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 Blenker, verb (American).—To plunder. A cant phrase much used during the Civil War. Possibly allied to the northern provincialism 'blenk,' a trick or stratagem. 'Blenk' was also used in Morte d'Arthur in the sense of 'to bilk,' or 'cheat.'

Bless, verb (popular).—To curse; to damn.—See Blessed.

To bless oneself, verbal phr. (common).—To be surprised; to be vexed; to be mortified. Generally, 'God bless me!' or 'Bless my eyes!' 'Bless my soul!' 'Lor' bless me!'

1592. Shakspeare, Midsummer Night's Dream, iv., 2, 11. Quin: Yea, and the best person too: and he is a very paramour, for a sweet voice. Flu: You must say, paragon: a paramour is, God bless us, a thing of nought.

1615. T. Adams, Black Dev., 71. He would blesse himselfe to think that so little a thing could extend itself to such a capacity. [m.]

1665. Pepys, Diary, 1 Apr. How my Lord Treasurer did bless himself, crying he could do no more, etc.

1759. Sterne, Tristam Shandy, ch. xl. Rub your hands thrice across your foreheads—blow your nose—cleanse your emunctories—sneeze, my good people!—God bless you.

1814. Miss Austen, Mansfield Park, ch. xviii. Could Sir Thomas look in upon us just now, he would bless himself, for we are rehearsing all over the house.

1843. Dickens, Christmas Carol, p. 77. 'Why, bless my soul,' cried Fred, 'who's that?'

1853. Bulwer Lytton, My Novel, I., p. 307. After they had lain apart for a little while, very silent and sullen, John sneezed. 'God bless you!' says Joan, over the bolster.

Not a [penny] to bless oneself with, phr. (popular).—Utterly impecunious; 'without a sou.'

1843. Dickens, Martin Chuzzlewit, I., p. 237. He landed there without a penny to bless himself with.

1849. Dickens, David Copperfield, I., p. 113. I heard that Mr. Mell was not a bad sort of fellow, but hadn't a sixpence to bless himself with.

1851. Mayhew, London Labour and London Poor, III., p. 55. The most of 'em ain't got a farthing to bless themselves with.

1861. George Eliot, Silas Marner, p. 38. I have not a shilling to bless myself with.

To bless one's stars, verbal phr. (common).—To thank oneself; to attribute one's good fortune to luck, generally in a ludicrous sense.

1845. Hood, Pauper's Christmas Carol, iii. Ought not I to bless my stars?

1877. Five Years' Penal Servitude, ch. iii., p. 230. Forty-eight marks! a week's remission. The very thought made me savage, but I blessed my stars I had not lost my class, or my good berth.

Blessed, Blest, ppl. adj. (popular).—An ironical euphemism; often used like blazing for 'cursed,' 'damned,' etc., or as a vow.—See quot. from Hindley and Oaths.

1806. Windham, Let. in Speeches (1812), I., 77. As one of the happy consequences of our blessed system of printing debates, I am described to-day as having talked a language directly the reverse of that which I did talk. [m.]

1876. C. Hindley, Life and Adventures of a Cheap Jack, p. 139. One Maidstone Fair time, I saw one of the gipsy Lees called 'Jemmy,' fighting with a man much bigger than himself. Tom Rosseter, the mumper, was seconding his brother-in-law, Jemmy Lee, when, as Jemmy kept throwing his man very heavily, he said, 'My dear blessed brother, don't throw the blessed man like that or you will be sure to kill him.' 'Well,' said Jemmy, 'but my dear blessed brother, if I don't kill the dear blessed man, why the big blessed will be sure to kill me, and so I must keep on throwing the dear blessed man, for you see what a blessed big dear fellow he is to me.'

1877. Five Years' Penal Servitude, ch. iii., p. 245. 'They called in the coppers, and some feller in the shop twigged my old girl as one he'd a-seen