▪ I. blame, v.
(bleɪm)
Also 3–4 blam, 3–6 blamen, (5 Caxton blasmen).
[a. OF. blâmer, blasmer (= Pr. and OSp. blasmar, It. biasimare (:—blasimare) to blame):—late L. blasphēmāre to revile, reproach, ad. Gr. βλασϕηµεῖν to blaspheme; introduced into L. in the lang. of the New Test. The phonetic changes in blasphemāre, blasimāre, blasmar, blasmer, blâmer, blāme, and the modified sense, are due to the continuous popular use of the word; the original form and sense are reproduced in the learned or semi-popular blaspheme.]
1. trans. To find fault with; to censure (an action, a person for his action): the opposite of to praise.
| c 1200 Trin. Coll. Hom. 73 Drede letteð þe mannes shrifte..swiche men blameð þe prophete on þe sealm boc. a 1225 Ancr. R. 64 Ne he ne cunne ou nouðer blamen [v.r. lastin, laste] ne preisen. c 1386 Chaucer Man of Law's T. 8 Thow blamest crist, and seist ful bitterly, He mysdeparteth richesse temporal. 1483 Caxton Cato B iij, Thow oughtest not to blame ne dyspreyse other. 1523 Ld. Berners Froiss. I. clxxxvi. 221 Of this aduenture the prouost was greatly blamed. 1596 Shakes. Tam. Shr. iii. ii. 27 Goe girle, I cannot blame thee now to weepe. 1633 Heywood Eng. Trav. iii. i. Wks. 1874 IV. 43 Who can blame him to absent himselfe from home? 1676 Ray Corr. (1848) 123, I had not blamed him had he acknowledged his authors. 1727 De Foe Syst. Magic i. iii. (1840) 84 All they can blame him for. 1848 Macaulay Hist. Eng. II. 77 To blame the revocation of the Edict of Nantes. 1875 Jowett Plato (ed. 2) I. 80 We blame our fathers for letting us be spoiled. |
† 2. To address with rebuke; to reprove, chide, scold. Obs.
| 1297 R. Glouc. 163 Bi fore hym he lette brynge ys men, & bi gan hem faste blame. 1382 Wyclif Luke viii. 24 And he risynge blamyde the wynd, and the tempest of watir. 1483 Caxton G. de la Tour F iv b, She shalle not make herself to be blamed ne to be bete. 1528 More Heresyes i. Wks. 116/1 The good kinge Dauyd..blamed his folishe wife. 1559 Mirr. Mag., Jack Cade v, No reproche can be to much to blame her. |
† 3. To bring into disrepute or discredit. Obs.
| 1596 Spenser F.Q. vi. iii. 11 This ill state..To which she for his sake had weetingly Now brought herselfe, and blam'd her noble blood. 1611 Bible 2 Cor. vi. 3 Giuing no offence in any thing, that the ministery be not blamed. |
† 4. To charge; to accuse (of, with a fault, etc.).
| c 1340 Cursor M. 13027 (Trin.) He coom to blame þe kyng of synne. c 1400 Mandeville vi. 69 A fayre Maiden was blamed with wrong, and sclaundred, that sche hadde don Fornycacyoun. 1483 Cath. Angl. 34 To Blame, accusare, culpare. 1583 Golding Calvin on Deut. viii. 44 So would men blame him of unfaithfulnesse. 1649 Drummond of Hawthornden Jas. III, Wks. (1711) 61 He is blam'd of avarice. |
5. To lay the blame on, reproach; to fix the responsibility upon; to make answerable. Also, to blame (something) on (or on to) (someone).
| a 1300 Cursor M. 1102 To blam þe broiþer was þam laith. 1393 Gower Conf. III. 158 Wherof full ofte netheles A king is blamed gilteles. 1481 Caxton Reynard i. viii. (Arb.) 14, I shold be blasmed yf they dyde you ony harme. 1601 Shakes. All's Well iii. vi. 54 That was not to be blam'd in the command of the seruice: it was a disaster of warre. 1651 Hobbes Leviath. iii. xl. 255 Blaming sometimes the Policy, sometimes the Religion. 1711 Addison Spect. No. 89 ¶2 She has no Body to blame for it but herself. 1835 Fraser's Mag. XI. 617, I call this bad management, and I blame it upon you. 1903 Kipling Five Nations 22 We will blame it on the deep. 1910 ― Rewards & Fairies 175 If you can keep your head when all about you Are losing theirs and blaming it on you. 1955 A. L. Rowse Expans. Eliz. Eng. viii. 283 Naval historians have all blamed the failure on to the Queen. |
6. The dat. infin. to blame is much used as the predicate after be. In the 16–17th c. the to was misunderstood as too, and blame taken as adj. = blameworthy, culpable.
| a 1225 Ancr. R. 232 [He] is swuðe to blamen. 1393 Langl. P. Pl. C. iv. 308 If yt be payed prestliche the payer is to blame. 1594 Shakes. Rich. III, ii. ii. 13 The King mine Vnckle is too blame for it. 1596 ― 1 Hen. IV, iii. i. 177 In faith, my Lord, you are too wilfull blame. 1631 W. Saltonstall Mayde iv, Perhaps Potentia wanted to be blame. 1633 Heywood Eng. Trav. iii. Wks. 1874 IV. 58 The Girle was much too blame. 1633 Harington Epigr. i. 84 b, Blush and confesse that you be too too blame. c 1710 Lady M. W. Montagu Lett. xciv. II. 154, I am not so much to blame as you imagine. 1875 Jowett Plato (ed. 2) I. 93, I was to blame in having put my question badly. |
7. dial. and U.S. Used as an imprecation. a. In the imperative mood.
| 1830 R. Forby Vocab. E. Anglia I. 27 Blame, v. a very decent and commendable evasion of the horrible word damn. Ex. ‘Blame me’, or ‘I will be blamed, if’, &c... Nobody ever heard so mild an imprecation as ‘blame you for a rascal’, or ‘John Smith be blamed for a fool’. a 1832 R. C. Sands Writings (1834) II. 149 Goy blame it all. 1876 ‘Mark Twain’ Tom Sawyer vii. 67 Blame it, I ain't going to stir him much. 1886 Harper's Mag. June 52/2 Blame me if them ain't the darnedest beans I ever seen! 1897 Kipling Capt. Cour. ix. 210 Blame that boy! He never told. I'd ha' listened to that. 1905 G. H. Gibson in A. B. Paterson Old Bush Songs 70 But blame my cats if I know what else They'll find for Bill to do. |
b. In passive, in phr. (I'm) blamed if (etc.).
| 1830 [see 7 a above]. 1844 ‘J. Slick’ High Life N.Y. I. iii. 31 I'll be blamed if you've the least bit of Yankee in you. 1876 ‘Max Adeler’ Elbow-Room xv, Blamed if I haven't forgotten that word. 1905 H. R. Martin Tillie 322 I'm blamed if I dare adwise you. |
c. as adv. = blamed 2.
| 1843 ‘R. Carlton’ New Purchase xvii. 134 ‘Blamed close, stranger,’ said the old hero. 1876 ‘Mark Twain’ Tom Sawyer vii. 67 He's my tick and I'll do what I blame please with him or die! 1905 G. H. Lorimer Old Gorgon Graham 160 You know blame well that I don't understand any French. |
d. as adj. = blamed 1.
| 1876 ‘Mark Twain’ Tom Sawyer vi. 65 Talk about trying to cure warts with spunk-water such a blame-fool way as that! 1897 Kipling Capt. Cour. vi. 129 You..go hoggin' the road on the high seas with no blame consideration fer your neighbours. 1917 ― Diversity of Creatures 263 The blame thing jarred off—spiteful as a rattler! 1934 Amer. Ballads & Folk Songs 155 Them blame little children is all crying yet. |
▪ II. blame, n.
(bleɪm)
Also 3–4 blam.
[a. OF. blâme, blasmer (= Pr. blasme, OSp. blasmo, It. biasimo), on Romanic type *blasimo, f. *blasimare:—L. blasphēmāre: see prec. Cf. L. blasphēmus, Gr. βλάσϕηµος adj. ‘blasphemous, reviling.’]
1. The action of censuring; expression of disapprobation; imputation of demerit on account of a fault or blemish; reproof; censure; reprehension.
| c 1325 E.E. Allit. P. B. 43 With mony blame, ful bygge a boffet, peraunter. 1393 Gower Conf. I. 347 Thus more and more arose the blame Ayein Egiste on every side. 1526 Pilgr. Perf. (W. de W. 1531) 8 Moche worthy blame is that chrysten man. 1709 Steele & Swift Tatler No. 67 ¶12 The contrary to Fame and Applause, to wit, Blame and Derision. 1856 Froude Hist. Eng. (1858) I. iii. 282 Even Henry himself he [Latimer] did not spare where he saw occasion for blame. |
† b. The condition of being blamed. Obs.
| c 1230 Hali Meid. 33 Wið unworð ne wið uuel blame. c 1374 Chaucer Anel. & Arc. 278 And putte yowe in sclaundre nowe and blame. |
† 2. A charge, an accusation. Obs.
| c 1340 Cursor M. 19335 (Trin.) Wol ȝe dryue on vs þe blame Þat we haue slayn him wiþ wronge. 1382 Wyclif Titus ii. 3 Not bacbiteris, or seyinge fals blame on othere men. c 1386 Chaucer Man of Law's T. 542 Immortal god þat sauedest susanne ffro false blame. c 1450 Merlin 121 She was ledde to be brente for a blame that was put upon hir. 1581 Sidney Apol. Poetrie (Arb.) 71 The blames laid against it [Poesie], are either false or feeble. |
3. Blameworthiness, culpability; fault. arch.
| 1297 R. Glouc. 432 Þy louerd ssal abbe an name..vayr wyþout blame. c 1314 Guy Warw. 1737 Gij of Warwike..a kniȝt he was wiþ-outen blame. 1398 Trevisa Barth. De P.R. i. xix, He enticeth or enflameth vnto crymes and blames. 1586 Warner Alb. Eng. ii. ix. (1597) 38 Oftner thought she it more blame not to haue erred so. 1601 Shakes. All's Well v. iii. 36 My high repented blames Deere soueraigne pardon to me. 1611 Bible Ephes. i. 4 That we should be holy and without blame before him. 1859 Tennyson Merlin & V. 648 Is thy white blamelessness accounted blame? |
4. Responsibility for anything wrong, culpability; esp. in to lay the blame on, to bear the blame.
| 1393 Gower Conf. I. 76 The blame upon the duke they laide. 1542 Udall Erasm. Apoph. 62 b, I am not in the blame, quoth he, but Dionisius. 1580 Baret Alv. B 777 The faulte and blame is in thee. 1665 Manley Grotius' Low-C. Warres 87 He..casts the blame upon the Prince of Aurange. 1873 Morley Rousseau I. 274 He took all the blame on himself. 1883 Froude Short Stud. IV. 53 They laid the blame of the quarrel on the archbishop's violence. |
† 5. ? Injury, hurt. Obs.
| 1549–62 Sternhold & H. Ps. l. 15 Then call to me When ought would worke thee blame. 1596 Spenser F.Q. i. ii. 18 Glauncing down his shield from blame him fairly blest. |
▸ blame game n. the ready or vociferous apportioning of blame (often with the implication that a more constructive attitude should be taken); a tendency to engage in this; usu. with the.
| 1958 K. Tynan Curtains (1961) 224 The family goes round and round in that worst of domestic rituals, the *Blame Game. I blame my agony on you; you blame yours on her; she blames hers on me. 1993 Utne Reader Jan.–Feb. 2/2 Many in the women's movement and the emerging men's movement have dropped the blame game in favor of exploring what it means to be a woman and what it means to be a man. 2003 newWitch Spring 49/1 Things go right for them and when they don't, they pick themselves up... They don't play the blame game. |