Chapter Black Standard to Blaze of B by Brewer's Phrase & Fable

Bladud A mythical king of England, and father of King Lear. He built the city of Bath, and dedicated the medicinal springs to Minerva. Bladud studied magic, and, attempting to fly, fell into the temple of Apollo and was dashed to pieces. (Geoffrey of Monmouth. )

“Inexhaustible as Bladud's well.”- Thackeray.

Blanchefleur The heroine of Boccaccio's prose romance called Il Filocopo. Her lover, Flores, is Boccaccio himself, and Blanchefleur was a young lady passionately beloved by him, the natural daughter of King Robert. The story of Blanchefleur and Flores is substantially the same as that of Dorigen and Aurelius by Chaucer, and that of Dianora and Ansaldo in the Decameron. (See Dianora and Dorigen. )

Blandiman The faithful manservant of fair Bellisant (q.v. ), who attended her when she was divorced. (Valentine and Orson.)

Blaney A wealthy heir, ruined by dissipation, in Crabbe's Borough.

“Misery and mirth are blended in his face,
Much innate vileness and some outward grace:...
The serpent's cunning and the sinner's fall,”
Letter xiv.

Blank Cartridge Cartridge with powder only, that is, without shot, bullet, or ball. Used in drill and in saluting. Figuratively, empty threats.

Blank Cheque A cheque duly signed, but without specifying any sum of money; the amount to be filled in by the payee.

Blank Practice Shooting for practice with blank cartridges.

Blank Verse English verse without rhyme.

Blanket The wrong side of the blanket. A love-child is said to come of the wrong side of the blanket.

“He grew up to be a fine waule fallow, like mony ane that comes o' the wrang side o' the blanket.”- Sir W. Scott: The Antíquary, chap. xxiv.

   A wet blanket. A discouragement, a marplot. A person is a wet blanket who discourages a proposed scheme. “Treated with a wet blanket,” discouraged. “A wet blanket influence,” etc. A wet blanket is used to smother fire, or to prevent one escaping from a fire from being burnt.

Blanketeers The Coxeyites were so called in 1894. “General” Coxey of the United States induced 50,000 persons to undertake a 700 miles' march to Washington, with blankets on their backs, to terrorise Congress into finding work for the unemployed.
   Previous to this, the word had been applied to some 5,000 Radical operatives who assembled on St. Peter's Field, near Manchester, March 10, 1817. They provided themselves with blankets and rugs, intending to march to London, to lay before the Prince Regent a petition of grievances. Only six got as far as Ashbourne Bridge, when the expedition collapsed.

“The Americans have no royal dukes, no bench of bishops, no House of Lords, no effete monarchy; but they have Home Rule, one man one vote, and Coxey with his blanketeers.”- Liberty Review, May 5th, 1894, p. 354.

Blare To cry with a great noise, like a child in a tricky temper; to bellow. (Latin, ploro, to weep with noise.)

Blarney None of your blarney. Soft, wheedling speeches to gain some end; sugar-words. Cormack Macarthy held the castle of Blarney in 1602, and concluded an armistice with Carew, the Lord President, on condition of surrendering the fort to the English garrison. Day after day his lordship looked for the fulfilment of the terms, but received nothing except protocols and soft speeches, till he became the laughing- stock of Elizabeth's ministers, and the dupe of the Lord of Blarney.
   To kiss the Blarney Stone. Whoever does this shall be able to persuade to anything. The Blarney Stone is triangular, lowered from the north