blow off n.1
1. (US) an emotional outburst; a sudden fight or argument; a sensational piece of news.
 | letter 29 Mar. in Justice O.W. Holmes (1957) I 150: I had my blowoff in one of my last [i.e. letters] and now let bygones be bygones. | |
![[UK]](/static/img/flags/uk.png "United Kingdom") | in ‘House’ on Sport I 174: A blow-off in this wise [i.e. swearing at golf] does one good now and then [OED]. | |
![[US]](/static/img/flags/us.png "United States") | ‘Fat Fallon’ in From First to Last (1954) 29: He was in barracks in Manila, before the gugu blow-off. | |
| Cappy Ricks 303: I planned to be away from the office when the blow-off came, and you were to bear the brunt of Matt’s fury and despair. | |
| Case of the Sulky Girl (1941) 188: Save a big slice of the front page for a blow-off. | |
| Postman Always Rings Twice (1985) 147: What we had the big blow-off over was the beer license. | |
| Argot: Dict. of Und. Sl. | |
| Bound for Glory (1969) 353: You’re not going to hurt anybody, Mister Blowoff! | |
| Cry Tough! 60: He knew his father was steaming himself up for a big blow off. | |
| I, Mobster 72: It was clear that sooner or later something would have to give and there would be a blowoff. |
2. a party, a celebration.
| Nat. Police Gaz. (NY) 2 Oct. 14/2: Muirie Is going to give the boys a big blow off when the New Yorks win the championship in 1901. | |
| Tales of the Ex-Tanks 91: I had it all plotted out [...] to give my old boyhood home a blow-off for a week or so. | |
| Knocking the Neighbors 6: The Blow-Off came on the Trip to the City. That was the Big Entertainment. | |
| God’s Man 211: A blow-off one girl’s giving who’s going across the big ditch – Europe. |
3. a braggart.
| Chronicle-Telegram (Elyria, OH) 29 Sept. 5/5: ‘Livin’ on his jawbone’ is an expressive way of describing a blow-off. |
4. (N.Z.) boasting.
![[NZ]](/static/img/flags/nz.png "New Zealand") | Reed Dict. of N.Z. Sl. |