Blank (?), a. [OE. blank, blonc, blaunc, blaunche, fr. F. blanc, fem. blanche, fr. OHG. blanch shining, bright, white, G. blank; akin to E. blink, cf. also AS. blanc white. 98. See Blink, and cf. 1st Blanch.]
1. Of a white or pale color; without color.
To the blank moon
Her office they prescribed.
Milton.
2. Free from writing, printing, or marks; having an empty space to be filled in with some special writing; -- said of checks, official documents, etc.; as, blank paper; a blank check; a blank ballot.
3. Utterly confounded or discomfited.
Adam . . . astonied stood, and blank.
Milton.
4. Empty; void; without result; fruitless; as, a blank space; a blank day.
5. Lacking characteristics which give variety; as, a blank desert; a blank wall; destitute of interests, affections, hopes, etc.; as, to live a blank existence; destitute of sensations; as, blank unconsciousness.
6. Lacking animation and intelligence, or their associated characteristics, as expression of face, look, etc.; expressionless; vacant. Blank and horror-stricken faces."
C. Kingsley.
The blank . . . glance of a half returned consciousness.
G. Eliot.
7. Absolute; downright; unmixed; as, blank terror.
Blank bar (Law), a plea put in to oblige the plaintiff in an action of trespass to assign the certain place where the trespass was committed; -- called also common bar. -- Blank cartridge, a cartridge containing no ball. -- Blank deed. See Deed. -- Blank door, ∨ Blank window (Arch.), a depression in a wall of the size of a door or window, either for symmetrical effect, or for the more convenient insertion of a door or window at a future time, should it be needed. -- Blank indorsement (Law), an indorsement which omits the name of the person in whose favor it is made; it is usually made by simply writing the name of the indorser on the back of the bill. -- Blank line (Print.), a vacant space of the breadth of a line, on a printed page; a line of quadrats. -- Blank tire (Mech.), a tire without a flange. -- Blank tooling. See Blind tooling, under Blind. -- Blank verse. See under Verse. -- Blank wall, a wall in which there is no opening; a dead wall.
Blank
Blank (?), n. 1. Any void space; a void space on paper, or in any written instrument; an interval void of consciousness, action, result, etc; a void.
I can not write a paper full, I used to do; and yet I will not forgive a blank of half an inch from you.
Swift.
From this time there ensues a long blank in the history of French legislation.
Hallam.
I was ill. I can't tell how long -- it was a blank.
G. Eliot.
2. A lot by which nothing is gained; a ticket in a lottery on which no prize is indicated.
In Fortune's lottery lies
A heap of blanks, like this, for one small prize.
Dryden.
3. A paper unwritten; a paper without marks or characters a blank ballot; -- especially, a paper on which are to be inserted designated items of information, for which spaces are left vacant; a bland form.
The freemen signified their approbation by an inscribed vote, and their dissent by a blank.
Palfrey.
4. A paper containing the substance of a legal instrument, as a deed, release, writ, or execution, with spaces left to be filled with names, date, descriptions, etc.
5. The point aimed at in a target, marked with a white spot; hence, the object to which anything is directed.
Let me still remain
The true blank of thine eye.
Shak.
6. Aim; shot; range. [Obs.]
I have stood . . . within the blank of his displeasure
For my free speech.
Shak.
7. A kind of base silver money, first coined in England by Henry V., and worth about 8 pence; also, a French coin of the seventeenth century, worth about 4 pence.
Nares.
8. (Mech.) A piece of metal prepared to be made into something by a further operation, as a coin, screw, nuts.
9. (Dominoes) A piece or division of a piece, without spots; as, the double blank"; the six blank."
In blank, with an essential portion to be supplied by another; as, to make out a check in blank.
Blank
Blank, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Blanked (#); p. pr. & vb. n. Blanking.] [Cf. 3d Blanch.] 1. To make void; to annul. [Obs.]
Spenser.
2. To blanch; to make blank; to damp the spirits of; to dispirit or confuse. [Obs.]
Each opposite that blanks the face of joy.
Shak.
Blanket
Blan"ket (?), n. [F. blanchet, OF. also blanket, a woolen waistcoat or shirt, the blanket of a printing press; prop. white woolen stuff, dim. of blanc white; blanquette a kind of white pear, fr. blanc white. See Blank, a.] 1. A heavy, loosely woven fabric, usually of wool, and having a nap, used in bed clothing; also, a similar fabric used as a robe; or any fabric used as a cover for a horse.
2. (Print.) A piece of rubber, felt, or woolen cloth, used in the tympan to make it soft and elastic.
3. A streak or layer of blubber in whales.
&hand; The use of blankets formerly as curtains in theaters explains the following figure of Shakespeare.
Nares.
Nor heaven peep through the blanket of the dark
To cry, Hold, hold!"
Shak.
Blanket sheet, a newspaper of folio size. -- A wet blanket, anything which damps, chills, dispirits, or discourges.
Blanket
Blan"ket, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Blanketed; p. pr. & vb. n. Blanketing.] 1. To cover with a blanket.
I'll . . . blanket my loins.
Shak.
2. To toss in a blanket by way of punishment.
We'll have our men blanket 'em i' the hall.
B. Jonson.
3. To take the wind out of the sails of (another vessel) by sailing to windward of her.
Blanket cattle. See Belted cattle, under Belted.
Blanketing
Blan"ket*ing, n. 1. Cloth for blankets.
2. The act or punishment of tossing in a blanket.
That affair of the blanketing happened to thee for the fault thou wast guilty of.
Smollett.
Blankly
Blank"ly (?), adv. 1. In a blank manner; without expression; vacuously; as, to stare blankly.
G. Eliot.
2. Directly; flatly; point blank.
De Quincey.
Blankness
Blank"ness, n. The state of being blank.
Blanquette
Blan*quette" (?), n. [F. blanquette, from blanc white.] (Cookery) A white fricassee.
Blanquillo
Blan*quil"lo (?), n. [Sp. blanquillo whitish.] (Zoöl.) A large fish of Florida and the W. Indies (Caulolatilus chrysops). It is red, marked with yellow.
Blare
Blare (?), v. i. [imp. & p. p. Blared (#); p. pr. & vb. n. Blaring.] [OE. blaren, bloren, to cry, woop; cf. G. plärren to bleat, D. blaren to bleat, cry, weep. Prob. an imitative word, but cf. also E. blast. Cf. Blore.] To sound loudly and somewhat harshly. The trumpet blared."
Tennyson.
Blare
Blare, v. t. To cause to sound like the blare of a trumpet; to proclaim loudly.
To blare its own interpretation.
Tennyson.
Blare
Blare, n. The harsh noise of a trumpet; a loud and somewhat harsh noise, like the blast of a trumpet; a roar or bellowing.
With blare of bugle, clamor of men.
Tennyson.
His ears are stunned with the thunder's blare.
J. R. Drake.
Blarney
Blar"ney (?), n. [Blarney, a village and castle near Cork.] Smooth, wheedling talk; flattery. [Colloq.]
Blarney stone, a stone in Blarney castle, Ireland, said to make those who kiss it proficient in the use of blarney.
Blarney
Blar"ney, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Blarneyed (#); p. pr. & vb. n. Blarneying.] To influence by blarney; to wheedle with smooth talk; to make or accomplish by blarney. Blarneyed the landlord."
Irving.
Had blarneyed his way from Long Island.
S. G. Goodrich.
Blasé
Bla*sé" (?), a. [F., p. p. of blaser.] Having the sensibilities deadened by excess or frequency of enjoyment; sated or surfeited with pleasure; used up.