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3. bloody

bloody

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give (one) a bloody nose

1. Literally, to punch or otherwise strike someone in the nose hard enough to cause it to bleed. I'd stay away from that kid—he gave me a bloody nose just for looking at his bike!

2. To defeat something or someone, often temporarily. All right, so you gave me a bloody nose in this week's meeting. I'm just going to do more research and come back stronger in the next one!

See also: bloody, give, nose

wave the bloody shirt

To encourage violence and animosity. The phrase was especially popular during the US Civil War. Primarily heard in US. A lot of people in our country are waving the bloody shirt right now, but I just can't support acts of violence, however justified they may be.

See also: bloody, shirt, wave

with bloody hand

Clearly guilty (as if one has been found with evidence of a crime or misdeed). The squire was found with bloody hand, sir— how do you want to punish him?

See also: bloody, hand

bloody but unbowed

Fig. showing signs of a struggle, but not defeated. (Originally referring to the head. From the poem Invictus by William Earnest Henley.) Liz emerged from the struggle, her head bloody but unbowed. We are bloody but unbowed and will fight to the last.

See also: bloody, but, unbowed

cry bloody murder

Fig. to scream as if something very serious has happened, especially unnecessarily. Now that Bill is really hurt, he's crying bloody murder. There is no point in crying bloody murder about the bill if you knew the restaurant was expensive.

See also: bloody, cry, murder

scream bloody murder

 and yell bloody murder

Fig. to complain bitterly; to complain unduly. When we put him in an office without a window, he screamed bloody murder. There is something wrong next door. Everyone is yelling bloody murder.

See also: bloody, murder, scream

scream bloody murder

to shout or to complain very loudly Sometimes the baby screams bloody murder when we give her a bath. I'm so frustrated with the telephone company, I want to scream bloody murder.

Usage notes: sometimes holler bloody murder and yell bloody murder, with the same meaning

See also: bloody, murder, scream

bloodied but unbowed

  (literary)

harmed but not defeated by an unpleasant situation or competition I emerged bloodied but unbowed from my oral exam.

See also: bloody, but, unbowed

bloody minded

  (British & Australian informal)

someone who is bloody minded makes difficulties for other people, usually by arguing against their actions or ideas without a good reason There's no reason why we shouldn't do aerobics in the squash court - the sports committee are just being bloody minded.

See also: bloody, minded

give somebody a bloody nose

to defeat or damage someone, but not permanently or seriously The pro-Europeans gave their opponents a bloody nose in the debate.

See scream blue murder

See also: bloody, give, nose

scream blue murder

  (British, American & Australian informal) also scream bloody murder (American & Australian informal)

to shout or to complain very loudly Readers screamed blue murder when the price of their daily paper went up. Someone took the child's ice cream away and he started screaming bloody murder.

See also: blue, murder, scream

scream bloody murder

Angrily protest as loudly as possible, as in When Jimmy took her teddy bear, Lauren screamed bloody murder, or Residents are screaming bloody murder about the increase in property taxes. The scream here may be either literal (as in the first example) or figurative, which is also true of invoking murder as though one were in danger of being killed. Versions of this term, such as cry murder, date from the 1400s.

See also: bloody, murder, scream

abso-bloody-lutely

(ˈæbsoblədiˈlutli)

mod. absolutely; emphatically. We are abso-bloody-lutely sick to death of your wishy-washy attitude.

scream bloody murder

tv. to scream very loudly; to complain or protest loudly. She screams bloody murder every time I get near her.

See also: bloody, murder, scream