blither
verb
No English definition recorded for this entry.
L330971 on Wikidata ↗Wiktionary
Pronunciation: /blaɪðə/ / /blaɪðəɹ/ / /ˈblɪðə/ / /ˈblɪðəɹ/
adj
Etymology: From blithe + -er (suffix forming the comparative forms of adjectives).
- comparative form of blithe: more blithe
noun
Etymology: The verb is a variant of blether (Northern England, Scotland), blather (“to say (something foolish or nonsensical); to say (something) in a foolish or overly verbose way; to babble (something); to talk rapidly without making much sense; to cry loudly, blubber”), from Middle English bloderen, blotheren (“to babble; to cry loudly, blubber”), from Old Norse blaðra (“to talk foolishly or inarticulately”), from blaðr (“nonsense”); further etymology uncertain. The noun is a variant of blether, blather (“foolish or nonsensical talk”), either from blether, blather (verb), or from Old Norse blaðr (“nonsense”): see above.
- Foolish or nonsensical talk; blather; (countable) an instance of this.
“He also knows if the work of the lyric poet be simply "stringin' blithers together, for fools to sing," that a very large percentage of the literary work of the world has been done in vain and this can by no means be admitted.”
“To speak about the product of his labour being 'unearned' is equivalent to bathing in a sea of blither. There is no such thing as unearned increment in the product of labour at the point where meat, or wheat, or butter leaves the hands of the producer, for its exchange value represents his wages.”
- A foolish person; a fool, an idiot.
“Indeed, it was Mr. Buck's private opinion that in the matter of plants and flowers Sir John and Lady Moulter were "a pair of old blithers."”
“Little Miss Cricket pointed a thicket, prompting the birds to stay. When along came a blither who fired right beside her and frightened Miss Cricket away. Yes, that'll do nicely. And as for a blither, Webster tells us that's an idiot. And it's idiots who make gun-shy dogs.”
verb
Etymology: The verb is a variant of blether (Northern England, Scotland), blather (“to say (something foolish or nonsensical); to say (something) in a foolish or overly verbose way; to babble (something); to talk rapidly without making much sense; to cry loudly, blubber”), from Middle English bloderen, blotheren (“to babble; to cry loudly, blubber”), from Old Norse blaðra (“to talk foolishly or inarticulately”), from blaðr (“nonsense”); further etymology uncertain. The noun is a variant of blether, blather (“foolish or nonsensical talk”), either from blether, blather (verb), or from Old Norse blaðr (“nonsense”): see above.
- To talk foolishly; to blather.
“Personality is what I am aiming at, not mere manners. That is not strong enough for a man who "blithers" as you do.”
“If he was to blither, it was only fair that she should bleat back.”