blouse

blouse [ blaus ] noun count *

1. ) a shirt for women:

a cotton/silk/nylon blouse

a sleeveless blouse

2. ) AMERICAN a short loose jacket that fits tightly around the waist, worn by soldiers as part of their uniform

blow2

blow 2 [ blou ] noun count **

1. ) a hard hit from someone's hand or an object:

They knocked him down and pummeled him with blows.

The victim was apparently killed by a blow to the head with a heavy object.

a glancing blow (=something that hits at an angle): The falling roof tile struck him a glancing blow.

2. ) an event that spoils your chances of success:

Losing a second match would be a major blow to his world title hopes.

deal a blow to something: The closing of the factory dealt a devastating blow to the local economy.

a ) an event that causes you to feel very sad, disappointed, or shocked:

a real blow: Her mother's death was a real blow to her.

come as a blow: It came as a terrible blow when he found out she was married.

3. ) an act of blowing air from your mouth or nose

come to blows

if two people come to blows, they start hitting each other:

It sounded as if they were about to come to blows.

soften/cushion the blow

to make something unpleasant easier to deal with or accept:

There will be no raises this year but employees will get one extra vacation day to soften the blow.

strike a blow for something

to do something to support something you believe is right:

This election gives you the chance to strike a blow for freedom.