or [toot one’s own horn]{v. phr.},
{slang} To praise yourself; call attention to your own skill, intelligence,
or successes; boast. •/People get tired of a man who is always blowing his
own horn./ •/A person who does things well does not have to toot his own
horn; his abilities will be noticed by others./
[blow one’s top]
{v. phr.} To become very excited, angry, hysterical,
or furious. •/"No need to blow your top, Al," his wife said, "just because
you lost a few dollars."/
[blow out]
{v. phr.} 1. To cease to function; fail; explode (said of
tires and fuses). •/The accident occurred when Jim’s tire blew out on the
highway./ •/The new dishwasher blew out the fuses in the whole house./ 2.
To extinguish. •/Jane blew out her birthday cake candles before offering
pieces to the guests./
[blowout]
{n.} 1. An explosion of a tire or a fuse. •/Jim’s van
veered sharply to the right after his car had a blowout./ 2. A big party.
•/After graduation from college, my son and his friends staged a huge
blowout./
[blow over]
{v.} To come to an end; pass away with little or no bad
effects. •/The sky was black, as if a bad storm were coming, but it blew over
and the sun came out./ •/They were bitter enemies for a while, but the
quarrel blew over./ •/He was much criticized for the divorce, but it all
blew over after a few years./
[blow taps]
{v. phr.} To sound the final bugle call of the evening in a
camp or military base. •/After taps is blown the boy scouts go to their bunks
to sleep./
[blow the gaff]
{v. phr.} To open one’s mouth to reveal a secret.
•/When Al cheated on his wife, his younger brother blew the gaff on him./
[blow the lid off]
{v. phr.}, {informal} Suddenly to reveal the
truth about a matter that has been kept as a secret either by private persons
or by some governmental agency. •/The clever journalists blew the lid off the
Watergate cover-up./
[blow the whistle on]
{v. phr.}, {slang} 1. To inform against;
betray. •/The police caught one of the bank robbers, and he blew the whistle
on two more./ 2. To act against, stop, or tell people the secrets of (crime
or lawlessness). •/The mayor blew the whistle on gambling./ •/The police
blew the whistle on hot reading./