Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. to ruin, to thrash severely; thus blown up, ruined.

1766

O. Goldsmith Vicar of Wakefield (1883) 152: The scheme thus blown up, I had some thoughts of fairly shipping back to England.

2. to ruin financially; thus blown up, ruined financially.

1672		Wycherley Love in a Wood V i: Do not let me lose the Widow too; for if you do [...] I and my small annuity are both blown up.
1678		J. Ray Proverbs (2nd edn) 86: I’ll make him fly up with Jacksons hens. i.e. undo him: So when a man is broke, or undone, we say he is blown up.
1821		Egan Life in London (1869) 202: He lives in good style; owing to the great success he has had in repeatedly blowing up both the young and the old at Point Nonplus.

3. to discredit, to betray; thus blowing-up, betraying.

1726		Select Trials at Old Bailey (1742) II 368: It seems they were jealous that he had made some Discovery; for they call’d him, a Treacherous, blowing-up, mollying Bitch, and swore they’d massacre any Body that should betray them.
1765		Foote The Commissary 23: Are you not a pretty fellow, to blow up and ruin my reputation.
1781		Belle’s Stratagem 15: I heard you were paying your addresses to a modest country wench [...] strike me stiff, if I ever meet you, I’ll blow you up to her — I’ll give you a character —.
1803		J. Kenney Raising the Wind II i: I’ll expose that Mr. Diddler, blow up all the rest of the family.
1827		Egan Anecdotes of the Turf, the Chase etc. 70: We have copied the learned gentleman’s philippic against milling [...] it was anything but judgement in blowing up his own client, i.e. as a prize-fighter.
1964		M. Braun Love Me Do 13: ‘It’s disturbing that people should go around blowing us up [...] People are so crackers’.
2011		G. Hayward Corruption Officer [ebk] n.p.: I bet it was a snitching ass nigga that blew it [i.e. cocaine smuggling] up!

4. to tell off, to reprimand; to speak angrily, thus blown up, reprimanded; blowing up, reprimanding.

1792		G.S. Carey Dupes of Fancy 3: If he catches you here with your gunpowder stories, he will be for blowing us both up.
1800		Sporting Mag. Apr. XVI 26/2: Blew up the patrols for not apprehending them.
1810		‘Jonny Raw and Polly Clark’ in Batchelar’s Jovial Fellows Collection of Songs 4: She got no max, so blow’d up well [...] At length she vow’d she’d serve him out.
1812		Spirit of Irish Wit 6: He was only endeavouring to assist and did not expect to be blown up for his civlity.
1821		Egan Life in London (2 edn) 182: Frowsy Sall [...] is blowing up the nasty fellow for his imperance; and says she will smash his topper, if he attempts to take any more liberties with her person.
1835		Dickens ‘A Passage in the Life of Mr Watkins Tottle’ in Slater Dickens’ Journalism I (1994) 433: The young lady’s father he behaved even worser and more unnat’ral, for he [...] blowed her up dreadful, and swore he’d never see her again.
1841		Sydney Herald 26 Oct. 2/4: ‘To blow up,’ or ‘to give a person a blowing up,’ [...] is chiefly used by such people as call porter, heavy wet, the eyes, daylights, the ears, listeners, halfpence, browns, shillings, bobs, money, tin or blunt, gentlemen, gents,.
1842		Whip & Satirist of NY & Brooklyn (NY) 31 Dec. n.p.: The next time she wants to blow up her George she will either do it at home, or not talk so loud [...] about it.
1849		Sam Sly 24 Mar. 3/2: He advises Mr. Tu—r, of Bartholomew’s, not to be always blowing up his men, and to give his customers a little longer credit.
1851		Bell’s Life in Sydney 24 May 2/7: Mr Hartshorn was blowing up his wife for not blowing up the fire.
1857		T. Hughes Tom Brown’s School-Days (1896) 108: And now I’ve done blowing up, and am very glad I am to have done.
1861		(con. 1840s–50s) H. Mayhew London Labour and London Poor III 113/1: They had in the landlord and blowed him well up.
1864		‘Ned Buntline’ Life in the Saddle 19: I’ll do the blowing up. I can talk a heap faster and rougher to men than you can.
1867		Proc. Old Bailey 23 Sept. 554: I went to look for my husband—I found him in the taproom at the King's Arms public-house—there were a lot of young men there—I began to blow my husband up.
1871		Gympie Times (Qld) 11 jan. 3/6: Our young friend never scolds, but ‘blows up;’ never pays, but ‘stumps up;’ never finds it difficult to pay, but is ‘hard up;’ never feels fatigued, but is ‘used -up’.
1877		Five Years’ Penal Servitude 182: The master-tailor was a peppery little man [...] very fond of ‘blowing up’ and never liking to be contradicted.
1888		‘Rolf Boldrewood’ Robbery Under Arms (1922) 127: He blew up the squatters in a general way for taking all the country, and not giving the poor man a chance.
1889		H. Smart Long Odds I 38: Mrs B. is always reminding me of that fact. She blows me up about it.
1893		P.H. Emerson Signor Lippo 76: We came back and the starter blew me up, and I said it was the oss’s fault.
1901		Boy’s Own Paper 29 June 615: The old chap will blow us up, I know, but I can square him.
1910		Magnet 27 Aug. 8: The best thing you can do is [...] blow him up for his carelessness.
1918		Aussie (France) 8 Oct. 6/1: ‘Want to get blown up?’ it asked. / I am proficient in the Aussie language, but was at a loss to know exactly whether this question referred to inflation, a carpet lecture, or an explosion.
1953		A. Buckeridge Jennings’ Diary 127: He came stonking into the tuck-box room [...] and blew me up because I didn’t know where you were.
1961		B. Crump Hang On a Minute, Mate (1963) 147: They’re the ones who don’t like blowing up in front of visitors.
1974		V.E. Smith Jones Men 157: Don’t blow up at me.
1986		R.G. Barrett Godson 42: I offer him a trip up the North Coast to sit on his arse for two weeks in the sun [...] and he’s blowing up.
1997		Simon & Burns Corner (1998) 46: Fuck with them, and they blow you up and move to some new corner.
2000		Ebonics Primer at www.dolemite.com 🌐 blowing someone up Definition: to page someone numerous times in a short time span Example: Yo, I don’t know why that bitch be blowin me up, I ain’t tryin to holler at that bitch no more.
2003		McGill Reed Dict. of N.Z. Sl.
2004		R.G. Barrett Rosa Marie’s Baby (2013) [ebook] ‘Anyway, what are you blowing up about, you little prick?’.
2016		N. Cummins Adventures of the Honey Badger [ebook] He blew up that someone had stood on his head and pushed off him.

5. (US) to make pregnant; thus blowed up, pregnant.

1803

in N.E. Eliason Tarheel Talk (1956) 260: [...] There has been talk that betsey . . . was Blowed up.

6. to lose control, to lose patience, to become enraged; thus blowing up, a loss of temper.

1821		‘Miscellaneous’ in Fancy I IV 101: She could blow up, however, and that well.
1857		Lancaster Gaz. 24 Oct. 5/6: If a man is out of temper he ‘blows up’.
1870		E. Greey Queen’s Sailors III 233: We now and then have a row – she goes to balls and stays out all night, and then I blow up a bit.
1922		Wodehouse Clicking of Cuthbert 112: No human being could play golf against a one-ring circus like that without blowing up!
1929		E. Hemingway letter 4 Sept. in Baker Sel. Letters (1981) 304: You remember my blowing up about the people coming in to look at the Apt while I was working.
1939		C. Himes ‘With Malice Toward None’ in Coll. Stories (1990) 50: He was sorry that he had blown up like that, but he couldn’t bring himself to apologize.
1944		C. Himes ‘All God’s Chillun Got Pride’ in Coll. Stories (1990) 23: He’d have to go home and tell Clara he blew up and lost his job.
1953		J. Thompson Savage Night (1991) 109: She might blow up — jump Jake about it or give it away to someone else.
1969		‘Iceberg Slim’ Mama Black Widow 151: He’d blow up and stalk away.
1975		E. Torres Carlito’s Way 23: The broad blew up, ran downtown and put the squeal on the Palladium.
1983		N. Heard House of Slammers 53: Sam Hacker says he’s sorry he blew up at ya.
1992		R.G. Barrett Davo’s Little Something 37: The bloody old lady starts blowing up because the dog catcher’s got Harry.
1999		Guardian G2 14 July 12: I got so pissed off recently with someone [...] I blew up at the guy.
2001		K. Sampson Outlaws (ms.) 165: Half blow up at the snake, call him all kinds of shitcunt.
2006		B. Matthews Intractable [ebook] I was too young to realise the significance of why Mum had blown up.

7. (US) to overpraise; to aggrandize.

1873		J. O’Connor Wanderings of a Vagabond 311: The sportin’ papers his squared to blow up the men an’ the match.
1927		K. Nicholson Barker I i: You jest oughta hear him blowin’ you up to th’ skies.
1970		B. Jackson Get Your Ass in the Water (1974) 60: You ought to be blowin’ up my ass trying to be my motherfucken friend.
1974		G.F. Newman You Flash Bastard 149: ‘I’ve just been reading about that,’ the accountant said in an even, emotionless tone. He indicated the newspapers [...] ‘They like to blow these things up into something worthwhile, Peter.’.

8. to break down, of people (usu. athletes), animals (racehorses, greyhounds), schemes and plans, and machinery.

1909		Van Loan ‘The Bush League Demon’ in Big League (2004) 43: He’ll dog it, I tell you [...] You hang around and you’ll see him blow up.
1911		T.A. Dorgan in Zwilling TAD Lex. (1993) 19: If Big Bill Edwards blew up on this N.Y. street cleaning job would he be alright at Flushing Long Island?
1923		Wodehouse Inimitable Jeeves 134: The favourite’s blown up.
1933		W.R. Burnett Dark Hazard (1934) 68: Everything’s blown up [...] I could paper a house with the no-good stock I got.
1936		‘Banjo’ Paterson Shearer’s Colt 213: It was generally voted that if Crusader should ‘blow up’ the Frenchman might beat the Australian horse over two miles.
1940		F.S. Fitzgerald ‘Teamed with Genius’ in Pat Hobby Stories (1962) 82: I got some business in this next take. You want me to blow up on it?
1949		W.R. Burnett Asphalt Jungle in Four Novels (1984) 245: In fact they [i.e. nerves] had been jumping intermittently ever since the big deal blew up.
1952		W.R. Burnett Little Men, Big World 171: This is a hell of a time for Lola to blow up on you, but she’s just human—if she can’t, she can’t.
1973		E. Bunker No Beast So Fierce 124: If the caper blew up and someone was shot the investigation would include tracing and questioning the guests.
1989		C. Hiaasen Skin Tight 145: The whole Barletta story would blow up if they didn’t lay low.
2001		K. Sampson Outlaws (ms.) 13: They’re risky, but we’ve never had one blow up on us yet touch wood.

9. (US) to shoot (to death); thus blown up, shot.

1968		J. Alard He who Shoots Last 31: Just walk inta da courtroom and blow him up.
1973		E. Bunker No Beast So Fierce 94: Abe wants to help you — get you a lip — but how can he do that when your kid brother is threatening to blow him up?
1979		E. Torres After Hours 172: Just as Romulo (whose face he had cut) blew him up.
1993		K. Scott Monster (1994) 198: Eight Ball was murdered – blown up in a ride-by ambush.
2023		(con. 1962) J. Ellroy Enchanters 9: He blew up four cholos [...] back in ’50. The scalps went to his head.

10. (US black) to use to excess.

1993		Ice Cube ‘It Was a Good Day’ 🎵 Half way home and my pager still blowing up.
1999		Dr Dre ‘Fuck You’ 🎵 Man, she blowin up my pager, the shit’s gettin major.
2012		‘Dutch’ ? (Pronounced Que) [ebook] He been back and forth, blowin’ the phone up.
2016		Wash. Post 14 June 🌐 Maybe your boo stayed home, wasn’t feeling it, but is blowing up your phone with sweet texts, trying to make sure you don’t stray.

11. (US black) to raid, to invade.

2000

P. Beatty Tuff 70: When five-o blow up the spot, they treat the white boys like day campers.

12. (US) to hit violently.

2015		grantland.com 30 Sept. 🌐 The general cause of death is that Evan ‘took a hard hit.’ He got ‘blown up.’ He got the ‘shit knocked out of him.’.
2023		Rayman & Blau Riker’s 113: ‘If you don’t get this guy out of here, we’re going to blow him up,’ meaning hurt him.