blench

blench
blanch, blench
Blanch means first and foremost ‘to make (something) white’ (especially vegetables by dipping them in boiling water) and (intransitively) ‘to become pale’ (from fear, shock, embarrassment, etc.); a by-form blench is also used in this sense. Confusingly, there is another (Old English) word blench, which overlaps slightly with blanch/blench in its meaning ‘to quail, flinch’, as in

• Strong men blenched and broke into a sweat of embarrassment when made to dance ‘Ring-a-ring o' roses’ in public outside Guildhall —Times, 1974.


Modern English usage. 2014.

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  • Blench — Blench, v. i. [imp. & p. p. {Blenched}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Blenching}.] [OE. blenchen to blench, elude, deceive, AS. blencan to deceive; akin to Icel. blekkja to impose upon. Prop. a causative of blink to make to wink, to deceive. See {Blink}, and… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • blench — blench; blench·ing·ly; un·blench·ing·ly; …   English syllables

  • blench — blench1 [blench] vt., vi. [var. of BLANCH] to make or become pale; whiten; bleach blench2 [blench] vi. [ME blenchen, move suddenly, avoid < OE blencan, to deceive, akin to Ger blinken; ult. < IE base of BLANK] to shrink back, as in fear;… …   English World dictionary

  • Blench — Blench, n. A looking aside or askance. [Obs.] [1913 Webster] These blenches gave my heart another youth. Shak. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Blench — Blench, v. i. & t. [See 1st {Blanch}.] To grow or make pale. Barbour. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Blench — Blench, v. t. 1. To baffle; to disconcert; to turn away; also, to obstruct; to hinder. [Obs.] [1913 Webster] Ye should have somewhat blenched him therewith, yet he might and would of likelihood have gone further. Sir T. More. [1913 Webster] 2. To …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • blench — [ blentʃ ] verb intransitive MAINLY LITERARY to quickly make a movement away from something or turn pale because you are very frightened …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

  • blench — (v.) O.E. blencan deceive, cheat, from P.Gmc. *blenk to shine, dazzle, blind, from PIE root *bhel (1) to shine, flash, burn (see BLEACH (Cf. bleach)). Sense of move suddenly, wince, dodge is from c.1300. Related: Blenched; blenching …   Etymology dictionary

  • blench — quail, shrink, *recoil, flinch, wince Analogous words: evade, elude, avoid, shun, eschew, *escape: tremble, quiver, shudder, quake, *shake Contrasted words: *bear, suffer, endure, abide, stand …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • blench — ► VERB ▪ make a sudden flinching movement out of fear or pain. ORIGIN Old English, «deceive» …   English terms dictionary

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