▪ I. blash dial.
(blæʃ)
[A modern word or series of words of onomatopœic formation; with reminiscences of plash, splash, dash, etc., and probably of blow; in sense 4 perhaps of blaze and flash.]
1. A dash or plash of liquid, as when rain appears to fall in sheets; a mixture of blow and splash.
| [1725 cf. blashy.] 1805 A. Scott Harvest Poems 36 (Jam.) Where snaws and rains wi' sleety blash. 1827 J. Wilson Noct. Ambr. Wks. I. 156 A snaw storm came down frae the mountains..noo a whirl, and noo a blash. |
2. Watery stuff; said of very liquid mud, poor tea, watered milk. fig. Wishy-washy talk. dial.
| 1835 Mrs. Carlyle Lett. (1883) I. 52 Dear Mother, excuse all this blash. 1864 Atkinson Whitby Gloss. s.v., ‘It's all blash,’ or ‘blish blash’; nonsense. Mod.Sc. No proper meal; only a blash of tea. |
3. A gash or smash due to a blow; a bash.
| 1860 G. H. K. Vac. Tour 169 A..skull, with a tremendous blash across it. |
4. A broad flash; a blaze flashing up.
| 1875 Lanc. Gloss. (E.D.S.), Blash, a sudden flame. Ibid., Blash-boggart, a fire-goblin, or flash-goblin; that is, a goblin that flashes and disappears. It is more commonly used figuratively, and is applied to persons who are fiery, wild, or strange in appearance. |
▪ II. blash, v. dial.
(blæʃ)
[f. as prec.]
trans. To dash a quantity of liquid; to dash (a thing) broadly with liquid. intr. To plash, to splash heavily in, work in, water.
| 1788 Picken To Cowslip Poems 91 (Jam.) Whan..blashan rains, or cranreughs fa'. 1861 Fam. Herald 16 Feb. 672 ‘How much water does your mistress..put in our..milk?’ ‘I'm sure,’ replied the rogue, ‘I don't know..she just blashes it in.’ 1864 Atkinson Whitby Gloss., Blash, to splash with water. Also in sense of going or having gone to sea. ‘What he has got, he has blash'd for,’ as property obtained by a seafaring life. |