bless v.1
to curse someone, to reprimand, to scold.
![[UK]](/static/img/flags/uk.png "United Kingdom") | Hillingdon Hall III 29: If ever man got well ‘blessed’ by woman, it was our fat friend, Mr. Jorrocks, for carrying away the Marquis of Bray [...] just as Mrs. Flather was bringing him u to book. | |
| Unsentimental Journeys 204: I knowed what was coming since that heavenly ganger, bless his precious eyes, jacketed me on Thursday. | |
| Tilly Touchitt 12: He not very delicately blessed our young eyes. | |
![[Aus]](/static/img/flags/aus.png "Australia") | Truth (Sydney) 7 Oct. 5/5: Argufyin’ and explainin’— / Blessin’ (?) of each other's eyes. | |
![[WI]](/static/img/flags/wi.png "West Indies") | Official Dancehall Dict. 5: Bless (to bless someone) abuse verbally: u. if she badda yuh, bless har. |
In phrases
to curse.
| Diary 1 Apr. n.p.: How my Lord Treasurer did bless himself. | |
| Amusements Serious and Comical in Works (1744) III 69: In another pew was a nest of such hard-favour’d she’s, that you would have blest yourself. | |
| Play or Pay viii. (3rd edn) 156: Fuming, blessing himself, dashing himself [OED]. |
(US black) to curse someone.
![[US]](/static/img/flags/us.png "United States") | Snakes (1971) 63: jezzy: Did I get him told? claude: You blessed him out quite righteously! | |
| Makes Me Wanna Holler (1995) 24: She didn’t [...] bless me out. |
SE in slang uses
In phrases
(US prison) to beat up a new member of a gang as an initiation rite.
| Other Side of the Wall: Prisoner’s Dict. July 🌐 Blessed In: Initiated into a gang by a beating. |
(US black/drugs) to give free drugs.
| et al. A2Z 8/1: bless you off – give you free drugs: Smooth drug dealers always say they gonna bless you off. |
a general expression of affection.
| Cannibals 484: The Chairman would pay for the blow job, bless his little bananas. | |
| Who’s Been Sleeping in my Bed 119: Look at little Hovis, God bless his little cotton socks. | |
| DSUE (8th edn) 93/1: from ca. 1910. | |
![[NZ]](/static/img/flags/nz.png "New Zealand") | Dict. of Kiwi Sl. 15/2: bless her garters kindly praise and/or thanks; variant of ‘bless your little cotton socks’; the Shepards suggest the example: ‘She’s sewn a button on your pants, bless her garters.’. | |
| Indep. 26 Feb. 8: The people love me, bless their cotton socks. | |
| Reed Dict. of N.Z. Sl. [as cit. 1988]. |
to be hanged.
 | Palace of Pleasure sign R. 8: And the next daye, the three theves were conveied forth to blesse the worlde with their heels [F&H]. | |
| Gloss. (1888) I 85: A man hanged is quaintly said to bless the world with his heels, from their waving in the air when he is suspended. |
the manual stimulation of a woman’s genitals.
| Roger’s Profanisaurus 3 in Viz 98 Oct. 13: finger-blessing v. Ferkyfoodling (qv) sans dung hampers (qv). |
In exclamations
a mild excl.
| Hudibras Redivivus I:2 23: Bless me, I thought, sure he that’s wise, / Can see thro’ these transparent Lies. | |
| Englishman in Paris in Works (1799) I 43: Bless me! Sir! you here! | |
| Thraliana i Dec. 224: Dr Armstrong saw a very pretty Girl tumble down in her haste—so picked her up with bless me Madam! I thought Heaven and Earth were come together. | |
| Burlesque Homer (4th edn) I 353: Bless us! what is come to Hector? | |
| Twice Round the Clock 119: Why, bless me, how stupid I have been! | |
| ‘’Arry at a Political Pic-Nic’ Punch 11 Oct. 180/1: But, bless yer, my bloater, it ain’t all chin music. | |
| Blackbirding In The South Pacific 104: I looked round sharp, and, bless me! there was my old boss. | |
| Boy’s Own Paper 5 Jan. 214: ‘Why, bless me!’ cried the Grandpater. |
(US) a mild euph., poss. for kiss my arse! excl.
| Scene (1996) 79: Well bless my buttocks! There’s Rudy Black! |
a mild excl.
| Curtain 89: Bless my heart, man, the author depends most upon his cows. | |
| Sporting Mag. Nov. 92/1: Bless my heart! How hot it is! | |
| Lady’s Mag. XLI 112/1: Bless my heart, what a fine handsome gentleman you are. | |
| Charlotte Temple 112: ‘Bless my heart,’ cries my young volatile reader. ‘I shall never have patience to get through this.’. | |
| Domine’s Legacy 140: Bless my heart! But if you would just let me hear the tale. | |
![[Ire]](/static/img/flags/ire.png "Ireland") | ‘The Convict’s Consolation’ Dublin Comic Songster 333: So Jack, let’s bless our lucky stars, That you and I are convicts. | |
| Stray Subjects (1848) 115: ‘Bless my eye-balls!’ a juvenile critic would exclaim, ‘that ’ere a flamingo!’. | |
| ‘Roving Englishman’ in Household Words VII 119/1: Bless my heart, how full of gristle and onions these sausages are. | |
| Lord Mayor of London 192: Bless my heart! what luck you’ve had! I never saw such a thing done before, upon my soul. | |
| Hoosier School-Master (1892) 199: ‘Bless my stars!’ said that astounded saint, ‘fetch a pauper here?’. | |
| New Bed-Time Stories 54: ‘Bless my heart!’ he said quite unconsciously, and looking helplessly around him, he repeated, ‘Bless my heart!’. | |
| Kit and Kitty 67: ‘Why bless my heart,’ she said, looking about for a box of matches on the onion shelf. | |
| John O’London’s Weekly 7 Jan. 459/2: ‘Bless my dear eyes,’ said Mr. Roker, shaking his head. | |
| Late Emancipation of Jerry Stover (1982) 48: Bless eyesight if it isn’t Missa Stover ’imself from Court House! Wha’ you doin’ in me back yard? |