny1859 chump1864 topknot1869 conk1870 masthead1884 filbert1886 bonce1889 crumpet1891 dome1891 roof1897 beanc1905 belfry1907 hat rack1907 melon1907 box1908 lemon1923 loaf1925 pound1933 sconec1945 nana1966 1637 J. Shirley Lady of Pleasure ii. sig. D2 Buy a Beaver For thy owne blocke. 1705 Compl. Acad. Complements 45 Keep your Hat on the Block, salute few bare-headed, especially in Winter there is much danger in it. 1829 P. Egan Boxiana New Ser. II. 340 The Great Unknown..was seen to scratch his block in a most significant manner. 1862 H. Kingsley Ravenshoe II. ix. 86 I cleaned a groom's boots a Toosday, and he punched my block because I blacked the tops. 1961 B. Crump Hang on a Minute Mate 181 He never done his block about anything that went wrong. 2009 W. L. Stolley Voices Arrive i. 4 ‘This isn't easy,’ Villi mumbled... ‘Use your block!’ Li shot back. d. A rounded piece of wood or (in later use) other material on which wigs are made and displayed.Recorded earliest in barber's block: see barber's block n. 1. ΚΠ ?1685 Consolatory Epist. to D. T. O. 3 Your Head, on a Stall, like a Barber's Block, looks something bald and singular. 1754 Connoisseur No. 36 Their heads..have worn as many different kinds of wigs as the block at their barber's. 1838 R. Southey Poet. Wks. III. 318 From such a barber..was that portrait made, I think, or per adventure from his block. 1966 J. Stevens Cox Illustr. Dict. Hairdressing & Wigmaking Block,..Wooden mounting block on which are made wigs and other postiches. 2004 J. Conway Make-up Artistry xiii. 304/1 The size relates to the head circumference that is indicated on the base of the block. e. More generally: a piece of wood or other material on which an item of clothing is shaped, fashioned, or moulded, such as a tailor's or dressmaker's dummy, a shoemaker's last, etc.See also tailor's block n.In quot. 1691 figurative, with reference to the successive layers of growth on a tree. ΘΚΠ the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > tailoring or making clothes > [noun] > equipment > dummy poupée1748 dressmaker's dummy1864 tailor's dummy1889 tailor's block1896 1691 J. Ray Wisdom of God 77 Which Coat..serves as a Form or Block to sustain the succeeding annual Coat. 1833 S. Austin Characteristics Goethe I. p. xxv It is true that a work of Art may be made to inculcate a moral.., or to teach a scientific truth—just as the Apollo Belvedere might serve as a tailor's block—but are these the aims of Art? 1882 Brit. Med. Jrnl. 28 Jan. 131/1 Comparing a statue of the Venus of Milo..with a fashionable dressmaker's block on which corsets are moulded. 1993 M. Wolfe Hadj ii. 25 From there we passed into a field of leather shoes and cobblers' blocks. 8. Falconry. A perch for a bird of prey, spec. an outdoor perch for a falcon. ΘΚΠ the world > animals > birds > order Falconiformes (falcons, etc.) > [noun] > family Falconidae > genus Falco (falcon) > perch of block1844 1584 in Corr. P. Waus (1887) I. 313 The best halk that is can nocht be reddy to tak af hir blok afoir the last of this moneth. 1619 E. Bert Approved Treat. Hawkes iii. 94 They [sc. mites] are soonest gotten from the pearch or blocke where an other hawke hath sate that haue had the mites. 1773 J. Campbell Treat. Mod. Faulconry 41 Hawks perching on their blocks in stately order. 1844 Hist. Berwickshire Naturalists' Club 2 97 The hawk..was soon receiving..a good meal of beef upon her block. 1912 A. C. Ladd Hieronymus Rides xii. 120 She..held out her hand to Hierome's white falcon on the block beside her. 2014 H. MacDonald H is for Hawk xxvii. 256 The plangent sound of hawk-bells drifts through the open window each time the falcons bate from their blocks on the lawn. †9. The target in a game of quoits or bowls; a peg or jack. Obsolete. rare. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > quoits > [noun] > peg hob1589 block1598 pin1763 tee1789 pinhead1897 society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > ball game > bowls or bowling > [noun] > jack master-bowl1530 master1579 mistressa1586 block1598 mistress bowl1598 Jacka1616 mark1630 jack bowl1653 tee1789 kitty1898 1598 J. Florio Worlde of Wordes at Buttiro A maister or mistres of boules or coites, whereat the plaiers cast or play: some call it the blocke. 10. a. Usually in plural. Originally: (Shipbuilding) any of the solid pieces of timber placed under the keel to support it during building or in dry dock (cf. blocking n.² 2(a)). Later also more generally: a piece of wood, brick, etc., used to support, brace, or raise something, esp. a motor vehicle needing repair or lacking wheels.In shipbuilding contexts, see also keel-block n. ΘΚΠ society > travel > travel by water > vessel, ship, or boat > shipbuilding and repairing > [noun] > slip on which ships built or repaired > framework on which vessel rests > blocks or planks supporting shorec1440 ground-ways1711 shole1711 ribband1779 block1850 breast shore1851 cleat1856 trussc1860 bilge-block1862 1711 W. Sutherland Ship-builders Assistant 158 Blocks, hard knotty Timber to lay under a Ship. 1794 W. Felton Treat. Carriages I. 135 Those platforms, raisers or blocks, are added to a carriage either as matter of necessity or appearance... Their use is to elevate and support the budget, boot, hind foot-boards and springs. 1849 H. W. Longfellow Building of Ship in Seaside & Fireside 12 ‘Thus,’ said he, ‘will we build this ship! Lay square the blocks upon the slip.’ 1953 R. S. Wentworth et al. Knight's Mod. Seamanship (ed. 12) iii. 65 No blocks or shores must be allowed to come up against any fittings, projections or parts of the hull itself which would be damaged by heavy local pressures. 2013 R. Rowell Eleanor & Park xlviii. 283 A car up on blocks in the middle of the garage. b. A square piece of wood glued into the angle at a joint to strengthen it; = blocking n.² 2(c). ΘΚΠ the world > space > relative position > support > [noun] > that which supports > supporting blocks riser1800 blocking1823 block- 1826 T. Martin Carpenters' & Joiners' Instructor 168 All the blocks must be glued on and dried, before the last stave can be fastened. 1836 J. F. Davis Chinese II. xi. 33 As a good carpenter throws away no blocks, so a good general has no men unemployed. 1991 B. Porter & C. Tooke Carpentry & Joinery (ed. 2) III. 259 Care should be taken to avoid any potential block shrinkage by either housing the architrave into the block or using a material of minimal shrinkage such as MDF. c. In a sawmill: a support which holds the log on the carriage while it is being sawn; = head block n. 3. Now rare. ΚΠ 1848 Ann. Rep. Commissioner Patents 1847 79 in U.S. Congress. Serial Set (30th Congr., 1st Sess.: House of Representatives Executive Doc. 54) VI The distance which the block must travel against the saw for an entire separation of the shingle, depends not only upon the length of the block but upon its thickness. 1952 C. J. Telford Sawmill Operator's Man. 101/1 The carriage is moved to bring the next headblock opposite the mark on the saw and measurement is taken as for the first block as before. 11. A piece of wood or metal carved or engraved for printing on paper or fabric, or for embossing designs. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > the arts > visual arts > printmaking > engraving > relief engraving > [noun] > wood engraving and cutting > block block1728 hand block1775 wood-block1837 wood1839 process block1884 1728 E. Chambers Cycl. at Cutting The Cutters in Wood begin with preparing a Plank or Block. 1780 R. Burrow Compan. Ladies Diary 6 Engraving wooden blocks for printing pictures with the letter-press. 1837 N. Whittock et al. Compl. Bk. Trades (1842) 94 They [sc. calico-printers] have from the earliest period used blocks and stencils to produce the pattern. 1855 Mechanics' Mag. 1 Sept. 211/2 The fabric..is..embossed by a block on which a suitable pattern is cut. 1946 J. Mason Edition Case Binding 214 Aluminium or electrotype plates..are used for those books which do not justify the cost of engraving blocks. 2009 R. Baynton-Williams Art of Printmaker 167/1 Baxter used as many as 27 blocks for one print, because he was not able to alter the tone of a colour. 12. In haberdashery: a length of fabric or ribbon wrapped around a board for storage and display. Now rare. ΘΚΠ the world > textiles and clothing > textiles > textile fabric or an article of textile fabric > textile fabric > [noun] > roll bolt1407 gib1526 round1661 ringe1726 block1905 1798 Manch. Mercury 2 Oct. One Hundred Blocks of Ribbon, and Five or Six Dozen Pair Leather Gloves. 1871 S. D. Nickerson Bread-winners xii. 142 Miriam's face was crimson as she took the block of ribbon from the show-case. 1934 H. G. Wells Exper. Autobiogr. i. iv. 149 Wrappered blocks labelled incomprehensibly Hard Book or Turkey Twill. 13. a. U.S. The stump or raised platform on which a person stood when being sold as a slave at auction. Now historical.See also auction block n. 1. ΘΠ society > trade and finance > selling > [noun] > stand or board on which goods exposed > block on which slaves stood catasta1650 block1853 sale-block1887 1828 N.-Y. Spectator 5 Feb. ‘A negro for sale’ is a beautiful group, worthy of the pencil of a master. The poor slave stands on a block, with only a rag round his loins. 1989 New Yorker 15 May 43 Smith put her father on the block and he was sold to someone in the South. 2018 Obsidian 44 106 You saw her on the block? b. A place or facility for the auction of goods. Frequently in on the block: offered for sale, esp. through a bidding process.See also auction block n. 2. ΘΠ society > trade and finance > trading place > place of auction > [noun] auction-house1682 vendue house1755 auction-room1767 sale-room1813 auction-mart1821 sales room1840 1858 Rep. Court of Claims: T. C. Nye vs. U.S. 60 in U.S. Congress. Serial Set (1859) (35th Congr., 2nd Sess.: House of Representatives C.C. Rep. 177) I We have not followed every separate horse, &c., to the auctioneer's block, or to the hands of the purchaser. 1944 Motion Picture Herald 21 Oct. 12/1 So far, during this year a total of 101 radio stations have gone on the block, many selling for 10 times their original cost. 2016 S. de Pury & W. Stadiem Auctioneer iii. 23 Next on the block were two of the world's most valuable Picassos. 14. In the context of butchery: the carcass of an animal. Chiefly in block test: a calculation or estimation of the weight of such a carcass, sometimes based on an assessment of the live animal. Now rare. ΘΚΠ the world > food and drink > food > animals for food > beef > [noun] > cattle for slaughter > carcass of bullock block1893 the world > food and drink > food > food manufacture and preparation > preparation for table or cooking > preparation of meat > [noun] > butchery > test of weight block test1893 1879 Cultivator & Country Gentleman (Albany, N.Y.) 4 Dec. 778/4 It must be borne in mind that when beef in the carcass is brought to the block test there are three different parties directly interested in the result. 1893 Westm. Gaz. 8 Mar. 9/1 The ‘block test’..used by Mr. M^cJannet, of Stirling... A set of tables by which, when the weight of the live bullock is ascertained, the weight of the ‘block’ as it hangs up in the flesher's shop for sale can be established within about a couple of pounds. 1950 Dundee Courier 10 Aug. 4/3 In the block test competition Mr A. C. Niven..guessed the weight of the bullock..to the exact pound. 1973 Rep. Breeding & Production Organisation (Milk Marketing Board) No. 23. 53 The Board provided a part carcase from a Warren Farm fattened animal for a ‘block test’ in the main ring. 15. A large piece of cast metal containing the cylinders (and sometimes also other parts) of an internal combustion engine.Cf. engine block n. (b) at engine n. Compounds 2, cylinder block n. at cylinder n. Compounds 2a. Π 1909 U.S. Patent 256,633 2/2 The combination of a reservoir, a block therein, a series of cylinders in the block, a series of pistons in the cylinders, a shaft journaled in the block, cams thereon for actuating the pumps. 1978 Motor Boating Oct. 54/3 Buy a factory new ‘short block’ assembly from your marine engine dealer. This will consist of the engine block and all rotating and reciprocating parts. 2021 Independent (Nexis) 8 July The heaters are used to keep the block warm in extreme cold temperatures. A unit, division, or area. 16.** a. Originally Scottish. A large quantity or amount of something (originally physical, later also immaterial) regarded together or as a unit; spec. (Finance) a large quantity of bonds, shares, etc., sold as a unit.Recorded earliest (as a mass noun) in in block: see Phrases 1. ΘΚΠ society > trade and finance > stocks and shares > stocks, shares, or bonds > [noun] > block of block1870 tranche1930 c1485 ( G. Hay Bk. Law of Armys (2005) 137 Na jn his condicioun of feying was diuisioun maid of his wageing, bot jn blok and somme. 1546 in R. Renwick Extracts Rec. Stirling (1887) I. 44 Ye avansit you thairof sayand ye had put ane blok in Striveling of the pest that suld nevir gang furth of it. 1618 Edinb. Test. L. f. 52 in Dict. Older Sc. Tongue (at cited word) The defunctis part of ane blok of herreine. 1865 Boston Daily Advertiser 11 Dec. One officer gets a ‘block’ of 200 shares; another of 100. 1943 Mich. Technic Oct. 28/3 The next block of tickets are reserved for season ticket purchasers. 2004 BusinessWeek 16 Feb. 67/3 When Merrill Lynch & Co.'s trading desk matches a buyer and seller on a large block of stock, it must send the trade to the specialist for execution. b. A number of sheets of paper fastened together at one edge so as to form a block, from which sheets may be removed one by one as used. Cf. pad n.² 10a.Recorded earliest in sketching block: see sketching n. 2. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > the arts > visual arts > painting and drawing > equipment for painting or drawing > [noun] > surface for painting or drawing > paper > drawing book drawing book1672 flower-book1753 sketchbook1837 block1865 sketching-block1865 sketch-pad1961 society > communication > writing > writing materials > material to write on > paper > [noun] > pad of paper paper-book1548 writing book1580 pad1857 writing block1861 tablet1867 writing tablet1874 writing pad1880 legal pad1882 block1908 1841 B. Jackson Course Mil. Surv. (ed. 2) i. 4 Sketching blocks have lately been used.., for sketching and plotting in the field, and found very convenient. 1908 Outlook 26 Sept. 397/1 With pencil and scribbling-block in his hand. 1984 K. Hulme Bone People (1985) ii. 63 She doodled with a fine-tip on a block of heavily textured paper, making tangles of lines. 1996 Sunday Times 1 Dec. 12/5 I always take three books, my palette, watercolour block, my brushes, little fold-up chairs and hats for the sun. c. Philately. A group of four or more stamps, comprising at least two rows and columns, which have not been separated. Cf. sheet n.¹ 5d. ΘΠ society > leisure > entertainment > pastimes > hobby > collecting stamps > [noun] > related matters perforation gauge1882 plate number1912 cover1923 first-day cover1926 1887 J. K. Tiffany Hist. Postage Stamps U.S.A. xviii. 108 A block of four used, adhering 2 and 2, is possessed by Mr. Sterling. 1936 R. Graves Antigua, Penny, Puce (1947) i. 13 An unused block of Newfoundland five-cents. 1982 J. Mackay Guinness Bk. Stamps 146 Britain had issued multiple strips and blocks of stamps (each with separate designs) from 1965. 2004 Stamp Mag. Aug. 30/2 A block of 10d Prussian blue Wildings with St. Edward's crown watermark from September 22, 1955 has been discovered with notable shade differences compared to normal. 17. a. Originally North American; later chiefly Australian and New Zealand. Each of the large lots into which land is divided for settlement and development, mining, etc.; any (fairly) large area of land. Later also: (Australian) an urban or suburban building plot.See also back blocks n. ΘΚΠ society > inhabiting and dwelling > inhabited place > a building > [noun] > site of or for (a) building(s) toft1001 stead1246 sole1417 sitea1443 plota1450 toftstead1524 ground-plat?a1560 ground-plot1580 seat1615 parterre1671 building-lot1701 emplacement1780 steading1822 building-place1839 block1840 subdivision1857 building-ground1858 building-estate1885 building-land1905 island site1907 island plot1908 tract1912 society > inhabiting and dwelling > inhabited place > district in relation to human occupation > a land or country > part of country or district > [noun] endc893 shirec893 estrec1275 sidec1325 bounds1340 provincea1382 partc1400 landmark1550 tract1553 canton1601 neighbourhood1652 district1712 section1785 circumscription1831 location1833 block1840 strip1873 1785 E. Winslow Let. 2 Mar. in W. O. Raymond Winslow Papers (1901) (modernized text) 272 If the land which it is necessary to possess for that purpose falls within a Block assigned to a provincial Corps..the regiment of settlers would not oppose such a Grant. 1841 W. Deans Let. 25 Mar. (1937) 31 We are insured our land, but are bound..to take the 110,000 acres for the principal settlement in one continuous block, round Port Nicholson... The boundaries of the block are now pretty well defined. 1872 Acts S. Austral. 35 & 36 Vict. No. 18. §24 No person shall hold..more than three separate and detached blocks of land; and such area shall..be comprised in one block. 1890 ‘R. Boldrewood’ Miner's Right viii The law said, if the ground was under a hundred feet deep it was no frontage, and must be worked on the block... The Liberator Lead was no frontage lead—but block, that is, ground to be worked in ordinary block claims. 1909 B. R. Wise Commonw. Austral. 113 27,000 acres, in forty-acre blocks. 1950 N.Z. Jrnl. Agric. Oct. 293/2 Old fences were removed..and new ones erected to subdivide the run into blocks of convenient size. 2000 A. F. Millington Prop. Devel. viii. 111 Existing building blocks as determined by the street layout may be too small to allow the development of appropriately sized buildings. b. Oil Industry. A group of contiguous areas of sea or land leased as a single unit for purposes of drilling, exploration, etc. Π 1921 Oil & Gas News 17 Feb. 32/2 They had an interest in the oil block, and the entire connection owns and controls thousands of acres of fine land. 1969 Jrnl. Inst. Navigation 22 421 The first area to be taken up as a complete block is the Persian Gulf, an area where we are the main charting authority. 1996 Financial Times 11 Jan. 4/4 The ‘Ruby’ field south of Vung Tau, one of the country's few promising oil blocks. 18. a. Originally North American. An area occupied by houses or other buildings in close proximity to each other, with no intervening spaces; esp. one of the quadrangular areas, bounded by four streets, into which a planned city or town is divided; the buildings occupying such an area, regarded collectively. ΘΚΠ society > inhabiting and dwelling > inhabited place > a building > [noun] > buildings > connected massif1524 isle1670 squarea1684 block1796 insula1832 city block1843 island1897 1796 Aurora (Philadelphia) 13 Dec. The whole block of buildings included between that slip, Front Street, and the Fly Market. 1843 C. Dickens Martin Chuzzlewit (1844) xvi. 203 A neighbouring bar-room, which..was ‘only in the next block’. 1855 Act 18 & 19 Victoria cxx. §74 A group or block of contiguous houses..may be drained more economically..in combination. 1901 W. Churchill Crisis i. xii. 99 He walked around the block twice..before he composed himself to enter the Carvel mansion. 1963 J. T. Story Something for Nothing vi. 214 Outside the office there was nowhere to park... She cruised round the block twice, then finally double-parked and hurried into the building. 2018 D. Guerrero in A. Ferrera Amer. like Me 91 On my block, we'd sit outside with neighbors and listen to Puerto Rican freestyle like Stevie B or Lil Suzy. b. Originally North American. The length of one side of a quadrangular area in a planned city or town (see sense 18a), used as an approximate unit of distance. Also figurative. Cf. block-long adj. at Compounds 6. Π 1878 Scribner's Monthly July 353/1 Every street and broad alley in the city [sc. New York] is divided into a series of ‘posts’ or ‘beats’..which vary in length according to the locality, some in the northern part of the island being many blocks in length, while others in the lower wards are scarcely two blocks long. 1937 C. Himes Black on Black (1973) 129 This little white lain pulled up out front in a big Lincoln touring a block long. 1967 Listener 18 May 666/3 Decca's stereo is of course many blocks ahead of the Brain disc. 2006 Sunday Times 19 Mar. 27/1 He pushed the rack [of coats] with a broken wheel 20 blocks across Manhattan..rather than risk having them creased in the back of a taxi. 19. a. A large single building, esp. one containing a number of flats or offices. Frequently (chiefly British) in block of flats. Later also: a building, section of a building, or other structure containing a number of rooms of a specified type.See also apartment block n., cellblock n., office block n., shower block n., tower block n., etc. ΘΚΠ society > inhabiting and dwelling > inhabited place > a building > types of building generally > [noun] > large building block1849 castle1886 1805 Boston Directory 4 Dock square, from Elm Street, Southward to Cornhill, and Eastward to the corner opposite the West end of Faneuil Hall, including the block of stores in the centre. 1848 T. S. Cutting Buffalo City Directory 6 The corner of Commercial street and the Terrace, where the fine block of stores called the Sidway Block now stands. 1856 Civil Engineer & Architect's Jrnl. 19 147/1 It will perhaps be the largest block of offices which have been yet erected in Liverpool. 1901 Daily News 20 Apr. 4/5 The owner of a block of flats sued a tenant for a quarter's rent. 1933 Discovery Aug. 254/1 The designers of large blocks. 1969 Times 20 Oct. 9/5 Like the great bulk of Glasgow's nineteenth century housing Bernard Street consists of four-storey tenement blocks. 2019 B. Evaristo Girl Woman Other (2020) i. 8 She landed a one-bedroom housing association flat in a small fifties block in Bloomsbury. †b. U.S. A detached defensive building, typically square, of one or two storeys; a blockhouse (blockhouse n. 1a). Obsolete. ΘΚΠ society > armed hostility > defence > defensive work(s) > castle or fortified building > [noun] > blockhouse or pill-box blockhouse1512 Puntal1702 block1829 pillar box1916 pillbox1917 1829 J. F. Cooper Wept of Wish-ton-wish I. vii. 108 He that is wise, however, will take but little of the latter, until his head be safely housed within some such building as yon block. 1860 P. B. St. John Amy Moss (new ed.) ii. 34 Harrod, as the most experienced hunter of the block, started into the woods as a scout. 20. a. Needlework. A regularly shaped (usually square) unit in a patchwork design. ΚΠ 1843 Universalist Union 14 Jan. 137/2 [The quilt] contained eighty-five whole ‘blocks’ as the ladies term them, and twenty-six ‘half blocks’, each having the name of the person who wrought it, in the centre. 1929 R. E. Finley Old Patchwork Quilts xi. 126 The quilt shown..presents the original somewhat crude but very old type of ‘Rose of Sharon’ block. 2006 Quilter's Newslet. Mag. June 32/1 Examination..reveals the use of such traditional quilt blocks as Nine Patch, Grandmother's Fan, Flying Geese,..and Snail's Trail. b. A flat area of something, esp. colour, more or less evenly distributed. Π 1861 Fife Herald 30 May We would state that the field or block of blue should be perfectly square. 1892 Postage Stamps Brit. India & Ceylon 38 On either side..there is a triangular block of colour containing white triangular ornamentation. 1967 Daily Graphic 9 Aug. 5/5 Not with a solid block of shading, but with individual, short, hair-like strokes. 2012 Gloss (Nexis) 8 Oct. She added, ‘I didn't fill it in,’ meaning it was only the outline of a heart, not a solid block of ink. 21. Railways. Any of the sections of track into which a railway line is divided by a signalling system. Also more fully block section. Frequently, and earliest, as a modifier: cf. Compounds 1d.Each section is protected by signals in such a way that, generally speaking, only one train may occupy a block at any one time. Cf. blocking n.² 10.Recorded earliest in block system n. at Compounds 4. Π 1864 Realm 29 June 1 The only remedy for the danger is the adoption of what is technically called the ‘block system.’ 1869 Cornhill Mag. Mar. 281 This system of an interval of space is technically called the ‘block’ system... To carry it into effect, a railway is divided into blocks or divisions, which may be of equal or unequal lengths, without affecting the principle. 1873 Rep. Select Comm. House of Lords Regulation of Railways Bill 55 in Parl. Papers (H.C. 148) XIV. 421 Our suburban traffic was so seriously delayed in the mornings between half-past eight and half-past ten when there is a great pressure for the City, that we were obliged to put in an intermediate block section. 1917 W. G. Raymond Elem. Railroad Engin. (ed. 3) x. 129 In the automatic block system the signal at the entrance of each block is power-operated, usually electric. 1963 G. M. Kichenside & A. R. Williams Brit. Railway Signalling v. 46 The signal controlling entry to the block section can only be cleared..when the block indicator for the section ahead is at ‘line clear’. 2003 B. Solomon Railroad Signaling v. 113/1 The limits of the block may need to be adjusted to accommodate a variety of special situations, such as the location of stations, highway crossings, bridges, and sharp curves. 22. Australian and New Zealand. With the. Frequently with capital initial. A street or area in a city or town in which it is fashionable to promenade. Frequently in to do the block: to promenade in such a street or area. Now historical.Originally with specific reference to a section of Collins Street in Melbourne; cf. quot. 1872. ΘΚΠ society > travel > aspects of travel > going on foot > on foot [phrase] > leisurely or idly to do the block1869 society > travel > means of travel > route or way > way, path, or track > path or place for walking > [noun] > promenade maidan?1551 parado1612 promenade1648 mailc1660 esplanade1682 parade1697 outwalk1698 mall1710 alameda1717 paseo1832 walk1843 block1869 broadwalk1930 1868 Australasian (Melbourne) 6 June (Town ed.) 721/4 I was surprised to see so many people ‘doing the block’. 1872 J. H. Kerr Glimpses Life in Victoria 349 A certain portion of Collins Street, lined by the best drapers' and jewellers' shops..is known as ‘The Block’. 1916 J. B. Cooper Coo-oo-ee i. 14 When I go to town I'm crowded on the Block, I can't breathe. 1920 Greymouth (N.Z.) Evening Star 8 Mar. 6 The main thoroughfare is very short and very narrow, and it does not take long to ‘do the block’. 1991 Canberra Times 1 May 20/1 Promenading down Swanston Street had been a favourite pursuit in the 1800s and early 1900s, when the area was part of ‘The Block’ and ‘doing the Block’ was very fashionable. 23. Mathematics. A rectangular subdivision of a matrix; a submatrix; esp. each of several obtained by partitioning the set of rows and the set of columns of a matrix. Also as a modifier, esp. in block matrix n. at Compounds 4. Π 1903 Trans. Amer. Math. Soc. 4 259 Let us consider first the rectangular block on each side of this equation in the square array of the product and lying in the strip i horizontally and j vertically, i ≠ j. 1959 F. R. Gantmacher Theory of Matrices I. 42 For ‘block’ multiplication of these matrices we require..that the partitioning into blocks be such that the horizontal dimensions in the first factor are the same as the corresponding vertical dimensions in the second. 2012 W. Cheney & D. Kincaid Linear Algebra (ed. 2) viii. 508 Frequently, it is convenient to partition matrices into submatrices (called blocks) and to carry out matrix operations using the blocks. 24. An alliance of states, political parties, people, or groups, formed to further a particular goal or interest; = bloc n.Recorded earliest in Soviet block n.See also communist block n., Eastern block n., sterling block n., etc. ΘΚΠ society > authority > rule or government > politics > party politics > a party > [noun] > a combination of parties bloc1903 block1925 front1926 alliance1963 1919 Times 19 Apr. 9/5 The Soviet block, consisting of Russia, the Ukraine, Germany and Serbia, would easily be able to deal with the industrial opposition of the capitalistic States. 1925 M. Eastman Since Lenin Died ii. 19 To perfect and solidify the block which they had already formed against him among the leaders of the party. 1940 Manch. Guardian Weekly 12 July 25 Working for the entry of France into a vast Continental block with Germany and Italy as the chief partners. 1991 Economist 29 June 62/3 The 25-member [Jordanian] government..excludes any member of the Muslim Brotherhood, the largest political block in parliament. 25. Computing. a. Originally: a group of adjacent storage locations on magnetic tape; (also) a group of records saved in such locations. In later use: a group of records or data treated as a single unit in operations such as memory processing, storage, and transfer, or in data transmission; (also) the location or locations in memory where such a group of data is saved. ΘΠ society > computing and information technology > hardware > [noun] > primary storage or main memory > areas or blocks memory cell1892 storage location1949 cell1950 society > computing and information technology > hardware > [noun] > memory > position of > set of block1948 page1948 bank1953 array1957 stack1960 vector1961 1948 Math. Tables & Other Aids Computation 3 11 Characterizing a block of data on a table tape by a single block number. 1964 Ann. N.Y. Acad. Sci. 115 663 Reels of ¾ inch-wide tape which contain 512 consecutively numbered blocks, each capable of storing 256 12-bit numbers. 1970 IEEE Trans. Power Apparatus & Syst. 89 152/1 By the storage organization described and the chaining procedure, it is evident that the list of a given row can start anywhere within the storage block and end anywhere within the same block. 1981 G. C. Clark & J. B. Cain Error-Correction Coding Digital Communications vi. 227 The information sequence is segmented into blocks which are encoded independently. 2015 P. J. Denning & C. H. Martell Great Princ. Computing iv. 68 The first five bits of the second block send an appropriate signal. b. A sequence of statements treated as a single unit in a computer program; (in later use) esp. the basic organizing unit of a block-structured programming language (cf. block-structured adj. at Compounds 4). ΘΠ society > computing and information technology > programming language > program or code > [noun] > set of instructions routine1945 procedure1946 subroutinec1946 subprogramme1947 block1948 module1963 partition1971 script1978 1955 Ordnance Computer Res. Rep. 15 July 5 The Subroutine may be thought of as a block of coding..which is used so frequently in different problems that it becomes an individual unit. 1964 A. Lytel Fund. Data Processing iv. 202 A block is a series of declarations and statements enclosed between the words begin and end. 1996 Proc. 12th Internat. Conf. Data Engin. 451/2 The outer query block can be represented by the following abstract pseudo-code: foreach (x ∈ X) { SubQuery Result = CS(x); Process(SubQueryResult);}. 2021 T. Long Good Code, Bad Code v. 117 A function defines a block of code that runs when the function is called. II. Senses derived from block v.¹In some uses overlapping with sense 5a. 26. a. Cricket. (a) A defensive stroke by the batter, intended to protect the wicket rather than to score runs; = block shot n. (a) at Compounds 4. In later use largely merged in sense 26d. Cf. block v.¹ 2a(a). ΘΠ society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > ball game > cricket > batting > [noun] > types of stroke long ball1744 nip1752 catch1816 no-hit1827 cut1833 short hit1833 draw1836 drive1836 square hit1837 skylarker1839 skyer1840 skyscraper1842 back-cut1845 bum1845 leg sweep1846 slog1846 square cut1850 driver1851 Harrow drive1851 leg slip1852 poke1853 snick1857 snorter1859 leg stroke1860 smite1861 on-drive1862 bump ball1864 rocketer1864 pull1865 grass trimmer1867 late cut1867 off-drive1867 spoon1871 push1873 push stroke1873 smack1875 Harrow drive1877 pull-stroke1880 leg glance1883 gallery-hit1884 boundary-stroke1887 glide1888 sweep1888 boundary1896 hook1896 leg glide1896 backstroke1897 flick1897 hook stroke1897 cover-drive1898 straight drive1898 square drive1900 edger1905 pull-drive1905 slash1906 placing stroke1907 push drive1912 block shot1915 if-shot1920 placing shot1921 cow-shot1922 mow1925 Chinese cut1937 haymaker1954 hoick1954 perhapser1954 air shot1956 steepler1959 mishook1961 swish1963 chop- 1825 New Monthly Mag. 13 498 I..admired the dexterity of the block at hand, which frustrated the perilous three-quarter ball. 1903 Referee (Sydney) 25 Mar. 8/7 George Stuckley again saved his side, and playing the block, the score was slowly raised to 51 for six wickets. 2019 telegraph.co.uk (Nexis) 24 Nov. I don't want to jinx it but Joe Root looks solid as a rock this morning. He is middling block after block. (b) Now chiefly Australian. The position at which a batter stands ready to receive the ball; = guard n. 3b. Frequently in to take block. ΘΠ society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > ball game > cricket > batting > [noun] > positions guard1843 middle1866 middle guard1871 centre1883 middle and leg1904 two-eyed stance1924 1845 N. Wanostrocht Felix on Bat i. ii. 12 I next recommend him to take the block for the middle stump, about five inches behind the popping crease. 1871 Kentish Gaz. 22 Aug. 3/6 Note his [sc. W. G. Grace's] careful wrist play, how he takes block, in fact how he stands or runs, and the every incident of his splendid achievements at the wicket. 1926 J. Galsworthy Silver Spoon iii. v. 250 He lived for a cosey moment in the past again, as might some retired old cricketer taking block once more. 1994 Sydney Morning Herald 3 Dec. 67 The young Australians ran up 4-205 without Border even taking block. (c) The spot on which a batter rests the end of the bat while waiting to receive the ball; = blockhole n. at Compounds 4. Now rare. Π 1862 E. Routledge Handbk. Cricket 27 The moment the bowler is about to deliver the ball, raise your bat slightly from the block, keeping it almost straight to him. 1901 St. James’s Gaz. 24 July 16/1 Just when he [sc. Bobby Abel] is about to receive a ball he delivers, with his bat, a series of quick little taps to his block. 1954 Yorks. Post 22 Sept. 4/8 The batsman would probably make his block where he makes it at present, well behind the new popping crease. b. In combat sports: a defensive strike intended to block an opponent's blow. Π 1882 Lloyd's Weekly Newspaper 9 Apr. 8/2 Hicks was very red about the face. There was no blood on him, but I saw a mark of blood on Goodson's face. I only saw two blocks struck. 1969 M. Angelou I know why Caged Bird Sings (1984) xix. 131 The contender's right eye is bleeding and he can't seem to keep his block up. 1992 Martial Arts Illustr. 2 July 15/1 I wanted to know how it felt to have someone actually attacking you and trying to knock you out... I had to adapt the kicking, the punching and the blocks that we learned in kung fu to the ring. c. American Football and Canadian Football. An act of obstructing an opponent from reaching or tackling the ball carrier by interposing one's body, as a legal move. Cf. block v.¹ 4, body check n. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > ball game > football > American football > [noun] > actions or manoeuvres rush1857 punt-out1861 goal-kicking1871 safety1879 safety touchdown1879 scrimmage1880 rushing1882 safety touch1884 touchback1884 forward pass1890 run1890 blocking1891 signal1891 fake1893 onside kick1895 tandem-play1895 pass play1896 spiral1896 shift1901 end run1902 straight-arm1903 quarterback sneak1904 runback1905 roughing1906 Minnesota shift1910 quarterbacking1910 snap-back1910 pickoff1912 punt return1914 screen forward pass1915 screen pass1920 power play1921 sneak1921 passback1922 snap1922 defence1923 reverse1924 carry1927 lateral1927 stiff-arm1927 zone1927 zone defence1927 submarine charge1928 squib1929 block1931 pass rushing1933 safetying1933 trap play1933 end-around1934 straight-arming1934 trap1935 mousetrap1936 buttonhook1938 blitzing1940 hand-off1940 pitchout1946 slant1947 strike1947 draw play1948 shovel pass1948 bootleg1949 option1950 red dog1950 red-dogging1951 rollout1951 submarine1952 sleeper pass1954 draw1956 bomb1960 swing pass1960 pass rush1962 blitz1963 spearing1964 onsides kick1965 takeaway1967 quarterback sack1968 smash-mouth1968 veer1968 turn-over1969 bump-and-run1970 scramble1971 sack1972 nose tackle1975 nickel1979 pressure1981 1914 Sun (N.Y.) 16 Sept. 10/4 The ‘Indian block’ that Harvard uses so extensively in putting down opponents on the open field. 1955 Sports Illustr. 7 Nov. 44/3 Brown..has what I like to term ‘second reaction’—the ability to absorb the initial shock of a block and still make the tackle. 1976 Honolulu Star-Bull. 21 Dec. h-1/2 Charley Hannah tipped it and it came right to me. I got a couple of blocks, one I know from Charley. 2008 G. D. Gerson Scoring Points 165 It was not April of 1993, and I had never caught a pass or made a block in real North American football game. d. Sport (esp. Basketball). An act or instance of blocking the ball with one's hand, body, racket, etc., in order to prevent an opponent from scoring, winning a point, etc. Cf. block shot n. (b) at Compounds 4. Π 1925 Boys' Life Sept. 14/3 Modlin came in with a perfect block and the left forward was forced to pass back to Dazzy who ‘dribbled’ for a few seconds awaiting an opening. 1957 Physical Conditioning (Headquarters, Dept. Army Technical Man. 21–200) x. 459 The block is a technique of defense used to prevent a spiker from driving the ball across the net. 1979 N.Y. Times 25 Apr. a21/1 Dandridge..took a shot from the right baseline. Roundfield made a block, the ball came back to Dandridge, and a second shot went off the rim. 2021 Herald-Times (Bloomington, Indiana) 16 Oct. b4/4 Dean was a disruptive force at the net, able to hit over a block, dunk overpasses with ease and paint the 10-foot line in front of the back row. 27. Now chiefly Indian English. A stoppage of traffic caused by an obstruction; a traffic jam. Also figurative. Cf. sense 5a. ΘΚΠ society > travel > transport > transport or conveyance in a vehicle > vehicular traffic > [noun] > traffic jam stop1625 stoppage1727 lock1834 block1861 pinch point1868 tie-up1889 traffic jam1891 traffic snarl1899 traffic snarl1933 traffic snarl-up1947 thrombosis1959 snarl-up1960 back-up1962 tailback1975 gridlock1980 1858 Punch 6 Nov. 191/2 One afternoon last month a passenger to Dover passed along Cheapside in less than half-an-hour, his cab not more than six times coming to a ‘block’. 1863 Cornhill Mag. Feb. 182 It is after you have become lieutenant, that the ‘block’ makes itself felt. 1913 Times of India 28 June 12/6 A block in the road compelled the Grand Vizier's motor car to slacken speed and finally to stop. 2018 A. Anwar Storm 35 He is still absorbed in the paper when his vehicle reaches a block in the road. The flow of cars, rickshaws and red double-deckers is stymied by something up ahead. 28. Physiology. Prevention or inhibition of the passage of a nerve impulse or muscular contraction; spec. prevention of the passage of nerve impulses by the use of a local anaesthetic (cf. nerve block n. at nerve n. Compounds 2); an instance of this.heart block: see the first element. Cf. also block v.¹ 17a. ΘΚΠ the world > health and disease > healing > medical treatment > types of treatment generally > [noun] > other miscellaneous treatments majoration1626 relaxant1661 diaeresis1706 blistering1711 Perkinism1798 tranquillizing1801 tractoration1803 tractorism1827 moxibustion1833 traction1841 remediation1850 moxocausis1857 bed-rest1872 aerotherapeutics1876 aerotherapy1876 metallotherapy1877 block1882 counter-irritation1882 bacteriotherapy1886 mechanotherapy1890 mobilization1890 seismotherapy1901 bacterization1902 replacement therapy1902 biotherapy1912 occupational therapy1915 protein therapy1917 psychophysicotherapeutics1922 recovery programme1922 plombage1933 bacteriostasis1936 oestrogenization1960 hyperalimentation1962 vegetablization1963 pain management1966 palliative care1967 gene therapy1970 1873 Jrnl. Anat. & Physiol. 8 i. 80 We have here to deal with a block of nervous impulses. 1882 W. H. Gaskell in Philos. Trans. (Royal Soc.) 173 1031 If the section [of the auricle of the heart of the tortoise] is severe the block will be complete; no contractions will pass. 1916 P. J. Flagg Art Anaesthesia ii. 59 We may account for muscular relaxation by supposing an anæsthetic ‘block’ acting on the motor nerves. 2014 A. Chuan & D. M. Scott Regional Anaesthesia iv. 112 This block [of the sciatic nerve] is very well tolerated by patients if performed following femoral nerve block for knee surgery. 29. Chess. More fully block problem. A problem in which Black is not under threat but cannot move without being threatened by White. Cf. block v.¹ 3, Zugzwang n. ΘΠ society > leisure > entertainment > pastimes > game > board game > chess > [noun] > problems jeopardyc1369 problem1817 Indian problem1846 mover1868 Indian1878 retractive problem1890 waiting problem1891 retractor1893 help-mate1897 sui1897 miniature1903 waiter1906 grab theme1909 fairy chess1914 King's (or Queen's) Indian1931 1887 A. F. MacKenzie Chess Gloss. Block Problems, problems in which the Black King has no liberty. Generally used in referring to two movers. Some writers employ the term as indicating a waiting position. 1931 B. Harley Mate in Two Moves ii. 20 We now come to the last of the big groups into which the two-mover can be divided: the Complete Block both before and after the Key, which changes one or more mates. 1992 Oxf. Compan. Chess (ed. 2) 46/1 Having no waiting move and unable to set up a new block, White makes a key move that creates a threat. 30. Psychiatry and Psychology. An inability to perform a mental process or to express freely one's thoughts, feelings, etc.; a mental or psychological inhibition. Cf. block v.¹ 19, blocking n.² 12.See also mental block n., psychological block n., writer's block n. ΘΚΠ the mind > mental capacity > psychology > psychology of ideas > association of ideas > [noun] > inhibition of blocking1890 block1931 1931 A. G. Bills in Amer. Jrnl. Psychol. 43 230 The term ‘block’..refers to those periods, experienced by mental workers, when they seem unable to respond and cannot, even by an effort, continue until a short time has elapsed. 1946 W. S. Knickerbocker 20th Cent. Eng. 187 Some ‘block’ in his mental make-up. 1969 Times 15 Nov. (Sat. Review) p. iv/3 Henry James..freeing himself from emotional and work blocks. 2006 N. Shulman, & E. Spenser Get Between Covers v. 53 As we toiled to complete this book, if one of us experienced a ‘block’ we would take a step back, have a conference call with each other, and get reenergized. Phrases P1. in block: as a whole, all together. Cf. sense 16a, en bloc adv. rare.Quot. c1485 appears to be an isolated early use. [In later use probably after French en bloc (1559 in Middle French: see en bloc adv.).] Π c1485 ( G. Hay Bk. Law of Armys (2005) 137 Na jn his condicioun of feying was diuisioun maid of his wageing, bot jn blok and somme. 1859 Dublin Univ. Mag. Oct. 473/2 The French nation, in block, were indeed ‘sensible to the gratification of playing..the brilliant part of generous and disinterested liberators’. 1876 W. E. Gladstone in Contemp. Rev. June 3 Puritans..who rejected in block the authority of creeds. 1977 Transfer U.S. Prop. to District of Columbia Redevelopment Land Agency 25 in Pretrial Release or Detention. Hearings & Markups before Subcommitte on Judiciary (U.S. Govt. Printing Office) I would like to propose a series of amendments that, without objection, could be taken in block. †P2. In various proverbial phrases, in collocation or contrast with straw. Cf. sense 5a. Obsolete.In quot. 1551 with allusion to Matthew 7:3; cf. mote n.¹ 1a(a), beam n.¹ 3c. ΚΠ ?1495 R. Fitzjames Sermo Die Lune in Ebdomada Pasche (de Worde) sig. giv^v We take more dylygence. and ben more obedyent to mannys tradicion. thanne to the lawe of god. Stomblynge atte a strawe And lepynge ouer a blocke. 1526 W. Bonde Pylgrimage of Perfection iii. sig. aiiii Lesse of a strawe we make a blocke. 1551 T. Cranmer Answer S. Gardiner 201 You can spye a litle moote in another mans eye, that cannot see a great blocke in your owne. 1797 W. Warren Polit. & Moral Pamphlet 77 Man sees but darkly through the glass of life; ‘he leaps over a block, and he stumbles at a straw; he swallows a camel, and he is choked by a gnat.’ P3. to put one's head on the block and variants. Also similarly with neck. Cf. sense 4a. †a. To surrender oneself to another person's will or judgement. Obsolete. Π 1553 J. Bradford Let. 6 Oct. in M. Coverdale Certain Lett. Martyrs (1564) 294 If they commaund that, which with good conscience you can not obey, lay your head on the block and suffer what souer they shal do or say. a1640 W. Fenner Christs Alarm (1646) 350 Doest thou..accept of thy punishment, lay thy head on the block, does thy soule lye groveling before God? b. To sacrifice one's own position, to resign. Now rare. Π 1785 Morning Chron. 21 Feb. 2/1 Mr. Hastings..saved his life, like Sir Roger, by laying his head upon the block. 1854 New Hampsh. Statesman 8 Apr. 2/2 Anti-Nebraska Democrats of New-Hampshire! prepare to obey this Government order, or lay your heads upon the block! 1921 T. Raleigh Ann. Church in Scotl. 320 One minister had spoken of laying his head on the block for spiritual independence, but when the day of trial came he remained in his manse. 2002 Assoc. Press Internat. (Nexis) 23 July I offered the board my resignation and they accepted it... You can't be the scapegoat if you decide yourself to put your head on the block. c. To put one’s position or reputation at risk by speaking boldly or proceeding with a particular course of action. Cf. to stick one's neck out at neck n.¹ Phrases 15, to lay it on the line at line n.² 13f(c). Π 1939 Crisis July 210/1 The whole history of the NAACP is studded with examples of people in public life and jobs who have put their necks on the block to prove a principle. 1970 Financial Times 26 Mar. 9/7 Mr. Court has put his head on the block in championing the operation. 2005 M. Kennedy & J. Wonnacott in J. Taylor & B. Daniel Child Neglect xiii. 233 Will they be willing to put their heads on the block to challenge policy and financial discrimination? P4. Originally and chiefly Nautical. block and block: so that the two blocks of a tackle (see sense 2) are drawn as close together as possible; = chock-a-block adv. Cf. two-blocks adv. Now rare. ΘΚΠ society > travel > travel by water > vessel, ship, or boat > equipment of vessel > tackle or purchase > [adverb] > with the two blocks close together chock-a-block1824 1627 J. Smith Sea Gram. v. 19 When wee hale any Tackle or Haleyard to which two blocks doe belong, when they meet, we call that blocke and blocke. 1769 W. Falconer Universal Dict. Marine Suppl. Block and block, the situation of a tackle when the two opposite blocks are drawn close together, so that the..power becomes destroyed. 1839 Sporting Rev. Apr. 272 The tackles were block and block, and no apparent power could elevate it [sc. a statue] one hair's breadth higher. 1919 Marine Rev. May 330/3 At this juncture, the tackles were block and block. 1945 E. H. Lederer Port Terminal Operation ii. 209 Block and block. The condition that exists when two blocks of a tackle come together; the tackle must then be overhauled before another pull. P5. to cut blocks with a razor and variants: to do something absurdly incongruous; (also) to apply one's abilities or resources to no purpose. Now rare.In quot. 1727 to hew Blocks with a Razor is used similatively as a type of such activity. ΘΚΠ the world > action or operation > harm or detriment > disadvantage > uselessness > misuse > [verb (intransitive)] > use means absurdly to cut blocks with a razor1774 1727 J. Swift Thoughts Var. Subj. in J. Swift et al. Misc.: 1st Vol. 339 To endeavour to work upon the Vulgar with fine Sense, is like attempting to hew Blocks with a Razor.] 1774 O. Goldsmith Retaliation 42 'Twas his fate, unemploy'd, or in play, Sir, To eat mutton cold, and cut blocks with a razor. 1878 Truth 6 June 714/2 He saw that a further attempt to cut a block with a razor would be unavailing. 1973 Amer. Lit. Realism 6 75 Cutting blocks with a razor is proverbially unprofitable, and a million-magnifying microscope does not help a bit to tell the time by the City Hall clock. P6. block and tackle: a mechanism consisting of a pulley block together with ropes and a hook, used for lifting or moving heavy objects; cf. tackle n. 3a.In quot. 1864 figurative. ΘΚΠ society > occupation and work > equipment > lifting or hoisting equipment > [noun] > tackle tackle1539 teagle1828 block and tackle1838 society > travel > travel by water > vessel, ship, or boat > equipment of vessel > tackle or purchase > [noun] tackle1539 purchase1711 made block1794 block and tackle1838 1754 W. Emerson Princ. Mech. 308 Their use is to raise any weight by help of a block and tackle at top. 1864 O. W. Norton Army Lett. (1903) 221 General Birney seems to consider the Eighth as..block and tackle by which to hoist his favorites into place and power. 1935 Discovery Mar. 77/1 A suitable block-and-tackle is essential in order that the boat may be hauled far enough up the shore. 2005 New Yorker 28 Feb. 64/2 I joined them on small moving jobs, more than once mooring the guide rope on a block and tackle as we shifted a couch through the upstairs window of a Brooklyn apartment. P7. slang. Phrases in which block denotes the head or face. Cf. sense 7c. a. off one's block: (very) angry; insane. Cf. off one's head at head n.¹ Phrases 1h. ΘΠ the mind > emotion > anger > furious anger > [adjective] > furiously angry grim971 aweddeOE woodlyc1000 anburstc1275 woodc1275 aburstc1300 eagerc1325 brotheful1330 brothely1330 furiousc1374 wroth as (the) wind1377 throc1380 fella1382 wrothlya1400 grindelc1400 raginga1425 furibund1490 bremit1535 outraging1567 fulminant?1578 wood-like1578 horn-mad1579 snuff1582 woodful1582 maddeda1586 rageful1585 furibundal1593 gary1609 fierce1611 wild1653 infuriate1667 hopping mad1675 maddened1735 sulphureous1751 savage1789 infuriated1796 bouncing mad1834 frenzy1859 furyinga1861 ropeable1870 furied1878 fulminous1886 livid1888 fit to be tied1894 hopping1894 fighting mad1896 tamping mad1946 up the wall1951 ravers1967 the world > health and disease > mental health > mental illness > [adjective] > insanity or madness > affected with woodc725 woodsekc890 giddyc1000 out of (by, from, of) wit or one's witc1000 witlessc1000 brainsickOE amadc1225 lunaticc1290 madc1330 sickc1340 brain-wooda1375 out of one's minda1387 frenetica1398 fonda1400 formada1400 unwisea1400 brainc1400 unwholec1400 alienate?a1425 brainless1434 distract of one's wits1470 madfula1475 furious1475 distract1481 fro oneself1483 beside oneself1490 beside one's patience1490 dementa1500 red-wood?1507 extraught1509 misminded1509 peevish1523 bedlam-ripe1525 straughta1529 fanatic1533 bedlama1535 daft1540 unsounda1547 stark raving (also staring) mad1548 distraughted1572 insane1575 acrazeda1577 past oneself1576 frenzy1577 poll-mad1577 out of one's senses1580 maddeda1586 frenetical1588 distempered1593 distraught1597 crazed1599 diswitted1599 idle-headed1599 lymphatical1603 extract1608 madling1608 distracteda1616 informala1616 far gone1616 crazy1617 March mada1625 non compos mentis1628 brain-crazed1632 demented1632 crack-brained1634 arreptitiousa1641 dementate1640 dementated1650 brain-crackeda1652 insaniated1652 exsensed1654 bedlam-witteda1657 lymphatic1656 mad-like1679 dementative1685 non compos1699 beside one's gravity1716 hyte1720 lymphated1727 out of one's head1733 maddened1735 swivel-eyed1758 wrong1765 brainsickly1770 fatuous1773 derangedc1790 alienated1793 shake-brained1793 crack-headed1796 flighty1802 wowf1802 doitrified1808 phrenesiac1814 bedlamite1815 mad-braineda1822 fey1823 bedlamitish1824 skire1825 beside one's wits1827 as mad as a hatter1829 crazied1842 off one's head1842 bemadded1850 loco1852 off one's nut1858 off his chump1864 unsane1867 meshuga1868 non-sane1868 loony1872 bee-headed1879 off one's onion1881 off one's base1882 (to go) off one's dot1883 locoed1885 screwy1887 off one's rocker1890 balmy or barmy on (or in) the crumpet1891 meshuggener1892 nutty1892 buggy1893 bughouse1894 off one's pannikin1894 ratty1895 off one's trolley1896 batchy1898 twisted1900 batsc1901 batty1903 dippy1903 bugs1904 dingy1904 up the (also a) pole1904 nut1906 nuts1908 nutty as a fruitcake1911 bugged1920 potty1920 cuckoo1923 nutsy1923 puggled1923 blah1924 détraqué1925 doolally1925 off one's rocket1925 puggle1925 mental1927 phooey1927 crackers1928 squirrelly1928 over the edge1929 round the bend1929 lakes1934 ding-a-ling1935 wacky1935 screwball1936 dingbats1937 Asiatic1938 parlatic1941 troppo1941 up the creek1941 screwed-up1943 bonkers1945 psychological1952 out to lunch1955 starkers1956 off (one's) squiff1960 round the twist1960 yampy1963 out of (also off) one's bird1966 out of one's skull1967 whacked out1969 batshit1971 woo-woo1971 nutso1973 out of (one's) gourd1977 wacko1977 off one's meds1986 1887 Sporting Times 11 June 4/4 You have not found out what we asked you. A trifle off her block, as Mr. Tagg would say. 1935 Australasian (Melbourne) 6 Apr. 3/4 I'm not suggesting that either Mr. Tunnestan or Mr. Duncliffe is off his block, as we say in the home town. 2022 @Innoculant1 25 Feb. in twitter.com (accessed 27 May 2022) You knew he was off his block all along and neglected your duty and you [sic] country. b. to knock a person's block off and variants: to hit someone very hard in the head; to assault a person severely. Frequently as a threat or warning. ΘΠ the world > movement > impact > striking > striking on specific part of the body > strike on specific part of the body [verb (intransitive)] > on the head nob1812 to scuttle (a person's) nob1834 1892 Philadelphia Inquirer 24 Oct. 5/8 The cowboy demanded an explanation. Armed with a rock in each hand, the leader of the ‘Spiders’ shouted: ‘We'se de “Spiders”, see? and if you don't take a sneak we'll knock your block off.’ 1923 P. G. Wodehouse Leave it to Psmith ix in Sat. Evening Post 3 Mar. 137/1 ‘I'd like’, said Mr. Cootes with asperity, ‘to beat your block off.’ 1939 H. G. Wells Holy Terror i. i. 12 Many suggestions were made, from ‘Knock his little block off’, to ‘Give him more love’. 1997 Independent 12 Aug. iii. 8/2 If I told him I was going to knock his block off, he would be very scared. c. Chiefly Australian and New Zealand. to keep one's block: to refrain from losing one's temper or self-control; to remain calm. Cf. to keep one's head at head n.¹ Phrases 4g(b). Now rare. Π 1902 Sydney Sportsman 10 Dec. 8/3 Had Walcott kept his block he must have ended it there and then. 1918 Chrons. N.Z.E.F. 21 June 22/1 If you can keep your block, while those about you are losing theirs. 1949 Northern Star (Lismore, New S. Wales) 29 Jan. 6/3 The doctor angrily compared the Mayor to a very defunct member of the canine tribe. ‘W.T.’, however, kept his block and laughed. d. Chiefly Australian and New Zealand. to lose, to do (in) one's block and variants: to lose one's temper or self-control; to become angry, excited, or anxious. Cf. to lose one's head at head n.¹ Phrases 4j(b). ΘΠ the mind > emotion > excitement > nervous excitement > be in state of nervous excitement [verb (intransitive)] to take ona1450 seethe1609 trepidate1623 to take on oneself1632 flutter1668 pother1715 to be upon the nettle (also in a nettle)1723 to be nerve all over1778 to be all nerve1819 to be (all) on wires1824 to break up1825 to carry on1828 to be on (occasionally upon or on the) edge1872 faff1874 to have kittens1900 flap1910 to be in, get in(to), a flap1939 to go sparec1942 to keep (also blow, lose) one's cool1964 faffle1965 to get one's knickers in a twist1971 to have a canary1971 to wet one's pants1979 tweak1981 the mind > emotion > anger > [verb (intransitive)] > become angry wrethec900 wrothc975 abelghec1300 to move one's blood (also mood)c1330 to peck moodc1330 gremec1460 to take firea1513 fumec1522 sourdc1540 spitec1560 to set up the heckle1601 fire1604 exasperate1659 to fire up1779 to flash up1822 to get one's dander up1831 to fly (occasionally jump, etc.) off (at) the handle1832 to have (also get) one's monkey up1833 to cut up rough, rusty, savage1837 rile1837 to go off the handle1839 to flare up1840 to set one's back up1845 to run hot1855 to wax up1859 to get one's rag out1862 blow1871 to get (also have) the pricker1871 to turn up rough1872 to get the needle1874 to blaze up1878 to get wet1898 spunk1898 to see red1901 to go crook1911 to get ignorant1913 to hit the ceiling1914 to hit the roof1921 to blow one's top1928 to lose one's rag1928 to lose one's haira1930 to go up in smoke1933 hackle1935 to have, get a cob on1937 to pop (also blow) one's cork1938 to go hostile1941 to go sparec1942 to do one's bun1944 to lose one's wool1944 to blow one's stack1947 to go (also do) one's (also a) dingerc1950 rear1953 to get on ignorant1956 to go through the roof1958 to keep (also blow, lose) one's cool1964 to lose ita1969 to blow a gasket1975 to throw a wobbler1985 1907 C. MacAlister Old Pioneering Days in Sunny South 19 At this Mr Donovan ‘lost his block’ completely. 1916 J. B. Cooper Coo-oo-ee i. 19 Mrs. Muller went on no end! Did in her block, thinking of the night's ride Nipper had given her. 1931 V. Palmer Separate Lives 220 There was a sheelah back in Salisbury who did her block on me. 1966 ‘L. Lane’ ABZ of Scouse 10 I done me block; I went off my head; I lost my temper. 2014 W. W. Johnstone & J. A. Johnstone Stand your Ground i. 8 One of the linemen—Ernie Gibbs, big but slow and stupid—lost his block and suddenly a McElhaney linebacker was right in Andy's face. P8. colloquial. to put the blocks (also block) on: to thwart; to put an end to (an action or proceeding). Cf. sense 5b. ΘΠ the world > action or operation > difficulty > hindrance > hindering completely or preventing > hinder completely or prevent [verb (transitive)] > thwart or foil false?c1225 confoundc1315 blenk?a1400 matea1400 interrupt1464 blench1485 fruster?a1513 frustrate?a1513 infatuate1533 disappoint1545 prevent1555 foila1564 blank1566 thwart1581 confute1589 dispurpose1607 shorten1608 foola1616 vain1628 balk1635 throwa1650 scotch1654 bafflea1674 crossbar1680 transverse1770 tomahawk1773 throttle1825 wreck1855 stultify1865 derail1889 to pull the plug1923 rank1924 1880 Nottingham Evening Post 16 Mar. 4/4 If the Liberals desired to prevent any particular piece of legislation they what they called ‘put the block on’. 1916 Telephone Engineer (Chicago) Mar. 118/1 I guess his reply put the blocks on further questions. 1967 J. Speight Till Death us do Part: Scripts (1973) 74 Look, there isn't any free orange juice now—your lot—your Tories—put the block on that, mate. 2007 B. Page Boy's own Offshore Adventure viii. 30 There then ensued a rather unstructured debate about the merits of starting the whole film again, but Sid put the blocks on this proposal. P9. U.S. slang. to put the blocks to: (of a man) to have sexual intercourse with.Probably as a figurative use of sense 5b. Π c1890 Stag Party The ould man puts the blocks to her sister. 1922 R. McAlmon Hasty Bunch 148 I'll bet you let Bill O'Brien put the blocks to you. 1974 C. Loken Come Monday Mornin' 77 He never would forget the time after the team barbecue he tried to put the blocks to one'a the pom-pom girls out in the desert someplace between Buckeye an' Apache Junction. 2022 @khanSpiraci 6 Jan. in twitter.com (accessed 16 June 2022) That bottom one looks a lot like yo'mama... The last time I put the blocks to her I shaved my phone number on her back. P10. colloquial (originally U.S.). to have been around the block and variants: to have had extensive experience; to be worldly-wise. Cf. to have been around and to have been round. ΘΠ the mind > mental capacity > understanding > wisdom, sagacity > worldly wisdom > have worldly wisdom [phrase] to know what's whatc1422 to know (also learn, show, teach, tell) (a person) a thing or two1760 to know one's way around1814 to have one's head screwed on right (also the right way)1821 to have been around1872 to know (also have) all the answers1896 to know how many (blue) beans make five- the mind > mental capacity > knowledge > knowledge, what is known > experience > be experienced [phrase] to know the ginc1530 to know what something is1535 to find (know, etc.) the length (also measure) of a person's foot1580 to know one's way around1814 to be more than seven1896 to know whereof one speaks (or writes, etc.)1922 1914 Sat. Evening Post 14 Mar. 12/1 ‘You're as good as a married man this minute.’ ‘Don't you bet no money on it!’ said Buck warmly. ‘I'm over seven and I've been round the block several times. Nobody ain't kidnaped me yet.’ 1984 Daily Herald (Chicago) 24 July (Flair section) 4/6 The Mayor (who's been around the block enough times to know better) looked like he left his cool way downtown. 2007 Independent on Sunday 29 July (New Review) 20/1 Americans want someone in the White House who's been around the block and who knows his (or her) stuff. P11. U.S. slang. on the block (also occasionally on the blocks): (working) as a prostitute.Probably as an extended use of sense 13b. However, see also sense 18a and to be on the street, to be on the streets at street n. and adj. Phrases 4b. Π 1941 Pittsburgh Courier 3 May 7/6 He was the kind of a guy who put women on the spot if he couldn't put 'em on the block. 1970 E. Bullins Theme is Blackness (1973) 170 The girls all got knocked-up and set up homes, got married, went on the block or on welfare. 2007 C. C. Robinson From Classroom to Corner 162 Young girls and older women, they was prostituting together... The youngest one was 12 years old on the block and she died, oh, about a couple of weeks after her birthday. P12. slang. figurative. (up) on blocks: (a) in a state of suspension from normal activity; out of use, inactive; (b) (of a woman) menstruating, and therefore regarded as sexually unavailable.Cf. sense 10a. Π 1986 N.Y. Times 30 Nov. (Late ed.) 4 s/4 With Goodyear's announcement that it was ending its financial support, the sport of grand prix racing is, figuratively speaking at least, up on blocks. 1998 B. Sterling Distraction i. 17 America has lost it. We can't get a grip... Our country's up on blocks! 2000 Mirror 13 June (M mag.) 12/1 My partner..doesn't like to have sex when she's ‘on’... I can go to the pub more because she likes to get early nights. I tell my mates she's ‘up on blocks’, like a car. 2021 @ghostofkev 18 June in twitter.com (accessed 16 June 2022) Are the painters in?.. Are you ‘up on blocks’?.. Is it that week? P13. as deaf (etc.) as a block: see sense 1c. chip off the old block: see chip n.² Phrases 2. Compounds C1. As a modifier. a. In sense 2, as in block pulley, block sheave, etc. Π 1495 in M. Oppenheim Naval Accts. & Inventories Henry VII (1896) 156 Grete Blokkepollyes for Raysing up of Mastes. 1769 W. Falconer Universal Dict. Marine (at cited word) It is bound with a sort of rope-ring..which is called a block strop. 1864 R. Chambers Bk. of Days II. 684/2 [Brunel's] plan for making block-pulleys for ships by machinery. 2011 J. van der Veen Consumption, Trade & Innovation (Jrnl. African Archaeology Monograph Series) 32/1 This sebakh contained both maritime artefacts (lead sheathing, block sheave, paddle, brail rings) and domestic rubbish. b. In sense 3, with the sense ‘designating a material or product formed or sold in blocks’, as in block ice, block stone, etc. Π c1640 in R. Willis & J. W. Clark Archit. Hist. Univ. Cambr. (1886) I. 94 Block-stone. a1878 G. G. Scott Lect. Mediæval Archit. (1879) I. 270 If he used blockstone..he studied to use [it] so as to look well. 1894 Country Gentleman's Catal. 104 Cabinet refrigerator..For use with Rough or Block Ice. 1959 R. Postgate Good Food Guide 308 Niege en chemise, block chocolate melted in strong black coffee with rum, nuts and praline ice-cream, refrozen and served with whipped cream. 2019 S. Jourdain Dream Dancers II. p. xxii Crushed and block granite from the Granite Hill Plantation and other local quarries could now be transported to buyers in faraway markets. c. In sense 16a. Cf. Compounds 5. (a) With the sense ‘regarded, treated, or managed as a unit’. ΚΠ 1864 Ld. Lyttelton in Morning Post 22 Jan. 2/3 The first cost requires a block sum, which..is just what the working class cannot command. 1898 Daily Mail 12 Apr. 4/6 They have taken a plan of the City, cut it up in sections, and placed on each section a block rate in addition to the present high tariff rate. 1901 Daily Chron. 14 Aug. 3/6 There was a block closure to which the Government could resort. 1909 Westm. Gaz. 1 Mar. 10/3 The insurance offices are reducing the block rate of £1 per cent. that has been charged in the fire-zone of the City. 1990 Building Amer. Health Syst.: Hearings Sel Comm. Aging (U.S. House of Representatives, 101st Congr., 1st Sess.) 167 The medical associations determine how they take the block amount given to them by the provincial government. (b) Music. With the sense ‘designating each of a sequence of chords in which all the parts change in the same rhythm; of or relating to such a sequence’, as in block chord. ΚΠ 1901 Etude Jan. 14/2 The majority of teachers teach harmony so badly because they ignore the great contrapuntal school which preceded the harmonic. They have to do only with block chords, moving in a lump, so to speak. 1942 E. Blom Music in Eng. v. 81 The choruses that often move impressively in solid block harmony. 1955 G. Abraham in H. van Thal Fanfare for E. Newman 15 Block changes of harmony at each half-bar are now avoided. 2008 JazzTimes Feb. 108/1 Gomes' shakers and Cain's block chords combine with Blake's chantlike phrases. d. Railways. In sense 21, designating equipment, procedures, etc., connected with the working of a railway line as a series of block sections, as in block indicator, block signal, block telegraph, block working, etc.Cf. earlier block system n. at Compounds 4. ΘΚΠ society > travel > rail travel > railway system or organization > [noun] > types of signal system > types of signal switch-signal1838 semaphore signal1845 distance signal1848 home signal1857 block signal1864 dwarf signal1870 distant signal1874 switch-lantern1875 distant1881 spectacle1881 switch-lamp1898 banjo1902 peg1911 1865 W. H. Preece Brit. Patent 2016 4 There is no current passing through the distant signal apparatus which the switch apparatus is intended to control, and the block signal is consequently up. 1874 Pall Mall Gaz. 6 Mar. 5/1 Of the collision at Bowesfield Junction..the same inspector remarks that ‘it would not have occurred had block-working been in force, as it might and ought to have been’, between the two junctions. 1905 Westm. Gaz. 19 Apr. 8/1 He announced the fact..by sending to him the block telegraph bell-signal ‘Vehicles running away on right line’. 1936 Gloss. Terms Railway Signalling (B.S.I.) 9 The block indicator shows ‘Line Blocked’ or ‘Normal’, ‘Line Clear’ and ‘Train on Line’. 1940 Railroad Mag. Apr. 32/1 I explained that No. 39 was backing off the wye while No. 36 was standing at the block signal waiting for a clear track. 1978 G. M. Kichenside & A. Williams Brit. Railway Signalling (ed. 4) iii. 28 Block working from signal box to signal box..may be abolished where colour-light signals are installed and provided the line is equipped with continuous track circuiting. 2005 S. Hall Mod. Signalling Handbk. (rev. ed.) 53/2 In theory the train should be perfectly safe from any risk of another train running into the back of it, because the block signalling system should protect it. e. Computing. In sense 25 as in block name, block transfer, etc. Π 1948 Math. Tables & Other Aids Computation 3 11 Characterizing a block of data on a table tape by a single block number. 1956 Proc. IRE-AIEE-ACM Western Joint Computer Conf. 48/1 When used with an RPT command, they will effect block transfer in a direct or inverse manner, or open up a series so that interpolated values may be interspersed. 1983 IEEE Trans. Educ. 26 97/1 Students are introduced to some of the more powerful instructions of the Z80, particularly the data manipulation instructions found in the block move, the bit rotation and shift, and the jump groups of instructions. 1992 IEEE Spectrum Mar. 26/2 The SMPTE Task Force on Headers/Descriptors investigated such factors as the header kernel, appropriate error-correcting codes, and block length specification. 1996 H. G. Cragon Memory Syst. & Pipelined Processors ii. 19 A memory address is composed of two fields, the block name and the displacement, within the block. 2012 M. Waschke Cloud Standards viii. 161 The interface generates an interrupt after the block transfer is complete. C2. Forming adjectives with the sense ‘that has a —— like a block’, by combining with a noun + -ed, as in block-faced, block-shaped, etc.Recorded earliest in blockheaded adj.See also block-heeled adj. Π 1542 N. Udall in tr. Erasmus Apophthegmes f. 105^v (margin) Dawecockes, lowtes, cockescombes & blockehedded fooles. 1751 T. Smollett Peregrine Pickle I. v. 32 A squinting, block-faced, chattering piss-kitchen. 1927 Daily Mail (Atlantic ed.) 30 Jan. 8/2 The land would be leased..in block-sized parcels to builders. 2005 N.Y. Times (National ed.) 4 Mar. d7/2 For the uninitiated, ‘brick’ is a term of endearment for the classic, block-shaped Volvo. C3. With verbal nouns and agent nouns, forming compounds in which block expresses the object of the underlying verb, as in block maker, block making, etc.See also block-cutter n., block-river n., blocklayer n., block laying n. Π 1613 in Proc. Soc. Antiquaries Scotl. (1875) 10 222 The compt of the haill furnishing to the bark deburset in Orknay... Item to W^a Guid, blok makir, for thrie dussoun of grit and small blokis. 1793 J. Smeaton Narr. Edystone Lighthouse (ed. 2) §122 (note) An ingenious blockmaker at Plymouth. 1883 Stonemason Jan. It is then trimmed (or scalped) into shape by men called ‘block-choppers’, who adroitly wield heavy axes. 1979 Nature 20 Dec. 765/1 It requires the endless attention to detail of typesetters, printers and blockmakers. 2001 Agenda No. 48 49/2 One group..have been able to change..to the much more profitable activity of block-making and running a block-yard. C4. block ball n. Baseball a ball, either hit or thrown, which is handled or stopped by a non-player. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > ball game > baseball > [noun] > fouls or errors balk1845 foul ball1855 block ball1891 interference1927 rock1937 1887 G. E. Stackhouse et al. in H. Hall Tribune Bk. Open-air Sports iv. 84 A block ball is a ball stopped by an outsider. 1939 Austin (Texas) Statesman 24 June 3/1 The instant the bat boy touched the ball, Umps Gibson should have called loudly: ‘Block ball!’ 2009 forum.officiating.com 15 July (forum post, accessed 9 June 2022) I'm leaning toward a block ball if they are in the on-deck circle and possible interference if there was a play possible. † block battery n. Military Obsolete a movable battery for two or more light guns.Apparently only recorded in dictionaries. ΘΚΠ society > armed hostility > military equipment > weapon > device for discharging missiles > firearm > gun carriage > [noun] > movable battery block-battery1802 1753 Chambers's Cycl. Suppl. Block battery, in the military art, denotes a wooden battery on four wheels, moveable from place to place. 1802 C. James New Mil. Dict. (1816) 54/1 Block-battery, in gunnery, a wooden battery for two or more small pieces mounted on wheels, and moveable from place to place. blockboard n. †(a) rough, unpolished board (obsolete); (b) chiefly British a building material consisting of a core of wooden strips between two layers of plywood; (as a count noun) a piece of this. ΘΚΠ society > occupation and work > materials > raw material > wood > wood in specific form > [noun] > board or plank > types of quarter-board1355 deal1400 fir-deala1450 planchettec1450 crust1486 deal-board1568 slab1573 scabbard1635 scale1683 scale-board1711 planchet1730 shinbin1791 rack deal1808 rack1835 shinlog1842 slabwood1844 society > occupation and work > materials > derived or manufactured material > wood-based materials > [noun] > plywood plywood1907 laminboard1927 ply1929 plyboard1929 block-board1932 improved wood1937 multi-ply1940 glulam1953 1323–4 in F. R. Chapman Sacrist Rolls Ely (1907) II. 40 Item in vj. bord. de blokbord. empt. 1927 Timberman Feb. 130/3 With the introduction of several new kinds of plywood, more especially the kinds with cores of various dimension and types, the confusion in terminology has increased. Thus, we see reference made to ‘laminated-plywood’, ‘laminated board’, ‘built-up stock’ and ‘block board’. 1936 Archit. Rev. 79 76/1 The only structural difference between a sheet of three-ply and a laminated board or blockboard is that in both the latter the core is of composite vertical formation instead of being a single or continuous horizontal sheet of veneer. 2003 Routing Oct. 24/1 It makes not only financial sense to use a quality grade of plywood or blockboard, but this method of construction also has the benefit of not moving with any variation in humidity as would a solid timber base. block bond n. Bricklaying a bond (bond n.¹ 13a) in which the courses are laid so as to create a block-like pattern of bricks on the face of the wall.Originally as an alternative name for English bond or Flemish bond (see quots. 1852, 1901). ΘΚΠ society > occupation and work > industry > building or constructing > disposition of stones or bricks > [noun] > bond > types of toothing1672 Flemish bond1774 heart-bond1819 English bond1825 block bond1864 cross-bond1876 raking bond1876 1852 Appleton's Dict. Machines I. 161 The cross-bond..differs from the old English or block bond, by the change of the second stretcher-line. 1901 R. Sturgis Dict. Archit. I. 328 Block Bond. Same as Flemish Bond. 2008 R. Ham Masonry 184/2 The block bond is determined and marked along the footing. block brush n. a brush used for cleaning a butcher's block (see sense 4b); Heraldry a representation of a bunch of butcher's broom (butcher's broom n. 1). ΚΠ 1780 J. Edmondson Compl. Body Heraldry I. sig. nnnn^v/2 On a chief ar[gent] a boar's head couped gu[les] between two block-brushes (i. e. bunches of knee-holly) vert. 1921 Butchers' Advocate 26 Oct. 10/1 (advt.) Scales, baskets, enamel trays, block brushes, skewers, paper bags and twine. 1964 F. A. Girling Eng. Merchants' Marks 82 A small brass shield which displays a butcher's block-brush, made from Butcher's Broom. 2016 @DecGilmore 16 Nov. in twitter.com (accessed 10 June 2022) [In response to Butchers block scrubbed down & tools ready to go] Looking good Olly but I don't see a block brush for the ‘apprentice’ @foodborn [‘grinning face’ emoji]. block capital n. (chiefly in plural) a capital letter written or printed without serifs; a plain capital letter.in block capitals sometimes implies (large or clear) capital letters as opposed to cursive handwriting. ΘΚΠ society > communication > writing > handwriting or style of > formation of letters > [noun] > capital letter capital1467 square capital1699 uncial1775 block capital1902 1863 W. Chaffers Hall Marks Gold & Silver Plate 49 Egyptian, or block capitals. 1924 Contemp. Rev. Apr. 482 I published an article in the Novoie Vremya under the title ‘Bread’, which appeared in large block capitals. 1996 G. Linscott Dead Man's Music (1997) i. 9 A joint letter from my nephews, in a mixture of painstaking joined-up writing and haphazard block capitals. block caving n. Mining a method of working a body of ore by marking out and undercutting it in sections, causing the ore to crumble and subside into the space beneath, from which it can be removed. Π 1898 Proc. 5th Ann. Meeting Lake Superior Mining Inst. Plate I (heading) (following p. 44) Plan showing drifts, crosscuts and raises preparatory to ‘block caving’ in Pewabic Mine. 1956 C. C. Popoff Information Circular No. 7758 (U.S. Dept. Interior) 6 The block-caving method of mining consists of dividing suitable ore bodies into blocks of predetermined size and undercutting each from the bottom and, when necessary, from the sides. 2011 Review (Rio Tinto) June 11/1 Block caving is the only method that can compete with the open pits in terms of productivity. block coal n. coal having the form of blocks or large lumps, or that splits easily into such pieces; a variety of such coal; spec. (in the United States) a kind of hard coal used in smelting (now rare). ΘΚΠ society > occupation and work > materials > fuel > coal or types of coal > [noun] coal1253 sea-coal1253 pit-coal1483 cannel1541 earth coala1552 horse coal1552 Newcastle coal1552 stone-coal1585 cannel coal1587 parrot1594 burn-coal1597 lithanthrax1612 stony coal1617 Welsh coala1618 land-coala1661 foot coal1665 peacock coal1686 rough coal1686 white coal1686 heathen-coalc1697 coal-stone1708 round1708 stone-coal1708 bench-coal1712 slipper coal1712 black coal1713 culm1742 rock coal1750 board coal1761 Bovey coal1761 house coal1784 mineral coal1785 splint1789 splint coal1789 jet coal1794 anthracite1797 wood-coal1799 blind-coal1802 black diamond1803 silk-coal1803 glance-coal1805 lignite1808 Welsh stone-coal1808 soft1811 spout coals1821 spouter1821 Wallsend1821 brown coal1833 paper coal1833 steam-coal1850 peat-coal1851 cherry-coal1853 household1854 sinter coal1854 oil coal1856 raker1857 Kilkenny coal1861 Pottery coal1867 silkstone1867 block coal1871 admiralty1877 rattlejack1877 bunker1883 fusain1883 smitham1883 bunker coal1885 triping1886 trolley coal1890 kibble1891 sea-borne1892 jet1893 steam1897 sack coal1898 Welsh1898 navigation coal1900 Coalite1906 clarain1919 durain1919 vitrain1919 single1921 kolm1930 hards1956 1795 W. W. Wright Let. 20 Feb. in Ann. Agric. 24 199 Block coal, from Oxford canal, sold at Reading for 1s. 6d. per cwt. 1871 E. T. Cox in 2nd Ann. Rep. Geol. Surv. Indiana 1870 121 The character of the coal is generally non-caking or block-coal. 1953 F. D. Spencer Coal Resources Indiana U.S. Geol. Surv. Circular 266 10/1 Block coals generally are noncaking and noncoking. Most of this coal has been mined out in Indiana. 2014 D. B. Toporov Combustion Pulverised Coal Mixture of Oxygen & Recycled Flue Gas ii. 9 The method has the advantage of using block coal directly and burning coals of a wide range of coal rank (from anthracite to lignite). block code n. Computing and Telecommunications an error-detecting or error-correcting code that is applied to fixed-size blocks of a transmitted data stream; cf. sense 25a. Π 1956 IRE Trans. Information Theory 2 17 A zero error block code of length n can be found for such a feedback channel. 1981 G. C. Clark & J. B. Cain Error-Correction Coding Digital Communications i. 41 The random coding bound is computed by calculating the average sequence error rate over the ensemble of all possible block codes with a specified rate and length. 2014 J. Korhonen Introd. 4G Mobile Communications v. 64 The block code simply indicates to the receiver whether or not the data block was received correctly. block coefficient n. Shipbuilding the ratio of the volume of the immersed part of a vessel's hull to the volume of a rectangular block of the same length, width, and height as the immersed hull.A high block coefficient indicates a full-bodied vessel and a low coefficient one with a finer profile, more suited to speed. ΘΚΠ society > travel > travel by water > vessel, ship, or boat > shipbuilding and repairing > [noun] > shipbuilding > degree of fineness of hull block coefficient1901 1882 Trans. Inst. Naval Architects 23 249 If we had two steamers at similar proportional draughts, and both had the same coefficients of load water-line, the one with the smallest block coefficient of displacement would have the highest series of metacentres. 1901 Feilden's Mag. 4 421/1 In every case it is advisable also to calculate the value of the ‘block coefficient’ or so-called coefficient of fineness. 2021 K.-H. Grote & H. Hefazi Springer Handbk. Mech. Engin. (ed. 2) xxv. 1142/1 A low block coefficient is associated with lower resistance, thus enabling higher speeds to be reached. block colour n. †(a) a type of ink or dye used for block printing (block printing n.) (obsolete); (b) a solid, uniform colour that covers a whole area or item, esp. a piece of clothing (cf. sense 20b). ΘΠ society > leisure > the arts > visual arts > painting and drawing > equipment for painting or drawing > [noun] > paints oil colour1498 oila1536 oil paint1759 cake colour1784 colour cake1794 moist colour1842 powder colour1862 tube-colour1881 tempera1883 powder paint1911 poster colour1925 finger paint1935 poster paint1939 1836 Rec. Gen. Sci. 3 284 Salt of tin is an important ingredient for yellow and red block-colours. 1860 R. Hunt Ure's Dict. Arts (ed. 5) I. 528 Block colours are made from any of the preceding receipts, by making them a little thinner. 1924 Bee (Danville, Va.) 4 Dec. 6/1 (advt.) Coats..in those new block colors. 1988 V. Bramwell Women Bk. Beauty & Health iii. 40 The best way to disguise grey hair is with a light vegetable (semi-permanent) dye which will allow your varied natural shades to show through rather than a block colour which looks dense and unnatural. 2010 Esquire (Nexis) Mar. Winter was about block colour, but for spring bright, bold patterns are the big story. block copolymer n. Chemistry a copolymer whose molecules consist of alternate sections or blocks each made up of a single type of monomer residue. Π 1953 Jrnl. Amer. Chem. Soc. 75 1756/2 Obviously this reaction could in principle be used to prepare certain ‘block’ copolymers by polymerizing vinyl monomers in the presence of polymeric disulfides. 1979 Chem. Week (Nexis) 3 Oct. 21 The new polypropylene plant at Morris..has so far been producing only homopolymer resins but later will mainly turn out various higher-price block copolymers. 2019 T. F. Tadros Formulation Sci. & Technol. III. vi. 108 These block copolymers consist of a hydrophobic B block that is insoluble in water and one or two A blocks which are very soluble in water and strongly hydrated by its molecules. block-cutter n. a worker who carves or engraves blocks used in printing on paper or fabric (see sense 11). ΘΚΠ society > leisure > the arts > visual arts > printmaking > engraving > [noun] > engraver sculptor1634 under-engraver1656 engraver1705 scratcher1736 scraper1763 print cutter1766 block-cutter1859 burinista1864 point-draughtsman1872 cutter1880 print trimmer1892 1788 in J. Durham Clavis Cantici (new ed.) 463/2 (list of subscribers) Ja. Campbell, block-cutter. 1859 D. Chadwick in S. Smiles Workmen's Earnings (1861) 21 Block-cutters and printers in calico-printing. 2017 Art in Print 6 5/1 What a great block-cutter could do..was transform a murky cloud of forms into an intricate, high-stakes silhouette. block diagram n. (a) a figure showing the structure of a block of the earth's crust, showing surface features and vertical cross-sections; (b) a diagram showing in schematic form the general arrangement of the parts or components of a complex system or process, such as an industrial apparatus or an electronic circuit. ΘΚΠ society > communication > representation > a plastic or graphic representation > graphic representation > drawing plans or diagrams > [noun] > diagram > other types of diagram map1797 base map1862 polar diagram1879 Gantt chart1918 pie diagram1921 pie chart1922 pie graph1930 histomap1931 process sheet1935 rose diagram1938 process chart1939 stereodiagram1945 wall chart1958 network1959 concept map1967 polar1975 mind map1987 society > communication > representation > a plastic or graphic representation > graphic representation > drawing plans or diagrams > [noun] > diagram > flow chart flowsheet1912 flow chart1920 block diagram1924 flow diagram1943 process model1961 1911 Pop. Sci. Monthly May 424 Block diagram to show the formation of the travertine natural bridge at Pine, Arizona. 1925 Proc. Inst. Radio Engineers 13 330 Altho', in the case of an amplifier system the design of each unit is closely associated with the others, it will be convenient to consider them independently and to subdivide and reinstate the problem as applied to each part. For this purpose the block diagram shown in Figure 12 has been prepared. 1966 J. Sankey Chalkland Ecol. i. 7 (caption) A block diagram of the South Downs of Sussex to show the Coombe deposit and solid geology. 2000 P. Scherz Pract. Electronics for Inventors ix. 271 The 555 gets its name from the three 5-kΩ resistors shown in the block diagram. block dweller n. a person who lives in a block dwelling (now historical); (later also more generally) a person who lives in a block of flats. ΘΚΠ society > inhabiting and dwelling > inhabitant > inhabitant by type of accommodation > [noun] > inhabitant of house > inhabitants of specific types of house cottager1523 cotquean1547 coter1631 cottier1820 tenement householder1894 homecrofter1897 block dweller1902 soddy1958 1894 Brit. Med. Jrnl. 6 Oct. 790/1 It has been proved that the poorer block dweller has a low death- and sickness-rate. 2014 Film Comment 50 55/3 The local bureaucrats are too tied up in mutual blackmail and favor-seeking for the fortunes of the block dwellers to concern them. block dwelling n. now historical (chiefly in plural) an apartment or flat in a large, multi-storey, residential building. ΘΚΠ society > inhabiting and dwelling > inhabited place > dwelling place or abode > a dwelling > a house > types of house > [noun] > block of flats or apartments land1456 tenement1681 tenement house1858 barrack1862 mansions1868 apartment house1874 apartment building1883 single-decker1896 block dwellings1899 project1932 apartment block1955 condominium1962 condo1964 multi1973 1866 Builder 10 Feb. 98/2 In advocating the construction of block dwellings, he regarded the matter purely in the light of an ordinary investment. 1899 Daily News 17 Jan. 3/2 The slums are sickening,..and the block dwellings often more like warehouses than homes. 2015 Dublin Hist. Rec. 68 53 The exhibitions presented plans, photographs of housing, block dwellings (flats), plans of unhealthy areas before and after clearance and renewal, [etc.] block faulting n. Geology faulting which divides a region into blocks having different elevations.Cf. fault-block n. at fault n. Compounds 2. ΘΚΠ the world > the earth > structure of the earth > formation of features > tectonization or diastrophism > [noun] > faulting rifting1865 thrust-faulting1912 block-faulting1921 transcurrence1971 taphrogenesis1978 1895 Bull. N.Y. State Mus. No. 14. 328 One can not resist the conviction when viewing the dome-shaped peaks or knobs, that they are in a large part due to block faulting. 1957 G. E. Hutchinson Treat. Limnol. I. i. 15 The Sierra Nevada and Great Basin region of western North America exhibits block faulting or basin-and-range topography on a scale that is probably unparalleled. 2005 S. M. Stanley Earth Syst. Hist. (ed. 2) ix. 203 This block faulting is expressed by a graben running along the ridge's midline. block flute n. Music (a) an organ stop producing a flute tone, which can be either open or stopped; = recorder n.² 3; (b) a recorder (recorder n.² 1) or similar instrument. [After German Blockflöte recorder (17th cent., from the 18th cent. also used to denote an organ stop with a similar sound), so called with reference to the solid block (typically) of wood in the mouthpiece, with which the sound is created.] ΘΚΠ society > leisure > the arts > music > musical instrument > keyboard instrument > organ > [noun] > register > types of ruler1813 block-flute1852 society > leisure > the arts > music > musical instrument > wind instrument > woodwind instruments > [noun] > flute > recorder recorderc1430 doucetc1450 recordc1560 English flute1732 flauto piccolo1792 1736 St. James's Evening Post 15 June The said Organ..containing eleven [stops], viz. An Open Diapazon, Stop'd Diapazon, Principal, Stop'd Flute, Block-Flute, [etc.]. 1930 Daily Tel. 1 Nov. 7/7 Organ Recital..for Discant, Contralto, Bass, Block Flute, and Clavichord. 1996 S. Bicknell Hist. Eng. Organ (2001) viii. 145 The pipe markings are more like those of Smith than Harris, and so is the nomenclature (Block flute not Cart, Small twelfth not Larigot). 2007 World of Music 49 52 Flute #3 is a beautiful instrument with a sweet open tone, similar in sound to today's Native American block flute. block front n. U.S. n. a front (of a desk, chest of drawers, etc.) whose central section is recessed; a piece of (esp. antique) furniture having such a front; also (and in earliest use) as a modifier, as in block-front desk. Π 1880 Newburyport (Mass.) Daily Herald 4 Oct. (advt.) Antique furniture, consisting of one block-front desk, [etc.]. 1906 N. H. Moore Collector's Man. 293 One [bureau] with a small Dutch foot and very elaborate handles, and the other with a block front. 1969 ‘V. Packer’ Don't rely on Gemini xviii. 151 The bureau was an old blockfront, a Goddard. 1995 Country Living May 103/2 For your first project, refrain from attempting too ambitious a piece, like a grandfather clock or a block-front desk. block furnace n. rare a furnace in which a block or bloom of iron or other material is formed; cf. bloomery n.¹ ΘΚΠ society > occupation and work > equipment > furnace or kiln > furnace > [noun] > furnaces for melting or refining metals > furnaces for treating iron string-hearth1409 smithy1565 bloomery1584 chafery1663 air-bloomery1825 blast-bloomery1860 scrap-furnace1861 block-furnace- 1830 S. F. Gray & A. L. Porter Chem. of Arts II. 501 The single block furnace, or German stueck oven... [This] is the smallest furnace used in manufacturing charcoal pig iron. 1895 Farm Implem. News 29 Aug. 34/2 It was found that the stronger the blast and the higher the furnace the more favorable were the results. The highest furnace in use then was the high bloomery, or block furnace, and it was in this class of furnaces that pig iron was first produced unintentionally. 1990 P. Cichy in L. D. Hart Alumina Chem. 413/2 The block furnace in Fig. 5 is nearly always a tilt furnace, which allows continuous production. block graph n. a type of simple graph in which categories are listed along a horizontal axis and the number of items in each category is represented by a vertical column of equal square or rectangular blocks; (more widely) a bar chart. ΘΠ society > communication > representation > a plastic or graphic representation > graphic representation > drawing plans or diagrams > [noun] > diagram > graph > type of wave-line1888 periodogram1898 periodograph1899 Lorenz curve1909 bar chart1914 growth curve1916 bar diagram1923 bar graph1925 line graph1956 1919 C. Alexander School Statistics & Publicity xi. 293 For a continuous distribution, some form of the block graph is probably best. 1967 Times 30 June 9/4 Block graphs about heights, weights and favourite television programmes decorate the classroom walls. 1998 I. McEwan Amsterdam (1999) iv. ii. 98 Vernon made his public-interest case for publishing the photographs..with pie charts, block graphs and spreadsheets and soothing precedents. block graphics n. Computing low-resolution graphics in which the images are constructed using standard keyboard symbols (or other components occupying a comparable area) as opposed to smaller dots. Π 1978 Byte May 90/1 The problem is further complicated by a 10 bit shift register which shifts out the blank dots first and the VTI ‘block graphics’ circuitry. 1996 Scotsman (Electronic ed.) 19 Oct. Most of the financial services Web Sites on the Net are little more than rather tedious assemblies of product leaflets, uninspiring scanned photographs and block graphics. 2012 M. Margolis Arduino Cookbk. (ed. 2) xi. 363 You can create your own symbols and block graphics with a text LCD, but if you want fine graphical detail, you need a graphical display. block heater n. (a) (chiefly Canadian) a device for heating the engine block of a motor vehicle (cf. sense 15); (b) British a heating unit which accumulates warmth during the night and gives it off during the day; = block storage heater n. ΘΚΠ the world > matter > properties of materials > temperature > heat > heating or making hot > that which or one who heats > [noun] > a device for heating or warming > devices for heating buildings, rooms, etc. > operated by stored heat storage heater1894 block heater1958 block-storage heater1960 night storage heater1963 night storage radiator1970 1930 Sheboygan (Wisconsin) Press 4 Dec. 21 (advt.) The new S & S motor Block heater will keep your motor warm as toast throughout the coldest night. 1955 Birmingham Daily Post 19 Mar. 17/2 Thermal storage type block heaters, which work on the same principle of heat radiated from concrete blocks. 1972 J. Metcalf Going Down Slow x. 157 Sid thought it the Board's duty to supply outlets for block-heater. 1990 Canad. Farming Summer 20/1 It began, of all places, in the block heater of the Ontario dairy farmer's tractor. block heel n. a square, chunky heel on a shoe, boot, etc.; (also) an item of footwear having this type of heel. ΘΠ the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > types or styles of clothing > footwear > shoe or boot > [noun] > types of crakowc1367 veldskoen1822 lace-up1824 right1825 purrer1827 stitchdown shoe1840 clump-sole1879 high-top1895 low-tops1913 zip-up1942 peep-toe1947 Dr. Martens1969 waffle stomper1974 the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > types or styles of clothing > footwear > parts of footwear > [noun] > heel > types of heelc1400 cork1609 Polonia heel1613 high heel1645 French heel1651 spur box1862 rubber heel1867 boot-heel1870 Louis Quinze1875 Louis heel1906 Cuban heel1908 brogue heel1927 spike heel1929 stiletto heel1931 wedge-heel1939 stiletto1953 wedge1959 stacked heel1960 stilt heel1973 1793 Reading Mercury 9 Dec. (advt.) Wm. Hodges, Clog, Patten and Heel-Maker..makes and sells Peg Heels, Block Heels, and common Heels, at the lowest prices. 1888 Daily Inter Ocean (Chicago) 7 Mar. 6/1 The slippers!—not much longer than a lead pencil, with block heels and pretty toes, beaded, bowed, or embroidered. 1984 J. Chaloner Bottom Line v. 86 I noticed he wears block heels—to give him height. 2019 B. Kirshenbaum Rabbits for Food 223 Dr. Fitzgerald is wearing navy-blue leather shoes with one-inch block heels. block-heeled adj. (of a shoe, boot, etc.) having a square, chunky heel (cf. block heel n.). ΘΠ the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > types or styles of clothing > footwear > shoe or boot > [adjective] > with heel > with specific type of heel corked1519 high-heeled1618 high heel1677 red-heeled1709 low-heel1712 stilt-heeled1772 court1903 wedge-heeled1939 Cuban-heeled1940 spike-heeled1953 stiletto-heeled1959 1934 Northern Standard (Darwin) 31 Aug. 1/3 (advt.) Low block-heeled sports shoes. 2014 Wall St. Jrnl. 13 Sept. d3/2 Add flat or block-heeled knee boots and you're ready to go. blockhole n. Cricket the spot on which a batter rests the end of the bat while waiting to receive the ball; cf. sense 26a(b). Π 1837 D. Walker Games & Sports 215 The popping crease..having in its middle..a hole called the block hole. 1994 I. Botham My Autobiogr. vii. 134 Bob bowled a ball to Lillee as near to the block hole as he could manage. 2022 Birmingham Evening Mail (Nexis) 8 June Craig Miles sealed the win by getting the all-or-nothing last ball right up in the blockhole. block hour n. Aeronautics a unit of measurement of the time in hours required for an aircraft to begin to move prior to take-off, fly to its destination, and come to a halt following landing; cf. sense 5b, blocktime n. 2.For the origin of this term, see note at blocktime n. 2. Π 1944 Aeronaut. Engin. Rev. Dec. 32/2 The cruising speed V_cr in m.p.h. is equal to Distance/T_A or Distance/(T_B-T_G), where T_A = air hours, T_B = block hours, and T_G = ground hours. 2003 G. Yu et al. in T. A. Ciriani et al. Operations Res. in Space & Air xxi. 413 Block hours can be estimated based on the average number of block hours each aircraft in an airline's fleet will complete each day. block lava n. Geology lava consisting of angular blocks; a flow or field of lava of this kind; cf. aa n.² ΘΚΠ the world > the earth > structure of the earth > structural features > volcanic formations > [noun] > lava formations > others pahoehoe1825 malpais1844 spatter rampart1856 ring wall1858 aa1859 pedregal1881 pillow structure1897 pillow1899 pillow lava1903 block lava1914 ring dyke1915 louderback1930 1914 R. A. Daly Igneous Rocks & their Origin xiii. 291 The vesiculation of pahoehoe or ropy lava was found to be more evenly developed than in the aa or block lava. 1962 E. A. Vincent tr. A. Rittmann Volcanoes i. 33 When the supply of lava..comes to an end, the still-fluid lava inside the stream continues to flow out and the mantle of scoriae collapses, leaving a more or less even flow of scoriaceous block lava. 2021 M. J. Branney & J. Zalasiewicz Volcanoes: Very Short Introd. iv. 65 It is not unusual for block lavas to solidify without crystallizing at all, resulting in spectacular black splintery volcanic glass. block letter n. (a) Typography (now historical) (in plural) a large type cut from a wooden block; (b) (chiefly in plural) a capital letter written or printed without serifs; a plain capital letter; = block capital n. ΘΚΠ society > communication > writing > handwriting or style of > formation of letters > [noun] > block letter block letter1908 1826 S. T. Coleridge Let. 19 Nov. (1971) VI. 646 Idle, wilful, egregiously unreflecting and irretentive of impression—these are small-capital'd in Block Letter on the very forehead of his Character. 1849 J. G. Bruff Jrnl. 19 Sept. in Gold Rush (1944) I. ii. 179 Neatly painted in black block letters, upon it, ‘POST OFFICE’. 2009 S. Bell Fakes & Forgeries 11 Early printing was composed by placing individual block letters into a tray organized in rows. 2014 B. Van der Kolk Body keeps Score (2015) xiv. 241 As participants changed topics, they might move from cursive to block letters and back to cursive. block machine n. a machine for making blocks (in various senses). ΚΠ 1801 Hampshire Repository 2 87 This machine has been used ever since in all capital yards for ship building; and the formation of this slide was of the greatest service to him in the invention of his block machines. 1991 Troop Constr. Middle East (Dept. Navy, U.S. Marine Corps) 6-15 Mold and compact the concrete with a block machine or by hand with metal molds. 2016 D. Waller Iron Men i. 14 Brunel himself went along to Wells Street, showing Maudslay a partial drawing for one of the block machines, without disclosing what it was for. block machinery n. machinery for making blocks (in various senses). ΚΠ 1805 in J. Britton & E. W. Brayley Beauties Eng. & Wales VI. 119 The formation of this slide was afterwards of the greatest service to him in the invention of his block machinery. 1919 Concrete Products Aug. 87/1 A copy of the standard specifications and building regulations for concrete block as adopted by the American Concrete Institute was sent to manufacturers of block machinery. 2011 W. H. G. Kingston Yacht Voy. round Eng. 11 Of course we visited Brunel's block machinery, which shapes from the rough mass of wood, with wonderful accuracy and speed, the polished block fit for use. block matrix n. Mathematics a matrix consisting of blocks that are themselves matrices; cf. sense 23. Π 1934 Amer. Jrnl. Math. 56 344 The matrix R is now the diagonal block matrix [D₁, D₂···, D_t], where D_i is a square matrix of order e_i, all of whose elements are zero except those in the counter diagonal, each of which is unity. 1961 W. M. Kaula Anal. Gravitational & Geom. Aspects Geodetic Utilization Satellites NASA Techn. Note D–572 1 The block matrices C and M comprise the coefficients of the equations. 2013 R. A. Horn & C. R. Johnson Matrix Anal. (ed. 2) ii. 87 If a unitary matrix is presented as a 2-by-2 block matrix, then the ranks of its off-diagonal blocks are related by a simple formula. block model n. Shipbuilding a solid scale model of a vessel, spec. one made from pieces of wood fastened together which shows the waterlines of the ship to be built (cf. water-line model). ΘΚΠ society > travel > travel by water > vessel, ship, or boat > shipbuilding and repairing > [noun] > shipbuilding > model water-line model1848 block model1901 1826 Mechanics' Mag. 20 May 35/1 The young shipwright is next desired to prepare a block model to the timbers, which, if correctly proportioned, will displace water equal to the weight of the vessel. 1901 Feilden's Mag. 4 426/1 The angle of entrance..may either be measured from the block-model or calculated. 2014 B. Lavery Ship of Line iv. 47/1 With the block model becoming established, it was a natural step to plank it to give it a much more natural appearance. block mountain n. Geology a mountain bounded by natural faults in the earth's crust, formed by block faulting. ΘΚΠ the world > the earth > land > landscape > high land > mountain > [noun] > type of iron mountain1658 jokul1780 table mountain1822 mountain of accumulation1864 voel1876 nunatak1877 monadnock1893 block mountain1896 fold mountain1908 hen-cackle1934 1891 Industries 2 Oct. 331/2 As denudation has not yet removed the raised areas, they stand out as ‘block mountains’ with almost vertical faces. 1933 Ann. Assoc. Amer. Geographers 23 170 These two systems of faults cross each other at an oblique angle, thus creating a series of block mountains of sub-rhombic form. 2011 Jrnl. Trop. Ecol. 27 291/1 It [sc. the study area] consists of plateaux, escarpments, a block mountain and the Rift Valley where Lakes Abaya and Lake Chamo are located. † block ornament n. slang (British and Australian) Obsolete a small piece of inferior meat placed for sale on the butcher's block, as opposed to a joint hung on a hook; cf. blocker n.¹ 3. ΘΚΠ the world > food and drink > food > animals for food > cut or piece of meat > [noun] > piece on butcher's block blocker1848 block-ornament1851 1843 Sun (Sydney) 18 Mar. ‘Block Ornaments’ made into stew! 1909 Westm. Gaz. 7 Jan. 2/1 How often, after a search through the old purse they clutch so tightly, they turn away the coveted ‘block-ornimint’ being beyond their means. † blockpate n. Obsolete rare a stupid or foolish person; a blockhead. ΘΚΠ the mind > mental capacity > lack of understanding > stupid, foolish, or inadequate person > stupid person, dolt, blockhead > [noun] asseOE sotc1000 beastc1225 long-ear?a1300 stock1303 buzzard1377 mis-feelinga1382 dasarta1400 stonea1400 dasiberd14.. dottlec1400 doddypoll1401 dastardc1440 dotterel1440 dullardc1440 wantwit1449 jobardc1475 nollc1475 assheada1500 mulea1500 dull-pate15.. peak1509 dulbert?a1513 doddy-patec1525 noddypolla1529 hammer-head1532 dull-head?1534 capon1542 dolt1543 blockhead1549 cod's head1549 mome1550 grout-head1551 gander1553 skit-brains?1553 blocka1556 calfa1556 tomfool1565 dunce1567 druggard1569 cobble1570 dummel1570 Essex calf1573 jolthead1573 hardhead1576 beetle-head1577 dor-head1577 groutnoll1578 grosshead1580 thickskin1582 noddyship?1589 jobbernowl1592 beetle-brain1593 Dorbel1593 oatmeal-groat1594 loggerhead1595 block-pate1598 cittern-head1598 noddypoop1598 dorbellist1599 numps1599 dor1601 stump1602 ram-head1605 look-like-a-goose1606 ruff1606 clod1607 turf1607 asinego1609 clot-poll1609 doddiea1611 druggle1611 duncecomb1612 ox-head1613 clod-polla1616 dulman1615 jolterhead1620 bullhead1624 dunderwhelpa1625 dunderhead1630 macaroona1631 clod-patea1635 clota1637 dildo1638 clot-pate1640 stupid1640 clod-head1644 stub1644 simpletonian1652 bottle-head1654 Bœotiana1657 vappe1657 lackwit1668 cudden1673 plant-animal1673 dolt-head1679 cabbage head1682 put1688 a piece of wood1691 ouphe1694 dunderpate1697 numbskull1697 leather-head1699 nocky1699 Tom Cony1699 mopus1700 bluff-head1703 clod skull1707 dunny1709 dowf1722 stupe1722 gamphrel1729 gobbin?1746 duncehead1749 half-wit1755 thick-skull1755 jackass1756 woollen-head1756 numbhead1757 beef-head1775 granny1776 stupid-head1792 stunpolla1794 timber-head1794 wether heada1796 dummy1796 noghead1800 staumrel1802 muttonhead1803 num1807 dummkopf1809 tumphya1813 cod's head and shoulders1820 stoopid1823 thick-head1824 gype1825 stob1825 stookiea1828 woodenhead1831 ning-nong1832 log-head1834 fat-head1835 dunderheadism1836 turnip1837 mudhead1838 donkey1840 stupex1843 cabbage1844 morepork1845 lubber-head1847 slowpoke1847 stupiditarian1850 pudding-head1851 cod's head and shoulders1852 putty head1853 moke1855 mullet-head1855 pothead1855 mug1857 thick1857 boodle1862 meathead1863 missing link1863 half-baked1866 lunk1867 turnip-head1869 rummy1872 pumpkin-head1876 tattie1879 chump1883 dully1883 cretin1884 lunkhead1884 mopstick1886 dumbhead1887 peanut head1891 pie-face1891 doughbakea1895 butt-head1896 pinhead1896 cheesehead1900 nyamps1900 box head1902 bonehead1903 chickenhead1903 thickwit1904 cluck1906 boob1907 John1908 mooch1910 nitwit1910 dikkop1913 goop1914 goofus1916 rumdum1916 bone dome1917 moron1917 oik1917 jabroni1919 dumb-bell1920 knob1920 goon1921 dimwit1922 ivory dome1923 stone jug1923 dingleberry1924 gimp1924 bird brain1926 jughead1926 cloth-head1927 dumb1928 gazook1928 mouldwarp1928 ding-dong1929 stupido1929 mook1930 sparrow-brain1930 knobhead1931 dip1932 drip1932 epsilon1932 bohunkus1933 Nimrod1933 dumbass1934 zombie1936 pea-brain1938 knot-head1940 schlump1941 jarhead1942 Joe Soap1943 knuckle-head1944 nong1944 lame-brain1945 gobshite1946 rock-head1947 potato head1948 jerko1949 turkey1951 momo1953 poop-head1955 a right one1958 bam1959 nong-nong1959 dickhead1960 dumbo1960 Herbert1960 lamer1961 bampot1962 dipshit1963 bamstick1965 doofus1965 dick1966 pillock1967 zipperhead1967 dipstick1968 thickie1968 poephol1969 yo-yo1970 doof1971 cockhead1972 nully1973 thicko1976 wazzock1976 motorhead1979 mouth-breather1979 no-brainer1979 jerkwad1980 woodentop1981 dickwad1983 dough ball1983 dickweed1984 bawheid1985 numpty1985 jerkweed1988 dick-sucker1989 knob-end1989 Muppet1989 dingus1997 dicksack1999 eight ball- 1598 R. Bernard tr. Terence Heautontimoroumenos v. i, in Terence in Eng. 251 To be called a blockpate [L. caudex], a dulhead, an asse, a lumpish sot. block paving n. paving made from bricks or blocks of stone, concrete, wood, etc., laid in an interlocking pattern. ΘΠ society > occupation and work > industry > building or constructing > paving and road-building > [noun] > paving > types of paved work pavementa1300 pavagec1376 paving1448 paithmentc1480 plainstones1611 pitching1693 pitchwork1758 pebble paving1819 pave1835 slabbing1893 concrete1911 crazy paving1923 1829 Manch. Courier 25 July (advt.) To be let, a Stone Quarry, containing a bed of Stone, twenty yards thick, of an excellent quality, for block paving, street flagging, &c. 1915 Engin. & Contracting 18 Aug. 134/2 An investigation of the use of wood for block paving has just been completed. 2004 V. McDermid Torment of Others (2005) 106 The car tyres hissed on the block paving of the pedestrianized zone at the heart of the area. block plan n. now chiefly historical an outline plan or sketch, esp. of a building site; cf. block v.¹ 6a. ΘΚΠ society > occupation and work > industry > building or constructing > [noun] > plans of buildings or structures ground-plot1563 model1570 ichnography1598 skiagraphy1636 plane1639 skiagraph1648 plain1659 plan1664 planography?1668 scheme1703 ground plan1731 working plan1767 working drawing1785 detail1819 floor-plan1867 Z-plan1887 block plan1909 master plan1914 1833 Gentleman's Mag. Nov. 396/1 The symmetry of the elevation..was no less complete than that of the block-plan, from whose foundations it rose. 1941 City of Oxf. Building Byelaws No. 134. A person who intends to erect a building..shall send or deliver to the clerk or surveyor..a block plan of the building. 2018 S. Roper Victorian Jamaica v. 197 As the block plan of the Boys' Reformatory in Stony Hill in 1885 shows, a kitchen, woodshed, smithy shed, and latrine surrounded the south barracks. block plane n. a metal-bodied plane with a blade set at a shallow angle, suitable for planing across the end grain of wood. ΘΚΠ society > occupation and work > equipment > shaping tools or equipment > plane > [noun] > other planes rabat1440 long plane1665 strike-block1678 mitre plane1688 straight block1812 ice plane1823 side fillister1841 upright1842 scraping-plane1846 sun plane1846 beading plane1858 bead-plane1858 fluting-plane1864 panel plane1873 badger plane1874 shooting-plane1875 whisk1875 block planea1884 scraper-plane1895 chariot plane1909 shoulder plane1935 1837 1st Exhib. & Fair Mass. Charitable Mech. Assoc. 68 Corthell & Davis, Boston. One iron block Plane—this appears designed to answer a good purpose. 1964 W. L. Goodman Hist. Woodworking Tools 92 These small block planes were very useful to violin and other musical-instrument makers. 2002 Fine Woodworking May 51/1 Trim down the inlay a bit with a block plane. block quotation n. a quotation from a secondary source within a printed or electronic document, typically presented as an indented block of text that is typographically distinct from the main body of the text. ΘΠ society > leisure > the arts > literature > literary and textual criticism > literary criticism > [noun] > practice of citing or quoting > that which is quoted concordance1538 citation1548 remnant1601 traverse1608 quotation1618 tag1702 quote1885 cite1941 1919 Son of Temperance 157/1 Take page 26; the top six lines and the block quotations underneath must be learned, and so on throughout the chapters. 2013 C. Juzwiak Touchstones iv. 325 Use block quotations sparingly, or else you will be relying on your secondary source too much and your essay will lack authority. † block-river n. [ < river n.²] Obsolete a person who splits blocks (of wood, stone, etc.). Π 1671 J. Eachard Some Observ. Answer to Grounds Contempt of Clergy 22 An honest Block-River with his Beetle, heartily calling. 1698 L. Milbourne Notes Dryden's Virgil 15 Wonderfully Heroical, and somewhat like honest Tyrrheus the Block-River. blockship n. a ship which is moored, grounded, or scuttled in order to block a channel, for purposes of war or to provide shelter. [Probably influenced by block v.¹ I.; compare earlier blockhouse n. 1a.] ΘΚΠ society > travel > travel by water > vessel, ship, or boat > war vessel > [noun] > block-ship blockader1759 block-ship1802 1801 Naval Chron. 6 121 Elephanten..Block-ship..Captain Von Thura. 1943 Ld. Alanbrooke Diary 4 Feb. in War Diaries (2001) 378 We did a complete tour of the harbour in a launch and visited the blockships which they are busy clearing. 2005 Ships Monthly Oct. 24/1 (advt.) The remaining vessels stayed in Admiralty service, conducting operations such as the raising of the Dover blockships and other wartime obstructions. block shot n. (a) Cricket a defensive stroke by the batter, intended to protect the wicket rather than to score runs; = sense 26a; (b) (in racket sports, originally and chiefly Tennis) a defensive shot with little backswing and shortened action; cf. sense 26d. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > ball game > cricket > batting > [noun] > types of stroke long ball1744 nip1752 catch1816 no-hit1827 cut1833 short hit1833 draw1836 drive1836 square hit1837 skylarker1839 skyer1840 skyscraper1842 back-cut1845 bum1845 leg sweep1846 slog1846 square cut1850 driver1851 Harrow drive1851 leg slip1852 poke1853 snick1857 snorter1859 leg stroke1860 smite1861 on-drive1862 bump ball1864 rocketer1864 pull1865 grass trimmer1867 late cut1867 off-drive1867 spoon1871 push1873 push stroke1873 smack1875 Harrow drive1877 pull-stroke1880 leg glance1883 gallery-hit1884 boundary-stroke1887 glide1888 sweep1888 boundary1896 hook1896 leg glide1896 backstroke1897 flick1897 hook stroke1897 cover-drive1898 straight drive1898 square drive1900 edger1905 pull-drive1905 slash1906 placing stroke1907 push drive1912 block shot1915 if-shot1920 placing shot1921 cow-shot1922 mow1925 Chinese cut1937 haymaker1954 hoick1954 perhapser1954 air shot1956 steepler1959 mishook1961 swish1963 chop- 1908 Bedfordshire Mercury 24 July 7/1 It was at the Modern School where Mr. A.O. Jones learned his famous ‘block shot’. 1915 J. P. Paret Methods & Players Mod. Lawn Tennis iii. 31 Soft block shots and slow passing strokes. 1946 Grenfell (New S. Wales) Rec. 26 Feb. 2/5 Most of his strokes are very choppy, but nevertheless admirably blended with block shots. 1971 S. Wasserman Table Tennis ii. 48 You can use the block shot. This is a half-volley—trapping the ball on the short bounce, with the bottom of the racket blade just off the table. 2014 Western Advocate (U.S.) (Nexis) 10 Sept. 24 You play your return as a block shot with very little back swing. block storage heater n. British a heating unit which accumulates warmth during the night and gives it off during the day; cf. night storage heater n., storage heater n. (b) at storage n. Compounds 2.So called because of the ceramic or concrete blocks within the unit which store and release the warmth. ΘΚΠ the world > matter > properties of materials > temperature > heat > heating or making hot > that which or one who heats > [noun] > a device for heating or warming > devices for heating buildings, rooms, etc. > operated by stored heat storage heater1894 block heater1958 block-storage heater1960 night storage heater1963 night storage radiator1970 1954 Milngavie & Bearsden Herald 26 June One of the most interesting pieces of equipment was the block storage heater. 1996 G. Hassan Building Services 253 Block storage heaters can often benefit from an extra input of energy to the room, especially towards the end of the day. block storage heating n. British heating by means of one or more block storage heaters; cf. storage heating n. Π 1957 Evesham Standard 5 Apr. 10/4 Floor warming, the latest electrical method of space heating or block storage heating. 1999 Evening Express (Aberdeen) 20 Jan. 25/1 (advt.) Preference will be given to candidates with experience of any of the following systems: Block storage heating; Warmair units. block-structured adj. Computing that uses a group of statements as a basic organizing unit (cf. sense 25b); spec. designating high-level programming languages organized in this way, esp. in block-structured (programming) language.The majority of modern programming languages are block-structured. Π 1963 Ann. Rev. Automatic Programming 4 203 This table is based on the block and procedure structure of the program... The ‘scope check’ checks that all identifiers and labels are used in contexts in which their use is valid, and uses the block structured tables compiled in phase one. 1982 Computerworld (Nexis) 15 Mar. 47 The package reportedly consists of a relational data base management system (DBMS) and operating system, a data definition language, an interactive query language, a block-structured programming language and a full-screen text editor. 2020 @advit_software 30 Nov. in twitter.com (accessed 15 June 2022) #Swift is a general-purpose, multi paradigm, object-oriented, functional, imperative and block structured language. block system n. Railways a system by which a railway line is divided into block sections, controlled by signals and allowing only one train to occupy a block at any one time; cf. sense 21. ΘΠ society > travel > rail travel > railway system or organization > [noun] > types of signal system block system1864 lock and block1872 signalling1873 1864 Realm 29 June 1 The only remedy for the danger is the adoption of what is technically called the ‘block system.’ 1908 W. G. Raymond Elem. Railroad Engin. x. 120 The general method of operation of the automatic block system may be explained with the aid of Fig. 69. 1978 G. M. Kichenside & A. Williams Brit. Railway Signalling (ed. 4) i. 8 Here, at last, was an instrument that permitted the replacement of time-interval working by the block system, for the signalmen..could communicate with the men at adjoining stations or junctions. 1991 Mod. Railways Apr. 181/2 On the signalling front, plans are afoot for replacing the tokenless block system installed on the section west of Salisbury at the time of the singling of the route in 1967. block tin n. tin cast into blocks; solid tin as distinct from tin plate; (also) †a receptacle made from solid tin (obsolete). Π 1639 Proclam. Charles I conc. Tin 19 Feb. (single sheet) To receive, ship, carry, land, or contract for any Block Tin unblown. 1745 J. Fothergill Let. in J. Bartram Corr. (1992) 257 Ile endeavor to procure a vessel of Block Tin. 1853 C. Dickens Bleak House xxvi. 259 He could play 'em a tune on any sort of pot you please, so as it was iron or block tin. 1879 M. E. Braddon Vixen I. xiii. 255 The silver kettle..was conducting itself as spitfireishly as any blackened block-tin on a kitchen hob. 1910 G. B. Shaw Let. 21 Mar. (1972) II. 915 You inherited from your father a sense of the importance of block-tin piping. 2011 T. P. Murphy in R. W. Revie Uhlig's Corrosion Handbk. (ed. 3) lx. 853/2 Some use is made of block tin in the brewing industry, but this has largely been superseded by stainless steel. block train n. a railway train of which the component parts are kept permanently made up. ΘΚΠ society > travel > rail travel > rolling stock > [noun] > train > kept permanently made up block train1902 1875 Liverpool Mercury 4 June 6/7 The introduction upon the Southport branch of the above-mentioned company's railway of what was termed ‘a block train’, including first, second, and third class carriages. 1963 Times 18 Feb. 6/5 Instead of its being carried in mixed freight trains, the block trains will carry nothing but coal. 1992 Mod. Railways Mar. 138/1 Two terminals have been identified on the Continent which might make suitable destinations for block trains from South Wales. block universe n. Philosophy the universe conceived as resembling an unchanging block, typically being regarded as a unitary closed four-dimensional system of interlocking parts in which there can be neither genuine development nor room for alternative possibilities. ΘΚΠ the world > the universe > [noun] > specific block universe1881 plenum1887 expanding universe1931 steady state1948 1881 T. Davidson Let. 24 Dec. in R. B. Perry Thought & Char. W. James (1935) I. 736 That last remnant of mythology and scholasticism, viz., theism and a block-universe. a1910 W. James Some Probl. Philos. (1911) xii. 191 It is the famous ‘principle of causality’ which, when combined with the next two principles, is supposed to establish the block universe, and to render the pluralistic hypothesis absurd. 1996 Nature 19 Sept. 228/2 The author..adopts the ‘block universe’ view of spacetime as an objective entity, as opposed to imagining that time is just an artefact of a special human perspective on cosmic events. 2015 V. Vedral in M. Brooks Chance iv. 142 According to Einstein the universe actually exists all at once, and everything that has happened and will happen is already there in what we now call the ‘block universe’. block welding n. a method of welding in which a number of separate joints are made first, leaving gaps which are filled in to complete the weld. ΘΚΠ society > occupation and work > industry > working with specific materials > working with metal > [noun] > welding > types of butt welding1878 lead burning1886 arc welding1890 thermite process1905 thermite welding1906 resistance welding1908 spot welding1908 seam welding1917 fusion welding1918 projection welding1918 stud welding1918 metal arc welding1926 pressure welding1926 metallic arc welding1927 flash-butt welding1933 flash welding1933 stitch welding1934 rightward welding1936 block welding1943 submerged-arc welding1945 friction welding1946 T.I.G.1960 microwelding1962 1940 Specif. Welding Vessels U.S. Navy: Pt. I (U.S. Navy Dept. Bureau of Ships: Gen. Specif. App. 5) (new ed.) i. 59 (index) Block welding. 1943 W. G. John in Electr. Welding in Shipbuilding (H.M.S.O.) 187 Block welding should be used for thicknesses above ⁵/ ₈″, the blocks starting from the centre of a seam and alternate block welds made from the centre outwards. 1980 K. Masubuchi Anal. Welded Structures vii. 314 Block-welding sequences were generally found to cause less shrinkage than multi-layer sequences. 2003 Proc. 6th Internat. Conf. Climbing & Walking Robots 706 A climbing robot that uses permanent magnets to adhere to the ferrous surfaces on the hull of cargo container ships during the block welding of a ship in a dry dock. † block-wheat n. Obsolete rare buckwheat. [Perhaps originally an error for buckwheat n.; compare the form bockwheate at that entry.] ΘΚΠ the world > food and drink > food > corn, cereals, or grain > [noun] > other grains buckwheat1548 brank1577 bullimong1578 sesame1600 block-wheat1611 fundi1670 kurakkan1681 manna seeds1764 manna1780 teff1790 bajra1813 semsem1866 sesame grain1867 the world > plants > particular plants > cultivated or valued plants > particular food plant or plant product > cereal, corn, or grain > [noun] > other grains buckwheat1548 brank1577 bullimong1578 block-wheat1611 kurakkan1681 rice1713 teff1790 bajra1813 1611 R. Cotgrave Dict. French & Eng. Tongues Dragée aux chevaux,..also, the course graine called Bolymong, French-wheat, Blocke-wheat, or Bucke-wheat. blockwork n. (a) Printing printed work created from a carved or engraved block, rather than from composed type; (b) building work constructed from blocks, esp. of concrete or a similar material (frequently contrasted with brickwork, stonework). ΚΠ ?1789 P. Withers Aristarchus (ed. 2) 309 The Composition of a Page of Types is much cheaper than Block Work. 1840 D. P. Thompson Green Mountain Boys 119/2 The two adventurers removed a portion of the blockwork at the mouth of the passage sufficient for an egress. 1921 C. W. Hackleman Commerc. Engraving & Printing 615 Block work is mostly used for the production of posters. 1993 Collins Compl. DIY Man. (new ed.) iii. 174/4 Generally, it pays to make a rendering mix somewhat stiffer for blockwork than for brickwork. block-yard n. a yard or site where any of various types of block are manufactured. ΘΠ society > occupation and work > workplace > place where specific things are made > [noun] > others coal pitOE wireworks1598 alum works1617 copperas-worka1661 saltpetre house1683 nailery1802 railworks1863 lockworks1864 sulphur-work1870 tack-mill1884 pitch-boilery1885 rubber plant1886 soot house1957 1772 London Evening-post 8–11 Aug. This morning, a little after eight o'clock, a fire broke out at Mr. Varlo's Block-yard on the Point. 1881 Taranaki (New Plymouth, N.Z.) Herald 20 Oct. Thirty blocks have been made, and are at present undergoing the process of hardening in the block-yard. 2001 Agenda No. 48 49/2 One group..have been able to change..to the much more profitable activity of block-making and running a block-yard which supplies all building projects in their area. C5. Compounds relating to sense 16a. Cf. Compounds 1c(a). block grant n. a grant issued by a central body to a subsidiary body to be used at the subsidiary body's discretion; spec. a grant from central government which a local authority can allocate to a wide range of services. ΘΚΠ society > trade and finance > fees and taxes > grants and allowances > [noun] > other types of grant, etc. lock1608 vote1704 capitation fee?1809 capitation allowance1832 capitation grant1854 capitation payment1857 King's (or Queen's) bounty1872 block grant1900 1865 J. E. Phillips in Rep. Proc. Church Congr. Bristol 88 The Society for the Propagation of the Gospel make what are called ‘Block Grants’ i.e. give Colonial Bishops a certain sum to employ as they please, rendering to them an account of how the same is expended. 1899 H. Macan Work Agric. Educ. Comm. 7 Subject and attendance grants must go, and a block grant on general efficiency be allocated to each school taking up the rural curriculum. 1997 U.S. News & World Rep. 14 July 30/3 Under a new law agreed on last year..federal block grants and 50 different state programs replace six decades of federally guaranteed aid to families with children. block release n. chiefly British and Irish English a system in which an employee is released from work for the whole of a stated period in order to undertake an educational course; frequently as a modifier. ΘΚΠ society > occupation and work > working > career > [adjective] > training scheme work–study1924 block release1958 1949 Aberdeen Jrnl. 23 Feb. 3/6 The apprentices must be released from their work to attend technical colleges by day... If for those who live in remote areas that is not possible, then the alternative is block release—release for continuous periods at a time. 1958 Engineering 28 Feb. 279/3 The theoretical side of apprentice training can best be covered by block-release courses instead of by part-time day releases. 2006 Good Woodworking June 13/1 Local building firms and joinery manufacturers send in students on day-release or block-release. block vote n. (a) the collective votes of a group of people, cast so as to further a particular goal or interest; (b) chiefly British a vote by delegates, esp. at a trade-union meeting or conference, in which each delegate's vote is equivalent to the votes of all of that delegate's constituents (cf. card vote n.).In quot. 1864, probably referring to the increasing tendency of electors in the electoral college to vote en bloc in a U.S. presidential election when instructed to by their state legislatures. ΘΚΠ the mind > will > free will > choice or choosing > expression of choice by some approved method > [noun] > block voting block vote1901 the mind > will > free will > choice or choosing > expression of choice by some approved method > [noun] > a vote > collective vote of a body voice?a1400 voice1488 suffrage1531 vote1562 block vote1901 1864 Freeman's Jrnl. (Dublin) 7 Nov. The block vote, which returns the electors for the Presidency, may be generally inferred from the colleges. 1879 Western Daily Press 25 Apr. 8/1 The Liberal tacticians preferred to assail particular items of expenditure as more likely to break up the block vote of the Ministerial majority. 1901 Daily Chron. 15 July 7/3 Welsh miners, who, by the block vote, were enabled to return a Welshman to the Victorian Parliament. 1955 Times 12 July 9/3 Resolutions from the branches are critical of the way in which the block vote of the union is used at the Trades Union Congress and Labour Party conferences. 1990 Independent on Sunday 18 Feb. 1/2 Through its 1.25 million block vote, giving it 20 per cent of the votes at Labour conferences, the TGWU has an unrivalled influence on the Labour Party. block voting n. the action or practice of casting a block vote. ΚΠ 1865 Aris's Birmingham Gaz. 6 May 8/3 He had expected to find what they called a ‘wholesale block voting’, and thought of seeing forty or fifty papers filled up the same way. 1990 F. Dannen Hit Men (1991) vi. 113 CBS and Warner even win an outsize share of Grammy Awards, thanks to the power of their block voting. C6. Compounds relating to sense 18a. block association n. U.S. a residents' association for occupants of a particular block or neighbourhood. ΚΠ 1911 Westville (Indiana) Indicator 13 July The agents were willing enough to permit the Block association to lay out the lawns with flower gardens. 1974 Amer. Sociol. Rev. 39 480/1 The creation of such voluntary associations as storefront clubs and block associations. 2011 S. Orr Tomorrow's Garden xii. 219/1 The drive of this block association to help unify its diverse neighborhood..is a model that can be replicated. block captain n. North American a resident of a neighbourhood or unit of houses who takes responsibility for coordinating crime prevention programmes or activities aimed at maintaining the safety, security, and appearance of the area. Π 1889 Sunday Herald (Salt Lake City, Utah Territory) 24 Nov. 8/3 The Twentieth People's club meet in the schoolhouse Monday evening... The block captains are expected to report at close of meeting. 1959 Public Health Rep. (U.S. Public Health Service) 74 359/1 Block captains, a new aristocracy of citizens, work seriously, diligently, and enthusiastically with their groups. 2010 J. A. Jance Queen of Night (2011) x. 256 Most of the time I'm right here at home, so I volunteered to serve as block captain, and I do keep watch. block group n. U.S. a geographical unit used by the United States Census Bureau, representing the smallest area for which demographic statistics are published; frequently as a modifier, esp. in block-group level. ΘΠ society > authority > rule or government > territorial jurisdiction or areas subject to > an administrative division of territory > [noun] > subdivision subprovince1665 sub-district1790 1944 Jrnl. Amer. Statist. Assoc. 39 306 Occupied blocks in cities of 50,000 inhabitants or more were arranged in groups based on number of dwelling units in 1940 and on location of the block within the city as indicated by census tract number. Every Nth block was selected from the block groups after they had been arranged in this order. 1976 Amer. Behavioral Scientist Nov. 271 Data were mapped to the block-group level, the first level of disaggregation within census tracts. 2018 RSF: Russell Sage Found. Jrnl. Social Sci. 4 217/2 Block groups in the Detroit ring average 1,300 residents. block-long adj. chiefly North American as long as a block; cf. sense 18b. Π 1930 School Life Jan. 90/2 Inverted cups of light stabbed the darkness of the block-long room. 1995 Globe & Mail (Toronto) 14 Jan. a4/4 The block-long parade of hundreds of Indians..marched up Bay Street. 2005 J. B. Whitely Young Las Vegas x. 183/1 The block-long stretch used to house a row of one- and two-storey buildings with porches. block parent n. chiefly Canadian an adult volunteer whose home is made available as a refuge for members of the community, esp. children, in case of an emergency; (also occasionally) the official programme that screens and oversees these volunteers.A proprietary name in Canada. Π 1957 Kokomo (Indiana) Tribune 25 Mar. 2/3 A ‘block parent’ system for protection of schoolchildren from molesters, or in case of injury, is catching on in an area of West Los Angeles. 1992 E. Wilson Prairie Dog Conspiracy iii. 28 ‘Always use the same route between school and home. Know where the block parents live.’ ‘Don't let anyone get close enough to grab you.’ 2002 London Free Press (Electronic ed.) 9 Oct. London program co-ordinator Gail McMahon said the city has more than 6,300 Block Parents, but needs more to ensure there are always people available to help. Volunteers participate by hanging the red-and-white Block Parent sign in a window of their home. block party n. North American a party for all the residents of a block or neighbourhood, usually held outdoors. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > social event > social gathering > party > [noun] > other parties play-party1796 tail1837 surprise-party1840 street party1845 costume party1850 pound party1869 all-nighter1870 neighbourhood party1870 simcha1874 ceilidh1875 studio party1875 pounding1883 house party1885 private function1888 shower1893 kitchen shower1896 kitchen evening1902 bottle party1903 pyjama party1910 block party1919 house party1923 after-party1943 slumber party1949 office party1950 freeload1952 hukilau1954 BYOB1959 pot party1959 bush party1962 BYO1965 wrap party1978 bop1982 warehouse party1988 rave1989 1902 Philadelphia Inquirer 16 July 3/7 An ideal spot in the very heart of Camden to inaugurate the first block party in the city. 1992 Buffalo (N.Y.) News 23 Aug. c1/1 Mrs. Gates and a dozen or so neighbours decided to throw a block party on Saturday to thank the police and firefighters who serve them. 2008 N.Y. Mag. 21 July 87/2 Local community organizations..host a Lower East Side family-centric block party. block-rocking adj. of music or a piece of music: having an energetic, lively rhythm that is conducive to dancing or partying; chiefly (and earliest) in block-rocking beats.Popularized by the song Block Rockin' Beats (1997) by the Chemical Brothers, which sampled Schoolly D's Gucci Again (see quot. 1989). ΘΠ society > leisure > the arts > music > type of music > [adjective] > style by rhythm jiggy1898 polyrhythmical1898 syncopated1908 polyrhythmic1916 mensuralist1940 isorhythmic1954 1989 ‘Schoolly D’ Gucci Again (transcribed from song) in Am I Black enough for You? Schoolly D is back with another one of those block-rocking beats. 2002 Roctober Winter 8/2 The music is everything a block-rocking party mix should be: infectious, intense, catchy. 2005 Time Out 7 Dec. 110/3 (advt.) Expect a right royal, hands-in-the-air mashup of block rockin' beats, acid house squelches and maybe some special guest vocalists. block watch n. North American (a programme of) systematic vigilance by local people in order to combat crime in their neighbourhood; frequently as a modifier, as in block watch committee, block watch meeting, etc.; cf. neighbourhood watch n. ΘΠ the world > action or operation > safety > protection or defence > watching or keeping guard > [noun] > guarding the streets > by the citizens of a neighbourhood crime watch1969 neighbourhood watch1972 1970 Law Enforcem. Assistance Amendm.: Hearings before Subcomm. No. 5 of Comm. on Judiciary (U.S. House of Representatives, 91st Congr., 2nd Sess.) 772 (Block Watch—Building Watch Committees.) Interested local residents and businessmen could provide protective services in the local areas. 1992 J. R. Dominguez & V. Robin Your Money or your Life vii. 240 As a neighbor, you dig up your dandelions, chat over the fence or in the elevator and join the block watch. 2017 Pittsburgh Post-Gaz. (Nexis) 5 Nov. d4 She started attending block watch meetings and working with police. Derivatives block-like adj. ΘΚΠ the world > space > shape > angularity > specific angular shape > [adjective] > cube > like a block block-like1561 blockish1565 1561 J. Heywood tr. Seneca Hercules Furens iv. sig. K4 Her head from blocklyke bodye [L. corpori trunco] gone Is quight. 1646 T. Swadlin Jesuite iv. 36 An Antagonist neither stock like, nor block-like. 1861 L. L. Noble After Icebergs 85 Numbers of block-like bergs. 2021 H. M. Griffin At Home in Exile vi. 47 Sometimes these block-like houses had stairs to the roof, for sleeping under nets on a stinking hot night. This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, December 2022). † blockn.² Forms: see block v.² Origin: Formed within English, by conversion. Etymon: block v.² Etymology: < block v.² Scottish. Obsolete. 1. An act or instance of bargaining or bartering, an exchange. Also as a mass noun. Frequently in to make (a) block: to bargain, to barter, to exchange. ΘΠ society > trade and finance > barter > [noun] formanginga1300 nifferc1400 barteringc1440 roring1440 commutation1496 scorsing1509 chopping and changing1548 exchange1553 truck1553 block1568 bartery1570 chopping1581 scorse1590 barter1592 trucking1594 swap1625 truckage1641 truck trade1740 handling1850 1548 in J. D. Marwick Extracts Rec. Burgh Edinb. (1871) II. 133 Nother to brek bowke nor to mak merchandice nor blok thairof in Leyth. 1568 Sempill Ballates (1872) 232 Abydand on sum merchand blok. 1637 S. Rutherford Lett. (1863) I. cxx. 300 What a sweet block was it by way of buying and selling, to give and tell down a ransome..for grace and glory to dyvours! a1800 Ballad ‘Fair Isabell’ xvi, in F. J. Child Eng. & Sc. Pop. Ballads (1885) II. iii. 216/2 So many blocks have we two made, And ay the worst was mine. 2. A scheme, an intrigue, a plot. ΘΠ the mind > mental capacity > knowledge > conformity with what is known, truth > deceit, deception, trickery > [noun] > a trick, deception wrenchc888 swikec893 braida1000 craftOE wile1154 crookc1175 trokingc1175 guile?c1225 hocket1276 blink1303 errorc1320 guileryc1330 sleightc1340 knackc1369 deceitc1380 japec1380 gaudc1386 syllogism1387 mazec1390 mowa1393 train?a1400 trantc1400 abusionc1405 creekc1405 trickc1412 trayc1430 lirtc1440 quaint?a1450 touch1481 pawka1522 false point?1528 practice1533 crink1534 flim-flamc1538 bobc1540 fetcha1547 abuse1551 block1553 wrinklec1555 far-fetch?a1562 blirre1570 slampant1577 ruse1581 forgery1582 crank1588 plait1589 crossbite1591 cozenage1592 lock1598 quiblin1605 foist1607 junt1608 firk1611 overreach?1615 fob1622 ludification1623 knick-knacka1625 flam1632 dodge1638 gimcrack1639 fourbe1654 juggle1664 strategy1672 jilt1683 disingenuity1691 fun1699 jugglementa1708 spring1753 shavie1767 rig?1775 deception1794 Yorkshire bite1795 fakement1811 fake1829 practical1833 deceptivity1843 tread-behind1844 fly1861 schlenter1864 Sinonism1864 racket1869 have1885 ficelle1890 wheeze1903 fast one1912 roughie1914 spun-yarn trick1916 fastie1931 phoney baloney1933 fake-out1955 okey-doke1964 mind-fuck1971 1553 G. Douglas tr. Virgil Eneados v. xi. 12 Rolling in mynd, full mony Cankirrit bloik. 1586 in W. A. Craigie Maitland Quarto MS (1920) 196 Thay that in that blok with ye conspyrit. This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, December 2022). blockv.¹ Brit. /blɒk/, U.S. /blɑk/ Forms: 1500s–1600s blok, 1500s– block, 1600s bloc; also Scottish pre-1700 block; English regional (Yorkshire) 1900s– blog. Origin: Formed within English, by conversion. Etymon: block n.¹ Etymology: < block n.¹Compare Middle French bloquer to strengthen (a construction) with stones (early 15th cent.), early modern Dutch blokken to obstruct (16th cent.; in this sense now superseded by blokkeeren (17th cent.)), German blockieren to obstruct (a passage) by means of a barrier (early 17th cent.). I. To obstruct physically, and related senses. 1. a. transitive. To prevent (a person or thing) from moving or advancing by placing or constituting a physical obstacle; to prevent the passage of (light, sound, etc.) by means of an obstacle or barrier; to obstruct the view of (something). Also with off. Also (and earliest) in figurative contexts.See also to block in 1 at Phrasal verbs, to block out 2a at Phrasal verbs, to block up 2 at Phrasal verbs. ΘΚΠ the world > movement > motion in a certain direction > movement towards a thing, person, or position > meeting or encounter > meet or encounter [verb (transitive)] > meet and obstruct the course of to cross the path of (any one)1820 to head off1841 to block off1893 a1500 (c1425) Andrew of Wyntoun Oryg. Cron. Scotl. (Nero) vii. Prol. l. 21 Swa my wayne wit..A matere gud sulde blok or spil. 1723 H. Rowlands Mona Antiqua Restaurata i. 4 There was a small Isthmus, or ridge of Land blocking the Current in that Place. 1836 I. C. Wright tr. Dante Purgatorio xvi. 151 Clouds of massy darkness block the light. 1886 Football, Lacrosse, Rounders: Laws 26 The goal-keeper..may..block the ball in any manner with his crosse or body. 1893 W. K. Post Harvard Stories 86 The two opposing crowds..swept across the diamond ‘blocking off’ the owners of the two dogs. 1960 N.Y. Times 5 June (Sports section) 2/5 This tourist stopped at the foot of Ingo's chair. He sensed that someone was blocking his sunshine. 1978 Peace News 1 Dec. 5/2 They..recently held a series of ‘die-ins’ at which cyclists blocked traffic during rush-hour. 1982 R. Sheppard & M. Valpy National Deal i. 13 A tiny-book-lined study..with a thick padded door to block the noise from the television. 1994 G. Paulsen Winterdance Prelude 4 I went through a tight stand of dense spruce. They were set thickly and blocked the wind completely. 1994 Fighting Firearms Autumn 40/2 The safety blocks the trigger and, most important, permits this double-action pistol to be carried ‘locked and cocked’. 2017 J. Cohen Moving Kings 5 Those billboards that're always blocking the signs and making you miss the airport turn. b. transitive. To impede passage along or through (an opening, thoroughfare, waterway, etc.) by placing or constituting an obstacle; to obstruct, close off, or cause a blockage in (a passage, channel, opening, etc.). Also formerly (in military contexts): †to blockade, surround (a place) (obsolete). Also in figurative contexts.See also to block up 1a. ΘΚΠ society > armed hostility > attack > action or state of siege or blockade > besiege or blockade [verb (transitive)] belieOE besita1100 beset?c1225 assiege1297 besiege1297 belayc1320 umsiegea1325 ensiegec1380 environa1382 to set before1382 siege1390 forset?a1400 foldc1400 setc1400 to lay siege to, unto, about, against, beforec1449 oppugn?a1475 pursue1488 obsess1503 ferma1522 gird1548 begird1589 beleaguer1590 block1591 invest1591 intermure1606 blockade1684 to lay blockade to1713 leaguer1720 to form the siege1776 cerne1857 the world > space > relative position > closed or shut condition > close or shut [verb (transitive)] > shut up (a place) steeka1250 shut1340 to shut in1390 spear1445 seclude1451 to shut up1530 mure1550 block1630 lock1773 to lock up1824 seal1931 to sew up1962 to lock down1980 the world > space > relative position > closed or shut condition > close or shut [verb (transitive)] > close by obstruction or block up > block the way or a passage forsetc900 withseta1300 stop13.. speara1325 withsperre1330 to stop one's way1338 shut1362 forbara1375 beseta1400 stopc1400 precludea1513 interclude1526 to shut up1526 forestall1528 fence1535 hedge1535 quar1542 foreclose1548 forestop1566 to flounder up1576 obstruct1578 bar1590 retrench1590 to shut the door in (also upon) (a person's) face1596 barricade1606 barricado1611 thwartc1630 blocka1644 overthwart1654 rebarricado1655 to choke up1673 blockade1696 embarrass1735 snow1816 roadblock1950 1591 A. Colynet True Hist. Ciuill Warres France ii. 89 They planted a Barricado before the gate,..blocked the entreyes into the sayd Castell, supposing by these meanes to feare the said Lady. 1591 H. Unton Let. 7 Aug. in Corr. (1847) 30 All Poictou is reduced..excepte Poictiers, by the Prince Conty, who hath also blocked that. a1644 F. Quarles Solomons Recantation (1645) v. 24 All his ways Are blokt with troubles. 1796 Ld. Nelson in Dispatches & Lett. (1845) II. 228 I ought not to have less than four Vessels to block the Port. 1853 E. K. Kane U.S. Grinnell Exped. xxii. 178 Our little harbor at Barlow's Inlet was completely blocked in by heavy masses [of ice]. 1863 A. P. Stanley Lect. Jewish Church I. xi. 243 The mouth of the cave was blocked by huge stones. 1871 R. Browning Balaustion 7 Back must you, though ten pirates blocked the bay! 1978 Detroit Free Press 5 Mar. b4/1 Blood clots that block arteries are formed by platelets. 1997 This Caring Profession July 1/3 A fine slurry, which will not block drains or the sewage system. 2012 S. Perry Illumini xxi. 114 Three state police cars blocked the road directly ahead. 2017 E. Batuman Idiot ii. 232 A man was blocking the aisle trying to stuff a large quilt-wrapped object into the overhead bin. c. transitive. To obstruct (a view of an object, or a person's view). Π 1821 G. Oliver Hist. Exeter ii. iv. 154 We must likewise object to the position of that overgrown desk and pulpit, which blocks the view and perverts the order of things. 1844 Westm. Rev. Mar. 153 A wall which rises so high above the bridge itself as to block the view as you cross? 1938 Reno (Nevada) Evening Gaz. 15 June 12/6 An irate fan unsheathed a razor to tickle the legs of a photographer who was blocking his view. 1959 Irish Times 16 Mar. 11/7 Whizzy moved and completely blocked her view of the screen. 2004 F. Itani Poached Egg on Toast xix. 244 Tall hillocky dunes that block the view of the beach. 2. a. Cricket. (a) transitive Of a batter: to stop (a ball) with the bat, playing a defensive stroke so as to protect the wicket, without attempting to hit the ball to score runs; to protect (the wicket) in this way. Cf. block shot n. (a) at block n.¹ Compounds 4. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > ball game > cricket > batting > bat [verb (transitive)] > hit > hit with specific stroke take1578 stop1744 nip1752 block1772 drive1773 cut1816 draw1816 tip1816 poke1836 spoon1836 mow1844 to put up1845 smother1845 sky1849 crump1850 to pick up1851 pull1851 skyrocket1851 swipe1851 to put down1860 to get away1868 smite1868 snick1871 lift1874 crack1882 smack1882 off-drive1888 snip1890 leg1892 push1893 hook1896 flick1897 on-drive1897 chop1898 glance1898 straight drive1898 cart1903 edge1904 tonk1910 sweep1920 mishook1934 middle1954 square-drive1954 tickle1963 square-cut1976 slash1977 splice1982 paddle1986 1772 Public Advertiser 11 July As the lame Man could only block his Wicket. 1773 Gentleman's Mag. Nov. 568 The modern way of blocking every ball at play. 1836 C. Dickens Pickwick Papers (1837) vii. 69 He blocked the doubtful balls, missed the bad ones, took the good ones. 1862 E. Routledge Handbk. Cricket 32 If you have a long reach, go in and play it forward; if not, however, keep your bat down, and block it. 1934 Advocate (Tasmania) 30 Nov. 5/1 It is a pity to see some of our young batsmen ‘poking’ and blocking loose balls. 2012 Daily Times (Pakistan) (Nexis) 25 Sept. He blocked the first ball and then tried to hit a six the very next ball which did not work. (b) intransitive. To play defensively; to be very defensive or cautious in one's batting. Π 1827 E. Neale Living & Dead 165 I've heard of him. Blocked well—best long stop in England. 1879 W. G. Grace in James Lillywhite's Cricketer's Ann. i. ii. 32 When you hit, hit hard; when you block, do not be deterred from using vigour even in this movement. 1990 Independent (Nexis) 2 Sept. 28 Fairbrother drove and slogged, and Atherton blocked and forced. 2005 Herald Sun (Melbourne) (Nexis) 22 July 108 The pressure has stifled his ability to move beautifully through the gears, which was a hallmark of his game. Now he tends to block or bash. b. transitive. Tennis. To hit (the ball) with a block shot, a defensive shot with little backswing and shortened action. Cf. block shot n. (b) at block n.¹ Compounds 4. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > ball game > racket games > lawn tennis > play tennis [verb (transitive)] > strike ball in specific way cut1875 volley1875 smash1882 lob1889 block1895 overhit1919 softball1927 1895 Daily Inter Ocean (Chicago) 13 July 4/2 Foote..contented himself with blocking the ball back and waiting for an opportunity to smash it. 1925 Manch. Guardian 23 June 6/7 He blocked back the service. 1955 Washington Post 14 Mar. 22/1 When the ball is hit very fast to you when you are standing close to the net, hold your wrist firm and block the ball back. 2003 O. Shine Lang. Tennis 17 Serena then blocked a backhand into the net. 3. transitive. In chess, draughts, and other board games: to cause (a piece) to be in such a position that it is unable to move. Cf. to block up 3. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > entertainment > pastimes > game > board game > play (a board game) [verb (transitive)] > tactics pin1688 society > leisure > entertainment > pastimes > game > board game > chess > [verb (transitive)] > tactics to shut up1474 to take upc1475 neck1597 catch1674 to discover check1688 attack1735 retreat1744 fork1745 pin1745 retake1750 guard1761 interpose1761 castle1764 retract1777 to take (a pawn) en passant1818 capture1820 decline1847 cook1851 undouble1868 unpin1878 counter1890 fidate1910 sacrifice1915 fianchetto1927 society > leisure > entertainment > pastimes > game > board game > draughts > [verb (transitive)] > actions huff1688 block1850 1877 Encycl. Brit. VII. 445/2 The game [sc. draughts] proceeds until one of the players has all his men and kings taken, or has all those left on the board blocked. 1960 R. C. Bell Board & Table Games (1979) 35 Pieces unable to move because they were blocked by enemy ordinarii were known as inciti. 2001 Times 27 June ii. 27/5 Blocking the pawns on the kingside and leaving White with a potentially bad bishop. 4. transitive and intransitive. American Football and Canadian Football. To obstruct (an opponent) from reaching or tackling the ball carrier by interposing one's body, as a legal move. Cf. block n.¹ 26c. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > ball game > football > American football > play American football [verb (intransitive)] > actions or manoeuvres rush1873 return1884 block1889 goal1900 drive1902 interfere1920 submarine1925 lateral1927 lateral1930 pull1933 to hand off1937 shovel pass1948 bootleg1951 scramble1964 spear1964 blitz1965 convert1970 society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > ball game > football > American football > play American football [verb (transitive)] > actions to players tackle1884 nail1888 block1889 quarterback1892 rough1904 rush1913 to fake out1931 straight-arm1934 submarine1941 red-dog1950 clothesline1959 spear1964 sack1969 1887 Times (Philadelphia) 30 Oct. 2/3 Ziegler worked finely against Cross and blocked successfully. 1896 W. Camp & L. F. Deland Football v. 108 It is wise to get as close as possible to the man you wish to block. 1957 Encycl. Brit. IX. 479/1 Most young football players are decidedly upset if they have been taught to block a given defender on a given play and then suddenly discover that the foe is not there to be blocked. 1990 Sports Illustr. 8 Oct. 55/1 Teams used tight offensive formations then, and eight defenders were blocked by eight offensive players. 1997 E. Gruver Amer. Football League: 1960–1969 136 They blocked and tackled and just knocked the hell out of us. 2001 Chicago Tribune 11 Nov. iii. 8/3 Don't go off on Chris, go off on the linemen. Those dudes aren't blocking. 5. transitive. British. Of a patient, esp. an elderly patient: to continue to occupy (a hospital bed needed by another patient) when treatment is complete, due to a lack of suitable care elsewhere. Also: (of an administrator) to cause (a hospital bed) to be occupied in this way. Cf. bed-blocking n. Π 1913 Cambr. Independent Press 7 Mar. 5/3 If it were not for the Home of Recovery they would be under the necessity of turning these patients out.., or keeping them in the Hospital and blocking beds which were wanted for more urgent cases. 1955 Social Work 12 29 Many elderly men were admitted to hospital for social reasons rather than purely medical ones, sometimes blocking beds. 1982 Brit. Med. Jrnl. (Clin. Res. ed.) 19 June 1862/1 Some hospital administrators attempt to avoid blocking beds with chronic cases by adopting a policy of restricted admission for pensioners. 1998 Community Care 16 July 5/1 Elderly people are blocking beds in a Redbridge hospital because the social services department is too short of cash to fund care home placements. II. Senses relating to a block or blocks. 6. †a. transitive. Chiefly Scottish. To shape, draft, or sketch (something) roughly, as a preliminary to further development or refinement; to lay out, plan. Obsolete except in to block out 1 at Phrasal verbs. ΘΚΠ the mind > will > intention > planning > plan [verb (transitive)] > roughly block1584 to rough out1738 1574 J. Davidson Ane Dialog betuix Clerk & Courteour in J. Cranstoun Satirical Poems Reformation (1891) I. 324 Perchance sum Poet will delyte To put it in mair plesand Ryme, That I haue blokit at this tyme. 1584 King James VI & I Ess. Prentise Poesie sig. Kiij I tuke earnist and willing panis to blok it [sc. this short treatise]. 1652 T. Urquhart Εκσκυβαλαυρον 200 Which designe though intended, essayed, and blocked by many others. 1902 W. B. Yeats Let. 27 May (1994) III. 192 I am trying to block in the rough a good many things to be worked over in the smooth while I am with you. b. transitive. Theatre, Film, and Television. To plan (a scene, act, etc.) with reference to the position and movement of actors, placement of props, etc.; to plan (the position and movement of actors) on a stage or film set; = to block out 6. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > the arts > performance arts > the theatre or the stage > the staging of a theatrical production > stage [verb (transitive)] > plan production or business plot1933 block1961 1967 P. McGerr Murder is Absurd vi. 73 Wednesday Warren finished blocking the first act. 1997 A. Wesker Birth of Shylock 91 Yesterday John finished blocking the whole play, ahead of schedule. 2000 T. J. Erdmann & P. M. Block Star Trek Deep Space Nine Compan. 241/1 He blocked the scene in which Rom and Quark tussle on the floor. 7. a. transitive. To shape or reshape (a hat) on a block (block n.¹ 7). ΘΚΠ the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > tailoring or making clothes > making headgear > make headgear [verb (transitive)] > make hats > carry out specific processes block1622 plait1723 shear1728 ruff1842 plank1875 shave1875 velure1880 twang1882 half-block1884 1622 S. Rowlands Good Newes & Bad Newes sig. E2 His hat new block'd. 1832 Lady's Bk. Nov. 318 The bonnets are..sent to the blockers to be blocked. 1976 ‘W. Allen’ Without Feathers 4 If I had listened to him I would be blocking hats for a living. 2016 C. Hinger Nicodemus iv. 60 She used native bluestem grass and blocked the hats on a form she brought with her. b. transitive. To shape (part of a leather boot or shoe) on a mould. Cf. block n.¹ 7e. Π 1828 Amer. Jrnl. Improvem. Useful Arts 1 50 (heading) Machine for crimping or blocking boot leather. 1878 Boot & Shoemaker 4 May 91/1 Sometimes Blucher vamps are not blocked, but cut. 1906 P. N. Hasluck Boot & Shoe Pattern Cutting & Clicking iii. 46 In all tongued boots there is a certain amount of blocking necessary, and the higher the tongue reaches the more difficult it is to block. 2014 www.carreducker.blogspot.com 28 Feb. (blog, Internet Archive Wayback Machine 13 June 2015) Rather than having several blocking boards, Dominic showed us one..which has provided the ideal curvature for him, for most boot vamps and heels (it has a second surface ideal for blocking boot counters). c. transitive. Knitting. To shape and finish (a piece of knitting) by wetting or steaming and pinning out flat to the desired proportions. Π 1936 Vogue 15 June 100/3 Here it is at last a really simple, economical, practical adjustable Frame for washing and blocking your hand or machine knitted waists, skirts and dresses. 2006 Simply Knitting June 85/2 When you've finished all your knitted pieces we recommend that you block them before you join them together. 2022 @OldTownCourtney 31 Mar. in twitter.com (accessed 6 June 2022) Finished another cowl! Can't wait to block it so you can see the beautiful stitching details in the lace. 8. transitive. In haberdashery: to wrap (fabric or ribbon) around a board for storage and display. See block n.¹ 12. Now rare. ΘΚΠ the world > textiles and clothing > textiles > textile manufacture > manufacture textile fabric or that which consists of > manufacture of textile fabric > treating or processing textile fabric > treat or process textile fabric [verb (transitive)] > other processes starch1390 scour1467 burl1483 waterc1500 calender1513 shoot1532 press1555 gum1612 reimbale1623 strike1701 bias1838 pad1839 spirit1854 bray1879 stream1883 crisp1892 block1905 Schreiner1905 mercerize1911 1834 E. E. Perkins Lady's Shopping Man. 40 China—is an inferior satin ribbon... It..is kept on flat boards, being too narrow to be blocked as other goods. 1847 Proc. Old Bailey 1 Feb. 427 I sent 603 pieces of mouselin-de-laine to Mr. Matthews, our dresser and hot-presser, to block and board them. 1905 H. G. Wells Kipps i. iii. 64 He meditated about her when he was blocking cretonne. 1934 H. G. Wells Exper. in Autobiogr. I. iv. 149 I had to measure and refold it when the manufacturers delivered it, to block it or to roll it in rolls. 9. transitive. To apply (a design) using a block (block n.¹ 11); to print or emboss (a surface, esp. the cover of a book) in this way. ΘΚΠ society > communication > book > manufacture or production of books > book-binding > ornament or lettering on binding > [verb (transitive)] > impress design in or on > emboss covers by pressure from block block1869 1839 Bent's Monthly Lit. Advertiser May 79/1 Cloth Cases gilt and blind blocked. a1867 S. Davenport Engraving in Brit. Manuf. Indust. (1876) VIII. 112 In the case of flock paper, the pattern or design is blocked into the paper in strong size, and the flock..is then spread over the entire surface. 1891 Brit. Bookmaker 4 23/2 A special arrangement is added for blocking bound books. 1985 Texas Monthly Mar. 32/1 The wallpapers are still blocked by hand. 2005 J. Donnelly in Y. Lamonde et al. Hist. of Bk. in Canada II. iii. 106 Techniques of blocking the cover and spine in blind or gold were developed. †10. transitive. To cover (a surface, esp. a road surface) with blocks. Obsolete. ΘΚΠ society > occupation and work > industry > building or constructing > paving and road-building > pave or build roads [verb (transitive)] > pave > pave with specific material causeya1552 flag1615 causeway1744 metal1806 blind1812 macadamize1823 slab1832 flint1834 pebble1835 asphalt1872 concrete1875 cube1887 cobble1888 block1891 wood-block1908 tarmacadam1910 tarviate1926 tarmac1966 1868 Arbroath Guide 20 June The workmen at present employed in preparing the road at East Grimsby for being blocked with granite, came upon two stone coffins constructed of rough slabs of stone. 1882 Dundee Advertiser 10 Jan. 3/6 It was stated that a great saving of expense had resulted from blocking other streets, and that such work should be gone on with until all the principal streets in the burgh were paved. 1891 Argus (Melbourne) 25 Nov. 7/8 Only those streets in which the most traffic takes place will be blocked. The other roadways will be metalled. 1910 Surveyor 29 July 151/1 The leat between these two reservoirs is blocked with granite on the sides and concreted in the bottom for most of its length. 1927 Forfar Disp. 4 Aug. Victoria Street is to be blocked with whinstone, small portions of Arbroath Road and Glamis Road also with whinstone, and other streets or roads patched. 11. transitive. To support or reinforce (something) with blocks. Also intransitive. Cf. earlier to block up 4 and block n.¹ 10. ΘΚΠ the world > space > relative position > support > [verb (transitive)] > with blocks block1881 1881 Mechanic §765 When the top of any table of this kind is a fixture, it is generally blocked, that is to say rectangular blocks of wood..are glued at short intervals into the angle formed by the meeting, etc. 1895 Canada Gaz. 17 Aug. 294/2 The bearing joists to be strutted or blocked from the ceiling of the vessel. 1908 Electr. World 1 Aug. 243/2 In setting the poles the driver would drive up close to the hole, block the wagon, unhook the double tree, [etc.]. 1933 W. S. Lowndes Carpentry III. 4 In nailing the side jambs the space between the outsides of the jambs and the studs is blocked. 2004 R. German Remodeling Basement v. 61/2 You may need to block between the last joist and the rim joist on top of an exterior wall. †12. transitive. Mining. To remove or cut out (coal, ore, earth, etc.) in blocks or sections; = to block out 3. Obsolete. ΘΚΠ society > occupation and work > industry > mining > mine [verb (transitive)] > cut (coal) > specific method hole1829 pool1839 undercut1883 underhole1891 overcut1907 plough1950 1881 Rep. Comm. Mining & Manuf. 17 in App. to Senate Jrnl. (Missouri) (31st Gen. Assembly) The process adopted, is to remove from six to ten feet of dirt lying on top of the coal, with plow and scraper, then blocking the coal of convenient size to handle, when it is loaded upon horse-cars. 1887 N.E.D. at Block Mod. Coal is always blocked from the bottom of the seam. 1909 Rep. Hearings Joint Select Comm. to investigate Cause Mine Explosions (W. Va. Legislature) 317 They make an undercut clear across the room, blocking the coal with the pick. 13. transitive. Sheep-shearing. To shape the fleece of (a sheep) in preparation for showing. Cf. to block out 4. ΚΠ 1911 Shepherd's Jrnl. (Chicago) June 10/2 By leaving wool on those parts of the body showing decided defects they are able to block the animal into better shape and thus, perhaps, better deceive the judge. 2013 Sheep Newslet. June in www.premier1supplies.com (accessed 9 June 2022) (caption) Gear up with the right equipment for clipping or blocking your sheep for the show. 14. transitive. To group (data) in blocks.Cf. earlier blocked adj. 7. Π 1960 Ann. Math. Statistics 31 857 It is usually desirable to block the trials in such a way that the coefficients can be estimated efficiently while the error is confined to the magnitude of variation within blocks. 1985 Personal Computer World Feb. 157/3 Since this system blocks the data it has the advantage of being more secure than the normal communications option. 2010 B. Ariel & D. P. Farrington in A. R. Piquero & D. Weisbud Handbk. Quantitative Criminol. xxi. 446 Blocking the data according to type of drug use, as in the hypothetical drug treatment trial presented above, is very clear. III. To prevent, hinder, and related senses. 15. transitive. To prevent (something) from occurring or progressing; to prevent (a person) from doing something; to hinder, suppress. Also with off. ΘΚΠ the world > action or operation > difficulty > hindrance > hinder [verb (transitive)] letc888 shrenchc897 forstanda1000 amarOE disturbc1290 impeachc1380 stopc1380 withstandc1385 hinder1413 accloy1422 hindc1426 to hold abackc1440 appeachc1460 impeditec1535 inhibit1535 obstacle1538 damp1548 trip1548 embarrass1578 dam1582 to clip the wings ofa1593 unhelp1598 uppen1600 straiten1607 rub1608 impediment1610 impedea1616 to put out1616 to put off1631 scote1642 obstruct1645 incommodiate1650 offend1651 sufflaminate1656 hindrance1664 disassist1671 clog1679 muzzle1706 squeeze1804 to take the wind out of the sails of1822 throttle1825 block1844 overslaugh1853 snag1863 gum1901 slow-walk1965 society > authority > rule or government > ruler or governor > deliberative, legislative, or administrative assembly > governing or legislative body of a nation or community > procedure of parliament or national assembly > [verb (transitive)] > obstruct (business) to talk out1873 block1884 to speak out1893 1783 J. C. Adelung Neues Grammatisch-kritisches Wörterbuch I. at Block To block the trade, die Handlung hemmen. 1844 G. W. Kendall Narr. Santa Fé Exped. II. xiii. 260 Soon after [he] ordered his own men to leave the gambling cot of the leper, and by this means ‘blocked the game’. 1867 Daily Tel. 30 July 2/2 Mr. Locke launched his amendment, intended to block the bill at once. 1899 A. H. Quinn Pennsylvania Stories 190 I tried to fix up two or three things with Miss Fitzgerald and she blocked me off each time, very nicely, it is true, but still she blocked me off. 1953 Sarasota (Florida) Herald-Tribune 11 May 1/3 I can think of no more effective way of blocking congressional investigatings of communism. 1958 F. B. Vickers Though Poppies Grow 97 I blocked him turning One Tree into a brick area. He had a brick house so he thought everybody else ought to have one. 1989 L. Bryce Influential Woman (1990) ii. 33 In other cases, the job may not provide enough opportunities for you to interact with senior people, or your boss may block you from speaking to them. 2005 Nature 24 Mar. 437/2 [He] successfully vetoed Cantor′s applications for senior academic posts and blocked the publication of his papers. 2007 Wall St. Jrnl. 21 Dec. a1/3 This year, the senator..single-handedly blocked or slowed more than 90 bills... He blocked a ban on genetic discrimination by health insurers. 16. Cards. a. transitive. In whist, bridge, etc.: to prevent (cards of a particular suit) from being played as winners. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > entertainment > pastimes > game > card game > play a card [verb (transitive)] > actions or tactics to hold up?1499 decardc1555 to turn up1580 discard1591 pulla1625 to sit out1659 face1674 to make out1680 to lay out1687 to throw away1707 lead1739 weaken1742 carry1744 to take in1744 force1746 to show down1768 throw1866 blank1884 block1884 cover1885 unblock1885 pitch1890 1872 Field 14 Sept. 273/3 My partner leads the knave, and then my ten blocks his suit. 1885 ‘Cavendish’ Whist Devel. 57 If the lead was from ace, queen, knave, ten only, B would block his own suit. 1938 Times 27 Dec. 11/5 This might have been a wise manœuvre on B's part to block Spades in case Z held only two. 1958 Listener 18 Dec. 1053/1 The run of the suit was blocked. 2020 J. B. Elwell Adv. Bridge 71 To be able to use proper judgment in ridding yourself of cards that you fear may block your partner's suit, you should thoroughly understand the leads. b. transitive. In a game of patience: to prevent (a card or sequence of cards) from being available for use. Cf. chocker v. ΘΠ society > leisure > entertainment > pastimes > game > card game > patience or solitaire > [verb (transitive)] > block or obstruct block1884 chocker1887 1874 A. Cadogan Illustr. Games Patience 1 Great care is requisite, lest in releasing one card another still more necessary to success should be blocked. 1901 ‘Tarbart’ Games of Patience 1 A Patience is said to be blocked when, before completion, no further card is playable. 1992 J. Harrod Pick of Pack Patience Games (1997) iii. 103 Beware of blocking cards soon needed. 17. a. transitive. Physiology. To prevent the passage of (a muscular contraction or nerve impulse); to prevent conduction of impulses in (a nerve). Cf. block n.¹ 28. ΘΚΠ the world > health and disease > healing > medical treatment > types of treatment generally > apply type of treatment [verb (transitive)] > obstruct nervous or muscular impulse block1876 1876 G. J. Romanes in Proc. Royal Soc. 1875–6 24 149 Sometimes..the strip will admit of being further elongated for some distance before the waves are again blocked. 1912 E. A. Schäfer Exper. Physiol. ix. 43 The constant current from the Daniell cells blocks the nerve. 1990 Sciences Jan. 7/3 Cocaine and other drugs that resemble it, such as novocaine and xylocaine, all work the same way—by blocking the electrical discharge of a nerve. 2009 Daily Tel. 9 Nov. 30/1 Once inside the body, the bacteria multiply and release a neurotoxin called tetanospasmin, which can spread through the bloodstream, blocking nerve signals from the spinal cord to the muscles. b. transitive. Physiology and Biochemistry. To prevent, inhibit, or counteract the activity, effect, or production of (a cellular system or receptor, hormone, enzyme, etc.); to prevent or inhibit (a physiological or metabolic process). Π 1926 Jrnl. Exper. Med. 44 81 Assuming then that the trypan blue completely blocked the reticulo-endothelial system and that phagocytosis is the only means by which platelets are destroyed, it would be expected that the platelets would continue to increase ad infinitum provided there was no inhibition of production. 1963 Adv. in Clin. Chem. 6 176 The excretion of DOPA when tyrosine was given was taken to show the use of alternative metabolic pathways when the main pathway was blocked. 1997 C. Thomas & S. Scott All Stings Considered 131 Other chemicals in minimally spoiled fish..may help histamine pass into the bloodstream by blocking enzymes that normally break down histamine. 2020 Sunday Tel. (Nexis) 9 Feb. 25 In practice, this puts an immediate end to the use of drugs that delay the development of sex organs by blocking the hormones testosterone and oestrogen. 18. transitive. Meteorology. Esp. of an area of high pressure: to prevent or retard the movement of (a low-pressure weather system), typically causing weather in a region to remain unchanged for a prolonged period. Π 1916 Weather Forecasting in U.S. (U.S. Dept. Agric. Weather Bureau) vi. 160 Sometimes a ridge of high pressure will block a low that is centered directly west of the Rockies and finally force it back to the Pacific Coast. 1973 J. L. Baldwin Climates of U.S. 222 In its summer position, this semipermanent Pacific High effectively blocks the passage of storms into the California-Oregon-Washington coastal area. 2005 N.Z. Herald (Nexis) 19 May A high-pressure system to the south of the country was blocking the low from moving. 19. intransitive. Psychiatry and Psychology. To experience a mental block; to be unable to perform a mental process or to express freely one's thoughts, feelings, etc.; to exhibit blocking (blocking n.² 12). Π 1936 N.Y. Times 14 Aug. 17/1 Stutterers ‘block’ about twice as often as normal subjects. 1938 Jrnl. Exper. Psychol. 23 477 The situations were so arranged that unless the subject blocked completely there were only three possible modes of resolution. 1980 A. Clare Psychiatry in Dissent (ed. 2) iii. 93 Some exhausted and anxious people can..easily lose the thread of their conversations and may appear to block. 2010 E. Polster in J. K. Zeig Evol. Psychotherapy 149/1 The patient blocks—by repetitions, deletions, changing the subject, abstractions that do not get fleshed out, [etc]. 20. transitive. To restrict the use or conversion of (currency or other assets). Cf. freeze v. 5e. ΘΚΠ society > trade and finance > financial dealings > types of money-dealing > [verb (transitive)] > other money-dealing operations to part stakes (also shares)1553 marshal1771 float1872 squeeze1885 hedge1909 block1932 to lock in1950 divest1962 reintermediate1971 launder1973 wash1973 1937 E. Ambler Uncommon Danger i. 30 At that time all German bonds were ‘blocked’ and not negotiable abroad. 1998 Times 23 Oct. 21/1 The features of the Pope are likely to turn up..on the coins of monetary union unless France wins a battle to block the currency issued by the Vatican. 2004 9/11 Commission Rep. (National Comm. Terrorist Attacks upon U.S.) vi. 185 OFAC..blocked more than $34 million in Taliban assets held in U.S. banks. 21. transitive. To use an automated process to prevent (a phone number, email address, social media account, etc.) being used to reach a particular person or audience; to use an automated process to prevent (a person) making contact via telephone, email, or social media. Π 1991 Wall St. Jrnl. 25 Mar. b2/5 Some are trying to counter the trend toward blocking with ‘block the blocker’ devices. A caller ID display unit with the feature intercepts blocked calls and delivers a curt rebuff: ‘This party does not receive blocked calls.’ 1997 PC Week 6 May 40/2 The censorware..successfully blocked addresses offering free email accounts..but had no trouble at all with such addresses as www.porn.com. 2015 T. Gevinson Rookie Yearbk. 4 43/1 The people you've blocked on social media for starting too many posts with ‘So grateful for my amazing boyfriend/girlfriend... I'm the luckiest person in the world!!!!!’ 2019 C. Carty-Williams Queenie (2020) xix. 239 Either her phone was still off, or she'd blocked my number. Phrasal verbs With adverbs in specialized senses. to block in 1. transitive. To prevent (a person or thing) from leaving a place by causing an obstruction; (now) esp. to park one's vehicle in a way that prevents (another car or driver) from driving away. Also formerly: †to blockade (a place) (obsolete). Π 1591 tr. True Disc. Ouerthrow Armie of Leaguers of Prouince sig. A.iii The citie of Aix which y^e said Lords haue with al diligence enuironed & blocked in. 1595 E. Hoby tr. L.-V. de La Popelinière Hist. France iii. 167 The Emperour..commanded the viceroy of Naples.., that assembling together all the forces which he possibly could, he should blocke in the Sienois as much as in him lay. 1761 Whitehall Evening-post 28–31 Mar. A Squadron will shortly sail to the Enemy's Coast, to block in the few Ships of War now equipping in their several Ports. a1974 B. L. Coombes With Dust still in his Throat (1999) 79 Isn't it terrible, Mrs Davies; more than forty still down, they can't get at them, blocked in, they are. 1994 Sun (Baltimore) 15 Apr. c1/3 She commandeered a school bus they were using and blocked in all the parked cars. 2005 M. M. Frisby Wifebeater xxxvi. 254 I went to pull out from the curb and Minerva pulled up beside me and blocked me in. 2. transitive. To add blocks of colour to (a painting or drawing), esp. roughly or as a preliminary step; to colour in. Π 1855 Athenæum 26 May 624/3 Mr. S. Cooper paints too rapidly. His cows are all from the same mould—coarse, and blocked in with a dangerous facility. 1884 Lady M. Majendie Out of their Elem. I. viii. 110 Pictures blocked in roughly are often capable of a high degree of ultimate finish. 1952 G. H. Dury Map Interpr. ii. 20 Where flats have to be emphasized selectively they may be blocked-in or stippled. 2003 National Art Coll. Fund Rev. 2002 107/2 He seems to have first blocked in the composition to establish its tonal and colouristic values, and then added the details, working outwards from the centre. 3. transitive. To reserve (a period of time) in one's schedule for a particular activity. Cf. to block out 5 at Phrasal verbs. Π 1996 Richmond (Va.) Times Disp. 4 Aug. (City ed.) (Discover Richmond Suppl.) 40/1 When you're checking your calendar for activities to enjoy, consider blocking in some time to volunteer. 2007 Community Care (Nexis) 9 Aug. Block in regular slots..for answering e-mails or returning phone calls. to block out 1. transitive. To shape, draft, or sketch (something) roughly, as a preliminary to further development or refinement. Π 1738 S. Madden Refl. & Resol. sig. A2 I forced my self to hew and block out this rude Sketch of a much larger Design, which I had drawn up for abler Work-men to polish. 1753 G. Washington Diary 13 Dec. (1925) I. 59 They..told 50 [canoes]..besides many others which were blocked-out, in Readiness to make. 1829 Massachusetts Spy 16 Dec. There are portions [of the message] which bear the marks of having been ‘blocked out’ by General Jackson. 1837 J. G. Lockhart Mem. Life Scott (1839) III. 15 The latter Cantos having..been merely blocked out when the first went to press. 1922 St. Nicholas Aug. 1043/2 The form was at first only roughly blocked out in the marble. 1946 M. Lowry Let. 28 June in Sursum Corda! (1995) I. 590 A thing I recently blocked out in Mexico, entitled Dark as the Grave Wherein my Friend is Laid, potentially my best to date. 2000 Daily Tel. 30 Aug. 17/2 Having first blocked out the masses and worked out the composition, he was free to minimise differences in tone and texture. 2. a. transitive. To prevent (light or sound) from reaching a person. Π 1815 Gentleman's Mag. July 27 A clumsy clock-case blocking out the light and sight of the West window. 1972 Village Voice (N.Y.) 1 June 50/3 Many would rather take the chance of being robbed than block out the sunshine with an ominous gate. 2016 N. Yoon Sun is also Star 50 The headphones are the kind that have giant ear pads for blocking out sound. b. transitive. To exclude (something unpleasant or distracting) from one's thoughts or consciousness. Π 1948 Sierra Educ. News (Calif. Teachers Assoc.) Dec. 18/3 Repression..is a process of deliberately avoiding conflict involved in a problem solving situation. Blocking out the memory of unpleasant experiences. 1980 M. Thelwell Harder they Come (1996) xiii. 275 She couldn't block out the laughter or curses or the shrill yelps and whinneys that came through the wall. 2003 Bowling Digest June 17/3 For years, I've worked on blocking out distractions and concentrating. 2008 Observer 20 Jan. 39/4 Like other child soldiers, he blocked out what was happening with drugs. 3. transitive. Mining. To remove or cut out (coal, ore, earth, etc.) in blocks or sections. Cf. sense 12. ΘΠ society > occupation and work > industry > mining > mine [verb (transitive)] > cut (coal) > specific method hole1829 pool1839 undercut1883 underhole1891 overcut1907 plough1950 1859 Star (Ballarat, Victoria) 20 Jan. If defendants had complied with the regulations, instead of blocking out their ground they would long since have proved whether or not a junction existed. 1908 R. S. G. Stokes Mines & Minerals Brit. Empire vii. 68 Shafts are sunk in squares, 40 feet apart, from which the daring miners block out the dirt. 1996 D. Gaddy in V. Ford Silver Peak (2000) viii. 191/2 (transcript) If you're mining hard rock, you go out and drill a hole, and you sample, and you can block out the ore, and you know exactly what you have. 4. transitive. Sheep-shearing. To shape the fleece of (a sheep) in preparation for showing. Cf. sense 13. Π 1872 Trans. Highland & Agric. Soc. Scotl. 4 239 At an early part of the season the sheep is blocked out upon the old wool, and is subject to occasional clippings and dressings, till it is moulded into what is considered a fine form. 1932 O. A. C. Rev. (Ontario Agric. College) Feb. 372 With a sharp pair of shears, block out the sheep to the desired confirmation. 5. transitive. To organize (one's time) by assigning blocks of time to particular activities; to reserve (a period of time) in one's schedule for a particular activity. Cf. to block in 3 at Phrasal verbs. Π 1882 Forest Republican (Tionesta, Pa.) 19 Apr. Block out your time; be sure you have a period for study, for reading educational journals.., and for recreation. 1948 Motive Jan. 42/2 Block out some time, in your year's schedule, for unhurried ‘sings’. 2005 N. Hornby Long Way Down 184 You'll have to block out some time in your diary. Otherwise life will keep getting in the way. 2007 Independent 12 Dec. (Property section) 10/3 Ready for the party of the century? Then block out next Tuesday night! 6. transitive. Theatre, Film, and Television. To plan (a scene, act, etc.) with reference to the position and movement of actors, placement of props, etc.; to plan (the position and movement of actors) on a stage or film set. Cf. sense 6b. Π 1935 J. L. Latham 555 Pointers for Beginning Actors & Directors 8 Blocking out a scene. Planning the movement of the characters on stage in a scene. 1967 Listener 24 Aug. 240/1 At the first rehearsal..we were blocking out the moves. 2000 N.Y. Times Mag. 8 Oct. 120/1 Midler and the director block out a piece of stage business, and they shoot the scene six more times. 7. transitive. Cricket. To play out (an over, a number of deliveries, etc.) defensively and without losing one's wicket. Cf. sense 2a(a). Π 1988 Sandwell Evening Mail 13 Sept. 44/4 His final act in first class cricket was to block out three deliveries from Vic Marks that brought Warwicks a draw against Somerset. 1994 I. Botham My Autobiogr. ix. 166 I decided to try and block out the final over from John Emburey. 2015 Age (Melbourne) (Nexis) 14 July 41 We hate blocking out an over and always try to take the initiative. to block up 1. a. transitive. To impede passage along or through (an opening, thoroughfare, waterway, etc.) by placing or constituting an obstacle; to obstruct, close off, or cause a blockage in (a passage, channel, opening, etc.). Also formerly (in military contexts): †to blockade, surround (a place) (obsolete). Also in figurative contexts.Sometimes implying complete or permanent obstruction; cf. earlier sense 1b. Π 1602 T. North tr. S. Goulart Lives Epaminondas, Philip of Macedon 11 They shut and blocked vp all the waies from the one sea to the other, with mighty great peeces of timber a crosse. 1630 W. Prynne God no Impostor (rev. ed.) 9 Blocking vp their hearts against the Lord. 1709 R. Steele Tatler No. 40. ⁋10 The Blockade of Olivenza was continued..it is at present so closely blocked up that [etc.]. 1719 D. Defoe Life Robinson Crusoe 63 I block'd up the Door..with some Boards. 1801 Port Folio 10 Oct. 327/3 When they find all the direct avenues to greatness blocked up they will not poorly and abjectly climb or creep up some other way. 1934 G. Phillips Mem. of Camp-follower x. 192 The trouble I had in persuading the railway officials to allow my voluminous baggage to go with me. It completely blocked up the corridor. 1999 R. Deakin Waterlog (2000) iv. 44 James's brother Edward thought Brooke snooty, so he blocked up the path from the mill to Byron's Pool to stop him using it. b. transitive. To give (a person) constipation. Π 1960 J. Lehmann I am my Brother ii. iv. 57 Eternal chunks of bread, potato pudding, pie, etc.,..just blocks me up and gives me the stitch. 2006 Irish Times 29 Aug. (Health Suppl.) 2 I can't eat cheese because it blocks me up. 2. transitive. To shut up, confine (a person, military force, etc.) within a place. Also in figurative contexts. Now rare. Π ?1614 G. Chapman tr. Homer Odysses xx. 186 I told them all; And that those [ills] could not proue, more capitall Then those the Cyclop blockt vs vp in. 1631 W. Gouge Gods Three Arrowes ii. §22. 160 Blocking up people within narrow compasses. 1639 P. Massinger Unnaturall Combat i. i. sig. B4 Our Navie should be block'd up. 1733 Swift's Lett. (1766) II. 187 We are throwing down a parcel of walls, that blocked us up every way. 1790 R. Beatson Naval & Mil. Mem. I. 334 The British fleet..bombarded and blocked it up by sea. 1839 C. Thirlwall Hist. Greece (new ed.) II. 303 The danger of being defeated and blocked up in Salamis. 1957 Fate Mag. Jan. 23/2 The king..trapped Nan-japue in one of the buildings of Nan-matol and blocked him up. 3. transitive. In chess, draughts, and other board games: to cause (a piece) to be in such a position that it is unable to move; = sense 3. Π 1764 R. Lambe Hist. Chess 91 When the King has no man whom he can play, and is not in check, yet is so blocked up, that he cannot move without going into check, this position is called a stale-mate. 1819 J. G. Pohlman Pract. Treat. Game Draughts 8 When one player has captured all his antagonist's men, or has blocked them up..the game is pronounced to be won. 1850 H. G. Bohn et al. Hand-bk. Games 408 The game is won by him who can first succeed in capturing, or blocking up, all his adversary's men. 2019 P. Wolff Learn to play Chess like a Boss x. 233 Black could play 12...c5! to keep White's black-squared bishop blocked up for the foreseeable future. 4. transitive. To support or reinforce (something) with blocks; esp. to place blocks under (a boat) to support it when out of the water. Cf. sense 11 and block n.¹ 10. Π 1771 L. Carter Diary 18 July (1965) II. 596 My Carpenters have been..repairing the sills of my Fork tobacco house, all rotten because never blockt up as they should have been. 1786 G. Cartwright Jrnl. Resid. Coast Labrador 17 July (1792) III. 188 Our people assisted the Indians to block up one of their shallops, that we might repair it for them. 1940 H. R. O'Conor Maryland iii. 430 In spring, every waterman has his boat blocked up for painting on the beach in front of his house. 2005 P. Molyneaux Doryman's Reflection xiii. 174 They set the boat on the gravel beach, blocked her up, and left her for the tide to float. This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, December 2022). blockv.² Brit. /blɒk/, U.S. /blɑk/ Forms: pre-1700 blok, pre-1700 bloke, pre-1700 bloock, pre-1700 1800s– block. Origin: Of uncertain origin. Perhaps a variant or alteration of another lexical item. Perhaps a borrowing from French. Etymons: broke v.; French bloquer. Etymology: Origin uncertain. Perhaps an alteration of broke v. after block n.¹ (compare block n.¹ 16a); or perhaps < Middle French bloquer block v.¹ in its specific sense ‘to gather together in order to carry out negotiations or barter’ (15th cent.). Scottish. †1. intransitive. To bargain, negotiate. Obsolete. ΘΠ society > trade and finance > bargaining > bargain [verb (intransitive)] bargain1525 hucka1529 hucker1548 dodge1568 blockc1570 pelt1579 hack1587 haggle1589 to beat the bargain1591 to beat the market1591 huckster1593 niffera1598 badger1600 scotch1601 palter1611 cheapen1620 higgle1633 tig-tag1643 huckle1644 chaffer1693 chaffer1725 dicker1797 niffer1815 Jew1825 hacker1833 banter1835 higgle-haggle1841 hondle1921 wheel and deal1961 1522 in W. Fraser Chiefs of Grant (1883) III. 66 Alexander..gettand the said Donaldis leife to blok with the semyn [land]. c1570 Leg. Bp. St. Andrews in J. G. Dalyell Scotish Poems 16th Cent. (1801) II. 334 Eftir that he had long tyme blockit, With grit difficultie he tuik thame. 1637 S. Rutherford Lett. (1863) I. cvi. 269 God forbid that there were buying and selling and blocking for as good again, betwixt Christ and us. 1666 in J. Gilmour & D. Falconer Coll. Decisions Lords of Council (1701) 126 His peaceable and unquestionable Possession of such Moveables, giving him such a Right as might make any Man bona fide to buy or block for them. †2. transitive. To acquire (something) by bargaining. Obsolete. Π 1569 in W. Mackay & H. C. Boyd Rec. Inverness (1911) I. 96 He sall nocht by nor blok ony tymmer skyn or hyde. 1636 in J. D. Marwick & R. Renwick Charters rel. Glasgow (1906) II. 596 With speciall power..to buy, blok, top and sell all soirt of wairis. 3. transitive. to block a shilling: to exchange a shilling for something, to exchange money for a drink. Now rare. Π 1825 J. Jamieson Etymol. Dict. Sc. Lang. Suppl. (at cited word) To exchange; as, ‘to block a shilling,’ to exchange it, i.e. to bargain by accepting copper in lieu of it. Dumfr. 1935 in Sc. National Dict. (1941) II. 180/3 [Banffshire] Come awa into Tibbie's an' I'll block a shillin' wi' ye. This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, December 2022). < n.¹1323n.²1548v.¹a1500v.²1522
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blockn.1

Phrases

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Derivatives

† blockn.2

blockv.1

Phrasal verbs

blockv.2

blockn.¹

† blockn.²

blockv.¹

blockv.²