† blockingn.1
Scottish. Obsolete.
Bargaining. Cf. block v.2 1, blockan ale n.
Π
1530 in W. C. Dickinson Court Bk. Barony of Carnwath (1937) 112 All the laif of the gudis betuix thaim to be quit sen the first tyme that euir thai maid ony blokkin betuix thaim.
1599 in R. Pitcairn Criminal Trials Scotl. (1833) II. 90 In bying, bloking and intaking of all soirt of geir fra the commoun peple.
1637 S. Rutherford Lett. (1863) I. cvi. 269 God forbid that there were buying and selling and blocking for as good again, betwixt Christ and us.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, December 2022).
blockingn.2
/ˈblɒkɪŋ/, U.S. /ˈblɑkɪŋ/ I. Senses relating to a block or blocks.
1.
a. Originally Scottish. The action of shaping, drafting, or sketching something roughly, as a preliminary to further development or refinement; the product or result of this; a rough draft or version. Also with out. Cf. block v.1 6a.
ΚΠ
1584 King James VI & I Ess. Prentise Poesie sig. Ciijv I haue put in, the French on the one side of the leif, and my blocking on the other.
1638 R. Baillie Let. 1 Nov. (1841) I. 99 The Committee appointed for the first blocking of all our wrytes.
1747 R. Campbell London Tradesman xxviii. 138 What they call Blocking, is cutting out of a Block of Stone, or Marble, the rough Figure designed.
1873 P. Fitzgerald Life & Adventures Dumas I. xvi. 230 ‘Within the hour I had a plot roughly blocked out.’ This ‘blocking out’ was done after Dumas's own peculiar way.
1895 R. G. Hatton Figure Drawing & Composition vii. 20 No error is greater than to regard the rough blocking of the figure as a waste of time.
1951 Mag. Fantasy & Sci. Fiction Dec. 96 It seemed that after the first blocking, the first rough plan, the picture was no longer mine. I mean the details came out without any volition on my part.
2015 A. Sullivan Ever After 210 He looked like the preliminary blocking out of a clay image which the artist had decided to set back on a shelf for later fine modeling.
b. Theatre, Film, and Television. The activity of planning the position and movement of actors, placement of props, etc., on a stage or film set; the positions and movements planned in this way. Also with out. Cf. block v.1 6b.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > the arts > performance arts > the theatre or the stage > the staging of a theatrical production > [noun] > working out stage business
stage-setting1881
blocking1961
1931 High School Thespian Autumn 5 A man fortified with a knowledge of every art of the theatre and not completing his work with the blocking out of the action and movement of the play.
1967 P. McGerr Murder is Absurd vii. 92 On Friday the blocking was completed and Mark was beginning to feel secure in his movements and the handling of his props.
1982 S. Brett Murder Unprompted v. 55 I want to..go through the blocking today.
1988 S. Gray How's that for telling 'em, Fat Lady? ii. 26 A lot of the blocking was both clumsy and fussy, placing actors in static clumps in which they were nevertheless irrelevantly busy.
2002 Hotdog June 98/2 We had a rehearsal week on location. During that time, we did all the blocking and decided on most of the shots.
2. Blocks collectively, material resembling blocks; spec. (a) blocks placed under a boat to support it when out of the water; (b) Architecture a slightly projecting plain course of brick or stone, typically at the base or top of a building; = blocking course n. at Compounds; (c) (in plural) square pieces of wood glued into the angle at a joint to strengthen it. Cf. block v.1 11.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > relative position > support > [noun] > that which supports > supporting blocks
riser1800
blocking1823
block-
the world > space > shape > angularity > specific angular shape > [noun] > cube or cuboid > brick or block > product of making block-shaped
blocking1853
society > occupation and work > materials > raw material > wood > wood in specific form > [noun] > block > collectively
blocking1901
society > leisure > the arts > visual arts > architecture > architectural ornament > [noun] > ornaments on pediments or cornices
crotchetc1394
crocket1677
vessel1704
vase1706
blocking-course1761
acroter1829
crocketing1851
1706 S. Sewall Diary 6 Mar. (1973) I. 543 A great Ship..building at Salem, runs off her blocking in the night and pitches ahead 16 foot.
1761 M. Raper in Philos. Trans. 1760 (Royal Soc.) 51 815 The height of the blocking was probably intended for 2 Roman feet.
1797 P. Nicholson Carpenter & Joiner's Assistant 18 You may glue blockings in the angle, which will keep it firm.
1853 E. K. Kane U.S. Grinnell Exped. xvii. 130 The background of rounding snow-covered mountains contrasted finely with the square blocking of the rugged precipices.
1860 Jrnl. Comon Council Philadelphia App. 173 The balustrades around the upper cornice shall also be of cast iron, securely fitted and fastened to the marble blocking.
1883 Harper's Mag. May 937/2 The blocking is knocked away.
1908 J. M. Coane et al. Australasian Roads xii. 238 Before the close of each day's work all the blocking set during that day must be tarred and grouted.
1942 Railway Mech. Engineer Aug. 340/2 Before jacking an engine, tender or car, place substantial blocking under jack.
1984 Old-house Jrnl. Oct. 176/1 Remove all the blocking around the beam, then use a demolition saw..to cut through the old beam and the old nails.
2002 Boating Oct. 82/2 Place the blocking and stands at these locations on your boat's exterior for the best support.
3.
a. The action or process of shaping or reshaping a hat on a block (block n.1 7a).
ΘΚΠ
the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > tailoring or making clothes > making headgear > [noun] > hat-making > processes involved in
ruffing1830
basoning1837
bowing1842
blocking1845
planking1845
proof1901
pelt-shaking1902
1799 Jrnl. Nat. Philos., Chem., & Arts Apr. 26 Water only is used in this operation of fashioning or blocking.
1845 G. Dodd Brit. Manuf. 5th Ser. 170 The shaping of hats, from the first rough ‘blocking’ to the production of a flat and smooth-edged brim.
a1884 E. H. Knight Pract. Dict. Mech. Suppl. 109/1 Blocking machine, a machine in which the crude cone-shaped hat-body is brought to shape.
?1920 Instructions Hat Cleaning, Renovating & Blocking (Hatters' Supply House) 14 For stiffening of crown, we would recommend ‘Rubber Paste’... Apply lightly with brush inside crown before blocking.
1994 Sunday Times 29 May (Style & Travel section) 35 Steaming and blocking can be carried out by professionals such as the Hat Trade in Crowborough.
b. The action or process of shaping part of a leather boot or shoe on a mould. Cf. block v.1 7b.Recorded earliest as a modifier.
ΘΚΠ
the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > tailoring or making clothes > making footwear > [noun] > processes involved in > shaping
blockinga1877
lasting1880
treeing1884
1828 Amer. Jrnl. Improvem. Useful Arts 1 50 Boot blocking machine.
1833 Mechanics' Mag. 20 July 265/1 Blocking of leather for boots is only of recent date.
1838 J. Devlin Boot & Shoe Trade France 38 Blocking with us, is mostly but no better than a sort of job work.
1889 W. Clarke in G. B. Shaw Fabian Ess. Socialism 67 A visitor to a shoe factory to-day will see the following machines..for blocking.
1906 Handbk. Boot Pattern Cutting 148 Blocking is really the work of the closer.
2014 www.carreducker.blogspot.com 28 Feb. (blog, Internet Archive Wayback Machine 13 June 2015) This makes the castor pattern which is..used to cut the leather for the vamp for blocking.
c. Knitting. The action of shaping a finished piece of knitting by wetting or steaming and pinning out flat to the desired proportions. Cf. block v.1 7c.
Π
1936 E. King Knitting Bk. 14 The next step after casting off, is blocking. It has often been suggested that a wet cloth and a hot iron will do the blocking well, but this is very unsafe.
1940 I. R. Duncan Compl. Bk. Progressive Knitting (1944) viii. 215 A well-knitted garment can be absolutely spoiled by bad blocking.
2000 C. Ham 25 Gorgeous Sweaters (2003) 19 To block a piece of knitting, first pin it out to the correct shape, using blocking pins... Treat yourself to a blocking board. They come with a grid- marked pad and can be moved about easily.
2022 @multiplexer 6 June in twitter.com (accessed 12 June 2022) Pattern is much simpler than it looks and yarn has a nice drape after blocking!
4. The action of hammering or pressing a piece of metal into a particular shape.
ΘΠ
society > occupation and work > industry > working with tools or equipment > [noun] > driving or beating tools
braisinga1500
battling1519
maulingc1540
hammering1563
tilting1839
malleting1872
peening1885
1831 J. Holland Treat. Manuf. Metal (Cabinet Cycl.) I. 338 The saw is once more submitted to the hammer..but it is now termed blocking.
1884 Law Times Rep. 51 274/2 The hammering carried on in the process of tin blocking.
1955 Iron & Steel Engineer May 139/1 After blocking, the forging usually goes to in-process trimming.
2001 E. Olver Jewelry Making Techniques Bk. 49 Position the fan end over a doming punch and hammer with a blocking hammer in a circular action radiating from the center to the edge.
5. Bookbinding. The action or process of using a block (block v.1 9) to emboss the cover of a book; the result of this.See also blind-blocking n., gold blocking n.
ΘΚΠ
society > communication > book > manufacture or production of books > book-binding > ornament or lettering on binding > [noun] > impressed designs > type of
fillet1641
blind-tooling1818
blocking1846
gold blocking1852
blind-blocking1870
run-up1875
gouge1885
azure1894
goffering1894
blind-stamping1910
1842 Penny Mag. Monthly Suppl. Sept. 384/1 The name of blocking is given to the operation whereby the depressed device is given. This is either effected by a number of punches and other small tools used by hand, or by means of a small blocking-press.
1891 Brit. Bookmaker 5 62/2 Some very credible finishing, blocking, and marbling were presented and for which prizes were awarded.
1933 Bookbinding Mag. Mar. 28/1 A pencil drawing of the design is sent to an engraver who cuts a brass block, and the blocking proceeds in the usual manner.
1976 Conservation News Nov. 6/1 (advt.) 15 volumes, bound in white with gold blocking.
2002 S. Lane in B. Cope & D. Mason New Markets for Printed Bks. xi. 202 All of this is..highly expensive on a short print-run because foiling, blocking, embossing and debossing require blocks and/or dies to be made.
6. Statistics. Arrangement or grouping of data in blocks. Cf. block v.1 14.
Π
1957 Ann. Math. Statistics 28 228 The only effect of blocking is the wholly desirable one of limiting the experimental error to that occurring within blocks.
1987 Biometrika 74 615 Identification of such changepoints may lead to further stratification or blocking of the data.
2016 G. Lin & M. Qu Smart Use State Public Health Data iv. 52 Blocking is a way to partition both files into mutually exclusive and exhaustive subsets, so that a match within each pair of subsets can be performed sequentially.
II. Senses relating to obstruction or prevention.
7. The action or result of obstructing, closing off, or causing a blockage in a passage, channel, opening, etc.; the action or result of preventing movement or advancement by means of a physical obstacle. Also formerly (in military contexts): the action of blockading or surrounding a place (obsolete). Also with up. Cf. block v.1 1.
ΘΚΠ
society > armed hostility > attack > action or state of siege or blockade > [noun]
sieginga1382
besieging1382
siegec1385
pursuitc1425
obsidionc1429
assizec1430
assieginga1450
sitting down1495
obsession1548
besiege1552
besiegement1564
assiegement1577
investion1590
investing1597
beleaguering1603
blocking1637
investiture1649
blockade1659
begirting1660
investment1702
beleaguerment1826
the world > space > relative position > closed or shut condition > [noun] > closing or shutting > stopping or blocking up
forbarringc1449
stopping1487
stoppage1540
obturation1583
obstipation1612
interclusion1623
occlusion1645
stopping up1671
blocking1706
clogging1846
choking1863
1594 tr. A. Arnauld Arrainm. Whole Soc. Iesuits in France 2 The Iesuites..became at length after the blocking vp of the town imperious commaunders in Paris.
1659 J. Rushworth Hist. Coll. 69 The besieging of Manheim, and the blocking of Frankendale.
1706 London Gaz. No. 4242/1 Orders..for the close blocking up of that Place.
1864 Times 13 Oct. Detained by the blocking up of the line.
1870 Daily News 6 Sept. 5 The blocking of Bazaine at Metz.
1909 L. Woolf Diary 23 Nov. in Rec. Colonial Administrator (1963) 119 There are large extents of fields..which are irrigated by the blocking up of the mouth of the river.
1937 Times 4 Oct. 23/4 Provision against freezing and against blocking by ice and snow must be made in carburettors, venturi tubes, and the vents of fuel and oil tanks in new passenger aircraft.
1959 Home Encycl. 27 Blackheads are due to the blocking of the oil glands in the skin.
2006 New Scientist 28 Jan. 26/2 These devices have not been able to print droplets smaller than 20 μm across, because ultra-fine nozzles are prone to blocking.
8. The action of preventing something from progressing, appearing, or occurring; the action of preventing a person from doing something.
Π
a1626 F. Bacon Considerations Warre with Spaine in Certaine Misc. Workes (1629) 19 The States about them, should neither..by blocking of Trade, nor by any the like meanes, haue it in their power, to hurt or annoy the States they serue.
1884 Pall Mall Gaz. 7 Apr. 3/1 Mr. Warton has relapsed. The recent admonition of the Speaker seemed to have induced a reform, but his amendment has been of short duration. He has returned to his blocking habits.
1963 Proc. Royal Soc. B. 158 8 The blocking of the transcription of a stretch of DNA by a repressor.
2005 Macworld (U.K. ed.) June 60/3 Adium X doesn't support blocking, so you can't blacklist problem users.
2017 Economist 23 Dec. (Christmas ed.) 69/1 [He] says he was falsely accused of taking documents and that colleagues resented his blocking of certain transactions.
9. Cricket. Defensive play in which the batter aims to protect the wicket rather than score runs. Cf. block v.1 2a.
ΘΠ
society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > ball game > cricket > batting > [noun] > types of batting
blocking1637
quilting1822
defence1825
cutting1827
forward play1828
defensive1832
swiping1833
back-cutting1842
straight play1843
back play1844
sticking1873
leg play1877
off-driving1884
gallery-hitting1888
goose game1899
straight driving1904
stroke-play1905
pad play1906
on-driving1948
stroke-making1956
1825 In School & out of School xiii. 73 I thought you said you had a knack at blocking.
1836 New Sporting Mag. Oct. 360 Mr. Massey..in his anxiety to preserve his wicket, has carried the blocking system too far.
1850 ‘Bat’ Cricketer's Man. (rev. ed.) 31 It was totally useless for blocking.
1867 G. H. Selkirk Guide to Cricket Ground vii. 120 Some men adopt what they call a blocking game, never hitting at a ball unless it is decidedly wide of the wicket.
1976 Sunday Tel. 23 May 38/1 The crowd tired of some end-of-innings blocking by the tail.
2006 Sydney Morning Herald (Nexis) 9 Jan. (Sport section) 2 Attack is always preferable to defence. Blocking is almost an insult.
10. Railways. The operation of a block system of signalling; (also) the prevention of access to a block section. Cf. block n.1 21, block system n. at block n.1 Compounds 4.Often as a modifier, as in blocking inspector, blocking signal, etc.
ΘΚΠ
society > travel > rail travel > railway system or organization > [noun] > types of signal system > operation of
blocking1903
block working1904
1859 Rules & Regulations Conduct Traffic (S. Staffs. Railway Company) 114 Should the Blocking Signal be shown on the instrument at the time that the Trains are starting from Walsall it is the business of the Signalman on duty personally to advise the outgoing Driver of the fact.
1903 Westm. Gaz. 26 Oct. 13/1 Blocking inspector between Eastwood and Bradford.
1908 W. G. Raymond Elem. Railroad Engin. 121 The foregoing description introduces no distant signals, and in early automatic blocking there were none.
1976 Derailment of Amtrak Train on Louisville & Nashville Railroad (National Transportation Safety Board, U.S.A.) App. C 40/2 (heading) Rules governing the movement of trains in the same direction by blocking signals.
2021 T. Kawanishi Wired & Wireless Seamless Access Syst. Public Infrastructure ii. 14 The signals for blocking should be separated from return electric current for electric trains.
11. American Football. The action of obstructing an opponent, esp. a defensive player, by interposing one's body, as a legal move. Cf. block v.1 4.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > ball game > football > American football > [noun] > actions or manoeuvres
rush1857
punt-out1861
goal-kicking1871
safety1879
safety touchdown1879
scrimmage1880
rushing1882
safety touch1884
touchback1884
forward pass1890
run1890
blocking1891
signal1891
fake1893
onside kick1895
tandem-play1895
pass play1896
spiral1896
shift1901
end run1902
straight-arm1903
quarterback sneak1904
runback1905
roughing1906
Minnesota shift1910
quarterbacking1910
snap-back1910
pickoff1912
punt return1914
screen forward pass1915
screen pass1920
power play1921
sneak1921
passback1922
snap1922
defence1923
reverse1924
carry1927
lateral1927
stiff-arm1927
zone1927
zone defence1927
submarine charge1928
squib1929
block1931
pass rushing1933
safetying1933
trap play1933
end-around1934
straight-arming1934
trap1935
mousetrap1936
buttonhook1938
blitzing1940
hand-off1940
pitchout1946
slant1947
strike1947
draw play1948
shovel pass1948
bootleg1949
option1950
red dog1950
red-dogging1951
rollout1951
submarine1952
sleeper pass1954
draw1956
bomb1960
swing pass1960
pass rush1962
blitz1963
spearing1964
onsides kick1965
takeaway1967
quarterback sack1968
smash-mouth1968
veer1968
turn-over1969
bump-and-run1970
scramble1971
sack1972
nose tackle1975
nickel1979
pressure1981
1883 Atlantic Monthly May 681/2 Avoirdupois and strength are at a premium for rushing, blocking and tackling.
1888 Boston Daily Globe 23 Jan. 3/6 The New Bedfords played a great pass game Saturday evening. But McKay and Furbush's blocking was too much for them.
1957 Encycl. Brit. IX. 479/1 Coaches met this situation by drilling their players in two sets of blocking assignments, one for the five-man line and one for the six-man defense.
1970 Washington Post 30 Sept. d4/8 Blocking has been the hardest thing for the kids to learn,..and the offensive line play is usually the last thing that comes around.
2002 Chicago Tribune 28 Oct. iii. 9/6 Both [running backs] were team-oriented and took as much pride in their blocking, pass catching and play-faking as they did their rushing.
12. Psychology and Psychiatry. An instance or the fact of being unable to perform a mental process or to express freely one's thoughts, feelings, etc.; the fact of experiencing a mental block. Cf. block v.1 19.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > mental capacity > psychology > psychology of ideas > association of ideas > [noun] > inhibition of
blocking1890
block1931
1890 W. James Princ. Psychol. II. xxvi. 527 We shall study anon the blocking and its release. Our higher thought is full of it.
1930 Psychol. Abstr. 4 120/2 Concerning the question of associative blockings.
1943 Mind 52 364 Köhler believes that there may be ‘blocking’ processes of an electro-chemical character.
1968 Brit. Jrnl. Psychiatry 114 1079/1 The grosser aspects of schizophrenic thought disorder—blocking, neologisms, markedly disorganized conceptual thinking—remitted.
2013 S. Nitta Digest Integration Theory of Psychoanal. x. 118 Blocking is induced if the language system is brought to a standstill.
13. Meteorology. The prevention or retardation of the movement of a low-pressure weather system by a relatively immobile area of high pressure (esp. an anticyclone), typically causing weather in a region to remain unchanged for a prolonged period.
Π
1916 Weather Forecasting in U.S. (U.S. Dept. Agric. Weather Bureau) v. 107 The maps, April 18 to 27, 1910, illustrate the blocking of storms by high pressure over the Maritime Provinces.
1956 S. Pettersen Weather Anal. & Forecasting (ed. 2) I. xiii. 277 From the point of view of theory it is difficult to make any distinction between the steering and the blocking of the movement of sea-level cyclones.
2000 C. D. Whiteman Mountain Meteorol. x. 166 Blocking occurs frequently in winter when cold, stable air masses are common and may persist for extended periods.
Compounds
blocking course n. Architecture a slightly projecting plain course of brick or stone, typically at the base or top of a building, sometimes holding the cornice of a classical entablature in place.
ΘΠ
society > leisure > the arts > visual arts > architecture > architectural ornament > [noun] > ornaments on pediments or cornices
crotchetc1394
crocket1677
vessel1704
vase1706
blocking-course1761
acroter1829
crocketing1851
1683 St. Paul's Cathedral Building Accts. July–Sept. in Wren Soc. (1936) 13 154 The Rubble above the Blocking Course in the Spandrells of the two 19 foot Arches.
1730 E. Oakley Mag. Archit., Perspective, & Sculpt. ii. 63 Entablatures are sometimes crown'd or finished on the Top with a Blocking Course, a Ballustrade or Attick Order, on which are placed Statues or vases, &c.
1832 Libr. Fine Arts Feb. 144 The French critics do not hesitate to allow the unhappy interruption of the basement blocking course by an arched opening in the centre of the colonnade front.
1973 A. Scully James Dakin, Architect vi. 74/2 The flat roof was crowned with a blocking course.
2002 Britannia 33 72 Bolsters set upon a deep blocking course over an elaborate cornice.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, December 2022).
blockingadj.
/ˈblɒkɪŋ/, U.S. /ˈblɑkɪŋ/ 1. That forms a physical barrier; that divides, obstructs, or obscures.
ΘΠ
the world > space > relative position > closed or shut condition > [adjective] > stopping up or blocking
thorter1533
obturant1572
obstructive1611
occludent1851
obturating1884
occlusive1888
occluding1899
1841 E. W. Brayley Topogr. Hist. Surrey I: Pt. ii. ii. 327 In its original state this angular room does not appear to have been separated into two parts; as it subsequently was by a blocking wall.
1893 Crit. Rev. Theol. & Philos. Lit. Oct. 399 The blocking glaciers melted, and so the waters of these lakes were drained away.
1960 R. C. Wallis Mosquitoes in Connecticut 5 These drainage ditches had to be cleaned periodically, the banks recut, and blocking debris removed.
1975 R. Willock I, Victoria Strange x. 91 I could not see beyond the blocking hedge.
2007 C. McPherson Six Ways to Sunday 117 The cabbie takes one look in his mirror and pulls into the oncoming lane and around the blocking car.
2. That prevents something from occurring or progressing; that hinders or suppresses.
Π
1879 Sat. Rev. 26 July 105/1 The member for Denbighshire, under a delusion..that his blocking notice would work its own end without his voice to support it.
1973 New Scientist 25 Oct. 292/2 [The company's]..display was something of a blocking manoeuvre to make people wait for the VLP [= Video Long Play] if, and when, it arrives in 1975.
2022 Independent (Nexis) 7 June Turkey—which as a NATO member has a blocking vote—has opposed the bids by Sweden and neighboring Finland to join NATO.
3. American Football and Canadian Football. Of a player: that obstructs an opponent from reaching or tackling the ball carrier by interposing his or her body, as a legal move. Cf. block v.1 4.See also blocking back n.
ΘΠ
society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > ball game > football > American football > [adjective] > actions or manoeuvres
end-around1934
blitzing1940
slant1947
bootleg1949
red-dogging1951
pass-rushing1961
bump-and-run1970
run-and-shoot1975
1890 Indianapolis Jrnl. 28 Nov. 1/5 When the ball is put in play there is a confused mass of running, rushing, blocking players, with heads, arms, legs, heels intermingled.
1925 Springfield (Ohio) Daily News 29 Nov. (Sunday Sport section) 5/3 ‘Herb’ Littleton..showed the same expertness at roll blocking that won for him in his old days the name of being the best blocking fullback in the conference.
1977 L. Lorimer & J. Devaney Football Bk. 103/1 The tight end, who lines up next to one of the tackles, spends part of his time as a blocking lineman, and the other part as a pass receiver.
2014 Philadelphia Daily News (Web ed.) (Nexis) 11 Nov. Wide receiver Riley Cooper showed again why he is one of the league's better blocking wideouts, leveling defensive end Mario Addison.
4. Pharmacology and Physiology. Frequently with modifying word or words or as the second element in compounds: that prevents or inhibits a (specified) physiological or pathological process, or the activity of a (specified) structure, organ, substance, etc.beta-blocking, ganglion blocking, nerve-blocking, etc.: see the first element.
Π
1901 Brit. Med. Jrnl. 15 June 1462/1 Curare is not applicable as a blocking agent.
1955 Science 2 Dec. 1098/3 Blocking drugs reveal that the pituitary activation in the rat takes 20 to 35 minutes.
1993 Life Extension Update Dec. 1 9,000 men will be given the dihydrotestosterone blocking drug Proscar while the other 9,000 men will receive a placebo.
1995 Sci. News 15 Apr. 229/1 But if the cancer springs back, it does so despite hormone-blocking therapy.
2013 T. A. Baird in I. C. W. Hardy & M. Briffa Animal Contests xii. 275/1 Once the effects of the testosterone-blocking agent administered to territorial males wore off, they increased levels of aggression.
5. Meteorology. Designating a relatively immobile area of high pressure, esp. an anticyclone, that prevents or retards the movement of a low-pressure weather system, typically causing the weather in a region to remain unchanged for a prolonged period. Cf. block v.1 18.
Π
1935 Bates Student (Bates Coll., Maine) 23 Jan. 1/3 Stagnating lows and blocking highs make improbable the fulfilment of a long range forecast.
1983 Financial Times (Nexis) 35 Classic examples were the blazing summer of 1976..and the recent record-breaking wet spell... The common feature of such weather is that the British Isles come under the influence of a stationary high pressure system called a ‘blocking anticyclone’.
2010 N.Y. Times (National ed.) 17 Sept. b8/4 (in figure) A blocking high will prevent Hurricane Karl from moving north.
6. Designating software that prevents access to certain websites and types of internet content, or prevents adverts, pop-ups, etc., from appearing on a web page.Frequently with preceding modifying word specifying what is blocked.
Π
1995 Capital Times (Madison, Wisconsin) 15 May 10 a/5 He installed a test version of the blocking software on computer networks.
2016 Sci. Amer. (U.K. ed.) Jan. 20/1 Apple began approving ad-blocking apps for the iPhone and iPad last September.
2018 New Scientist (Nexis) 24 Jan. 20 Many parents simply hope that content-blocking software will keep their children safe.
Compounds
blocking antibody n. an antibody which, when bound to a specific allergen or antigen, inhibits some physiological or pathological process, by either impeding the function of the molecule to which it is bound or preventing other antibodies from binding to it.
Π
1938 Jrnl. Allergy 9 429 The authors sought to determine whether sheep, receiving injections of pollen, would manufacture the same type of ‘blocking’ antibody found by Cooke and his co-workers in the sera of human beings receiving pollen therapy for hay fever.
1973 Immunol. Res. (U.S. Dept. Health, Educ., & Welfare) 37/2 This procedure might be used as a ‘holding operation’ until the graft recipient can himself produce blocking antibodies which will protect the transplant from invading lymphocytes.
1981 New Scientist 5 Nov. 372/3 Once a virus has combined with blocking antibody, it is protected from neutralising antibodies—and the result is a small population of virus particles that are resistant to the attack of the immune system.
2012 P. M. Latha Textbk. Immunol. xvii. 185 When the blocking antibodies bind to their own surface antigens, they obstruct binding of other antibodies produced by the immune system against tumor cells.
blocking back n. American Football and Canadian Football a player lining up behind the line of scrimmage whose primary role is to block opponents from reaching or tackling the ball carrier; (also figurative) a person who deals forcefully or definitively with any opposition or criticism.
ΘΠ
society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > ball game > football > American football > [noun] > types of player
side tackle1809
nose guard1852
rusher1877
goalkicker1879
quarterback1879
runner1880
quarter1883
full back1884
left guard1884
snap-back1887
snapper-back1887
running back1891
tackle1891
defensive end1897
guard1897
interferer1897
receiver1897
defensive back1898
defensive tackle1900
safety man1901
ball carrier1902
defensive lineman1902
homebrew1903
offensive lineman1905
lineman1907
returner1911
signal caller1915
rover1916
interference1920
punt returner1926
pass rusher1928
tailback1930
safety1931
blocker1935
faker1938
scatback1946
linesman1947
flanker1953
platoon player1953
corner-back1955
pulling guard1955
split end1955
return man1957
slot-back1959
strong safety1959
wide receiver1960
line-backer1961
pocket passer1963
tight end1963
run blocker1967
wideout1967
blitzer1968
1909 Chicago Daily Tribune 29 Sept. 17/1 It always is best for the blocking backs to stand close to the line, one protecting on the outside and the other on the inside.
1924 R. C. Zuppke Football Technique & Tactics (rev. ed.) ii. 47 Many ends fail to get the punt receiver because they cannot get by the blocking back.
1975 Congress. Rec. 121 21891/3 The Army today loses Its coach, its triple threat, its blocking back, and above all and pre-eminently, its cheerleader. For two years Bo Callaway has been a strong..leader of the U.S. Army during a period of some turbulence.
2019 P. Caputo Hunter's Moon 11 I carried the ball on short-yardage plays; otherwise, I was a blocking back, assigned to shield our star from some slab of blitzing beef who'd penetrated the line.
blocking oscillator n. a type of relaxation oscillator in which the action of the amplifying element is blocked for a part of each cycle.
Π
1936 A. H. Halloran Television with Cathode-rays ix. 11 In each case a condenser is charged by means of a blocking oscillator.
1969 J.J. Sparkes Transistor Switching iii. 61 The blocking oscillator uses a transformer as the feedback coupling element.
2003 S. Amos & M. James Princ. Transistor Circuits (ed. 9) 274 Two forms of blocking oscillators are in common use, an astable or free-running circuit and a monostable circuit.
This is a new entry (OED Third Edition, December 2022).
<
n.11530
n.21584adj.1841