overblow
English edit
Etymology 1 edit
From over- + blow (“to flower, bloom”).
Verb edit
overblow (third-person singular simple present overblows, present participle overblowing, simple past overblew, past participle overblown)
- (transitive) To cover with blossoms or flowers.
Etymology 2 edit
From Middle English overblowen, equivalent to over- + blow.
Verb edit
overblow (third-person singular simple present overblows, present participle overblowing, simple past overblew, past participle overblown)
- (transitive) To blow over or across.
- (transitive) To blow away; dissipate by or as by wind.
- (transitive) To exaggerate the significance of something.
- 2006, Jock Lauterer, Community Journalism: Relentlessly Local:
- if you do print the DUI story and sensationalize and overblow it
- (transitive, music) To blow a wind instrument (typically a whistle, recorder or flute) hard to produce a higher pitch than usual.
- 1909, Leander Jan Bekker, Stokes' Encyclopedia of Music and Musicians:
- The upper octaves of the flute's compass are produced by overblowing.
- (intransitive, music) Of a wind instrument, to move from its lower to its higher register.
- The oboe overblows at the octave; the clarinet at the twelfth.
- (intransitive, nautical, archaic) Of the wind: to blow very hard, often resulting in ships unable to carry full sail.
- 1726 October 28, [Jonathan Swift], “A Great Storm Described, the Long-Boat Sent to Fetch Water, the Author Goes with It to Discover the Country. […]”, in Travels into Several Remote Nations of the World. […] [Gulliver’s Travels], volume I, London: […] Benj[amin] Motte, […], →OCLC, part II (A Voyage to Brobdingnag), page 151:
- Finding it was like to overblow, we took in our Sprit-ſail, and ſtood by to hand the Fore-ſail; but making foul Weather, we look'd the Guns were all faſt, and handed the Miſſen.
- (intransitive, obsolete) To blow over; pass over; pass away.
- 1610–1611 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tempest”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, scene ii]:
- But art thou not drown'd, Stephano? I hope now thou are / not drown'd. Is the storm overblown?
Translations edit
- The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
References edit
- “overblow, v.1”, in OED Online
, Oxford, Oxfordshire: Oxford University Press, launched 2000.
