blow off

Status
Not open for further replies.

ostap77

Key Member
Joined
Sep 9, 2010
Member Type
Student or Learner
Native Language
Ukrainian
Home Country
Ukraine
Current Location
Ukraine
"I wanted something different for a change. So I blew off KFC and went to a sushibar."

Is it OK to use "blow off" to mean that you didn't do something you were going to do?


OR

"If I hadn't blown off Physics this semester, I would have done well on the exam."


OR

"I wanted to kick in for the party but they blew me off."
Can I use it to say that I treated something as unimportant?
 

mykwyner

Key Member
Joined
May 13, 2005
Member Type
English Teacher
Native Language
English
Home Country
United States
Current Location
United States
Yes, when you blow [something] off you treat it as unimportant, you fail to meet an obligation because you just don't care, or you dismiss something out of hand.
 

Barb_D

Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Mar 12, 2007
Member Type
Other
Native Language
American English
Home Country
United States
Current Location
United States
I can't find the KFC example natural.

You can blow off people or a class, or people can blow you off, but unless you have some sort of standing date or expectation to be KFC, you can't really blow off a restaurant.
 

bhaisahab

Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Apr 12, 2008
Member Type
Retired English Teacher
Native Language
British English
Home Country
England
Current Location
Ireland
I can't find the KFC example natural.

You can blow off people or a class, or people can blow you off, but unless you have some sort of standing date or expectation to be KFC, you can't really blow off a restaurant.
I find this "blow off" expression fascinating, I'm not at all familiar with it. It's like a foreign language to me.:-?
 

ostap77

Key Member
Joined
Sep 9, 2010
Member Type
Student or Learner
Native Language
Ukrainian
Home Country
Ukraine
Current Location
Ukraine
I can't find the KFC example natural.

You can blow off people or a class, or people can blow you off, but unless you have some sort of standing date or expectation to be KFC, you can't really blow off a restaurant.

How about this.

1)I thought I was going to have a meal at a KFC restaurant after work that is just around the corner. But than I decided to change my mind and went to a sushibar.

2) Or in the morning I hought I was going to go the movies with my girlfriend but then she changed her ming and felt more like going to the disco. "We blew off the movies and went there"?

3) I was looking forward to going the New Year party. But at the very last moment airplain tickets worked out at a realy good price. So we blew the party off and went to Mexico.?
 
Last edited:

5jj

Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Oct 14, 2010
Member Type
English Teacher
Native Language
British English
Home Country
Czech Republic
Current Location
Czech Republic
2) Or in the morning I hought I was going to go the movies with my girlfriend but then she changed her ming and felt more like going to the disco. "We blew off the movies and went there"?
The mind boggles.
 

Barb_D

Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Mar 12, 2007
Member Type
Other
Native Language
American English
Home Country
United States
Current Location
United States
That's a little closer.

We were going to go dinner, swing by a friend's open house for a bit and then see the late movie. Dinner ran long, though, and we really wanted to see the movie, so we decided to blow off the party.
 

Tdol

No Longer With Us (RIP)
Staff member
Joined
Nov 13, 2002
Native Language
British English
Home Country
UK
Current Location
Japan
I find this "blow off" expression fascinating, I'm not at all familiar with it. It's like a foreign language to me.:-?

I didn't know it until an AmE speaker sent me the definition to add to our list. ;-)
 

ostap77

Key Member
Joined
Sep 9, 2010
Member Type
Student or Learner
Native Language
Ukrainian
Home Country
Ukraine
Current Location
Ukraine
That's a little closer.

We were going to go dinner, swing by a friend's open house for a bit and then see the late movie. Dinner ran long, though, and we really wanted to see the movie, so we decided to blow off the party.

So we can "blow off" things that are connected with a pre-planed action.

I can blow off a meal at a restaurant but not the restaurant itself?

"He took a quick look at the book I gave him and blew it off." Can I say in this way that it seemed not interesting and treated it as unimportant?
 

Vidor

Member
Joined
Dec 8, 2010
Member Type
Interested in Language
Native Language
English
Home Country
United States
Current Location
United States
not a teacher

So we can "blow off" things that are connected with a pre-planed action.

I can blow off a meal at a restaurant but not the restaurant itself?

"He took a quick look at the book I gave him and blew it off." Can I say in this way that it seemed not interesting and treated it as unimportant?

I would not use "blow off" in the sense you use it with a book. "Blow off" means to ignore an obligation, or a meeting, or a task. "I was hung over this morning so I blew off English class and slept in." You don't blow off a physical object such as a book that's presented to you. In the sentence above I'd say "He took a quick look at the book I gave him, and dismissed it."
 

hotmetal

Junior Member
Joined
Jun 10, 2008
Member Type
Other
Native Language
English
Home Country
England
Current Location
England
I didn't know it until an AmE speaker sent me the definition to add to our list. ;-)


Me neither, at least, not in this context.
I think it should be pointed out that in British English, "blow off" means something rather different! i.e. it is either a childish phrase meaning "to break wind", or an "adult" phrase denoting a sexual act… :oops:

Please be careful with our language out there folks!! :-?
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top