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te an apple; to bite a crust; the dog bit a man. Such smiling rogues as these, Like rats, oft bite the holy cords atwain. Shak.

One who, or that which, bites; that which bites often, or is inclined to bite, as a dog or fish. "Great barkers are no biters." Camden.

y be cut like soap. -- Bituminous shale, an argillaceous shale impregnated with bitumen, often accompanying coal.

Mild; soft; gentle; smooth and soothing in manner; suave; as, a bland temper; bland persuasion; a bland sycophant. "Exhilarating vapor bland." Milton.

ishing; a word or act expressive of affection or kindness, and tending to win the heart; soft words and artful caresses; cajolery; allurement. Cowering low with blandishment. Milton. Attacked by royal smiles, by female blandishments. Macaulay.

A piece of rubber, felt, or woolen cloth, used in the tympan to make it soft and elastic.

n of gunpowder, dynamite, etc.; also, the charge used for this purpose. "Large blasts are often used." Tomlinson.

Voluble, foolish, or nonsensical talk; -- often in the pl. Hall Caine.

One who bleats; a sheep. In cold, stiff soils the bleaters oft complain Of gouty ails. Dyer.

lerite, and by miners mock lead, false galena, and black-jack. It is a zinc sulphide, but often contains some iron. Its color is usually yellow, brown, or black, and its luster resinous.

urface of, from effusion of serum in the cellular tissue, producing a morbid enlargement, often accompanied with softness.

ge from, through, or into, by obstructing the way; -- used both of persons and things; -- often followed by up; as, to block up a road or harbor. With moles . . . would block the port. Rowe. A city . . . besieged and blocked about. Milton.

als or safety signals which guide the movement of trains in a block system. The signal is often so coupled with a switch that act of opening or closing the switch operates the signal also.

heavy timbers or logs for military defense, having its sides loopholed for musketry, and often an upper story projecting over the lower, or so placed upon it as to have its sides make an angle wit the sides of the lower story, thus enabling the defenders to fire downward, and in all directions; -- formerly much used i…

g criminals. Formerly it was used for pursuing runaway slaves. Other varieties of dog are often used for the same purpose and go by the same name. The Cuban bloodhound is said to be a variety of the mastiff.

ow a bloom upon; to make blooming or radiant. [R.] Milton. While barred clouds bloom the soft-dying day. Keats.

h ink; to cancel; to efface; -- generally with out; as, to blot out a word or a sentence. Often figuratively; as, to blot out offenses. One act like this blots out a thousand crimes. Dryden.

e air at its farther extremity, so that the waters rush in with each surge and rise in a lofty jet from the extremity.

Gage, a plum. -- Blue gum, an Australian myrtaceous tree (Eucalyptus globulus), of the loftiest proportions, now cultivated in tropical and warm temperate regions for its timber, and as a protection against malaria. The essential oil is beginning to be used in medicine. The timber is very useful. See Eucalyptus. --…

, clumsy manner; to flounder and stumble. I was never distinguished for address, and have often even blundered in making my bow. Goldsmith. Yet knows not how to find the uncertain place, And blunders on, and staggers every pace. Dryden. To blunder on. (a) To continue blundering. (b) To find or reach as if by an acciden…