a blast from the past
Someone or something that evokes a sense of nostalgia. Bumping into my old high school sweetheart in the grocery store was a real blast from the past. Wow, I used to have this baseball card when I was kid. What a blast from the past! Oh man, this was my favorite move in high school! Talk about a blast from the past.
at full blast
At the maximum level. It was so cold that I had the heat in my car going at full blast. He's going to damage his ears if he keeps playing his music at full blast like that. Whoa, don't start the show with the volume at full blast! Take it up notch by notch so that you don't make your audience jump out of their skin.
be on at full blast
To be operating at the maximum level. The heat has been on at full blast for half an hour, and it's still cold in here! His music is on at full blast all day long. He's going to damage his ears if he isn't careful. Grandpa must not have his hearing aids in if his TV is on at full blast.
beer blast
slang A party featuring the consumption of large quantities of alcohol. I'm worried that the kids are going to have a beer blast while we're out of town. Good, the cops just showed up. They'll break up that raucous beer blast once and for all! If Mom and Dad catch you coming home drunk from the beer blast, you are going to be in so much trouble!
blast (someone or something) to kingdom come
1. slang To kill someone with gunfire or an explosive device. "Kingdom come," a phrase taken from the Lord's Prayer, refers to heaven or the afterlife. The robber waved his gun and shouted, "Get back, or I'll blast you to kingdom come!" The infantry was blasted to kingdom come by the enemy's mounted machine gun. I've heard there are still landmines around here, so we'll have to be careful. One wrong step and we'll be blasted to kingdom come!
2. slang To destroy something with an explosion. If we blast these rocks to kingdom come, we should be able to rescue the trapped hikers from the cave. I wish I could still go visit our old family home, but it's already been blasted to kingdom come by the demolition crew. The gunpowder stored below somehow ignited, and the entire ship was blasted to kingdom come.
blast away
1. To be extremely loud. If Grandma's TV is blasting away, gently remind her to put in her hearing aids. There's always this one car that drives by the neighborhood at night blasting away heavy metal music. Why does his music have to be blasting away at all hours of the day and night?
2. To vehemently criticize someone or something. The senator's disgusted constituents blasted away at him during the town hall meeting. Well, you've also made a lot of mistakes in your life. When do I get to blast away at you, huh? What is his platform, though? I only ever hear him blasting away at his opponent.
blast off
1. To shoot upward from the ground, as of a rocket. The rocket blasted off successfully and is now headed for the moon. My kids love blasting off toy rockets in the back yard and seeing how high they'll go. We're going to Cape Canaveral with the hope of watching a NASA rocket blast off!
2. To ignite an exploding device, such as fireworks. Our poor dog is hiding under the bed because our neighbors celebrate the Fourth of July by blasting off tons of fireworks. Come on, there is no need to blast off that many fireworks in this small residential neighborhood. Run before the bomb blasts off!
3. To use an explosion to destroy or remove something. After the emergency crew blasted off some rocks, they were able to free the trapped hikers from the cave. I wish I could still go visit our old family home, but it's already been blasted to kingdom come by the demolition crew. The gunpowder somehow ignited and blasted off that whole section of the ship.
4. To amputate by means of an explosion. I'm really worried my fool husband is going to blast off a hand while playing with those fireworks! Hey, you're going to blast off a finger if you aren't careful! I bet some soldiers blasted off their limbs trying to fire these cannons back in the day.
5. To depart very quickly. The robbers blasted off when they heard the approaching sirens. I blasted off to the store for cleaning supplies when I heard that my mother-in-law was coming to town. Kids blasted off in every direction when they realized the cops were coming.
6. To strike with a lot of force in order to remove something, as with a pressure washer or sandblaster. In this usage, a noun or pronoun can be used between "blast" and "off." The sidewalk looks so clean this morning! I guess someone from the township blasted all the stains off of it. We can blast off that graffiti with the pressure washer. Be careful using a power washer to blast the algae off your deck—you don't want to mess up the wood.
blast off for (somewhere)
To depart very quickly. The robbers blasted off for the sunset when they heard the approaching sirens. I blasted off for cleaning supplies when I heard that my mother-in-law was coming to town. When I heard they'd gotten engaged, I blasted off to the store for some celebratory champagne.
blast to smithereens
To explode or otherwise destroy something into tiny, fragmentary pieces. Smithereens, first appearing in 1829 as "smiddereens," is likely derived from the Irish word "smidirín" or "smidiríní," meaning fragment. The demolition crew came in and blasted the house to smithereens. The small band of rebels didn't stand a chance; they were blasted to smithereens as soon as the loyalists had them in sight. The typhoon's gale-force winds blasted the village to smithereens.
damn and blast
Primarily heard in UK.
1. verb To criticize or denounce (someone or something). Come on, you would have done the exact same thing, so you can't exactly damn and blast the boss's decision. You can damn and blast the traffic all you want, but it's not gonna get us there any faster. Don't worry, I'll back you up if they damn and blast your ideas in the meeting.
2. noun Last place, as in a race or competition. The phrase comes from Cockney rhyming slang. Did that driver really come in damn and blast? That's a shame, I had high hopes for him. I didn't train at all for that marathon, so I guess it's no wonder I'm in damn and blast. A: "In a survey among consumers about which smartphone they would like, the new entry from PhonePro came in damn and blast." B: "Wow, guess they've got their work cut out for them!"
3. interjection An expression of anger. A: "Oh, damn and blast! What on earth did you do to my car?" B: "I'm so sorry, I swear I'll pay to have it fixed." Damn and blast—the traffic's backed up all the way to the entrance of motorway, and I'm already running late. Damn and blast! I just ripped a hole in my pants!
full blast
(At) the maximum level. It's so cold that I had the heat in my car going at full blast. Please stop playing your music at full blast. It's hurting my ears! Whoa, don't start the show with the volume at full blast! Take it up slowly so your audience doesn't jump out of their skin.
have a blast
To have a very fun or exciting time (doing something). A: "So, how was the ski trip?" B: "We had a blast!" The kids are having a blast running around the beach all day. You should really come to the fair with us. We always have a blast!
on at full blast
Operating at the maximum level. It was so cold that I had the heat in my car on at full blast. He's got his music on at full blast all day long. He's going to damage his ears if he isn't careful.
play (one's) music at full blast
To play music on an instrument or speaker system at the maximum volume. I don't mind Sarah's band using our garage to practice, but whenever they get together, they always play their music at full blast. He's going to damage his ears if he keeps playing his music at full blast like that.
play (something) at full blast
To play an instrument, speaker system, recording, etc., at the maximum volume. Let's play our horns at full blast so that everyone in the back of the stadium can hear us. He's going to damage his ears if he keeps playing music at full blast like that.
put (one) on blast
To publicly attack, scold, shame, or mock one, typically on social media. Twitter users were quick to put the politician on blast for his racist comments.
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.