blaze

Some place or thing totally engulfed in flame. After the summer-long drought, it didn't take long for a minor forest fire to become a blazing inferno.

Used as an intensifier after a question word (who, what, where, when, why, and how) to express extreme confusion, surprise, or aggravation. Primarily heard in US. And just how in blue blazes am I supposed to have three reports done by 9 AM tomorrow? Where in blue blazes did you find that rusty old car? Who in blue blazes is making all that noise?

Used as an intensifier after a question word (who, what, where, when, why, and how) to express extreme confusion, surprise, or aggravation. Primarily heard in US. And just how in blazes am I supposed to have three reports done by 9 AM tomorrow? Where in the blazes did you find that rusty old car? Who in blazes is making all that noise?

A comet. Did you see the tail on that blazing star? I can't believe how much it lit up the night sky!

[for gunfire] to fire continually at someone or something. The guns blazed away at the oncoming ducks. The cowboy blazed away at his opponent in the gunfight.

[for the sun or other hot light] to burn from above onto someone or something. The sun blazed down on the people on the beach. The stage lights blazed down on the set while the actors rehearsed.

to burn with some quality, such as great heat or sound. The sun blazed with unbelievable heat. The fire blazed with much crackling.

Rur. Damn it. (An oath.) Damn it to blue blazes, I told you I can't lend you any more money! "Damn it to blue blazes! I give up!" Joe shouted, flinging his tools aside.

Inf. Go to hell! Go to blazes! Stop pestering me! I'm sick of your complaining. Go to blazes!

Rur. very fast. Once I get her tuned up, this old car will go like greased lightning. He's a fat kid, but he can run like greased lightning.

to do something different The hospital has blazed a trail in children's care by giving them many things to do and allowing visitors at any hour.

to do something that no-one has done before, especially something which will be important for other people The hospital has blazed a trail in developing new techniques for treating infertility.

a rude and angry way of telling someone to go away and that you do not care what happens to them Just go to blazes! I'm sick of your rudeness! If he's going to start making demands, he can go to blazes.

if you start a question with what/who/why etc. the blazes, you show that you are very surprised or angry about the thing you are asking about What the blazes are they doing up on the roof?

if someone or something does something like blue blazes, they do it a lot This sweater itches like blue blazes.

if someone does something like greased lightning, they do it very quickly I mentioned work and he was out of the room like greased lightning.

if you do something, especially argue, with guns blazing, you do it with a lot of force and energy The boy's mother arrived at the school, all guns blazing, furious that her son had been suspended.

Find a new path or method; begin a new undertaking. For example, His research blazed a trail for new kinds of gene therapy. This expression was first used literally in the 18th century for the practice of marking a forest trail by making blazes, that is, marking trees with notches or chips in the bark. [Late 1800s]

Also, hot as hell. Extremely warm, as in It was hot as blazes in that room, or I'm hot as hell and would love a cold shower. The first of these hyperbolic similes dates from the mid-1800s, the second from the early 1900s.

Also, like a blue streak; like the wind; like blazes. Very fast indeed, as in He climbed that ladder like greased lightning, or She kept on talking like a blue streak, or The children ran like the wind when they heard there'd be free ice cream. The likening of speed to lightning dates from the 1500s, and grease was added in the early 1800s to further accentuate the idea of haste. The first variant, blue streak, also dates from the early 1800s and alludes to something resembling lightning. The wind in the second variant has been a metaphor for swiftness since ancient Roman times. The blazes in the last variant, first recorded in 1925, alludes to fire or lightning.