at first blush

verb (used without object)

to redden, as from embarrassment or shame: He blushed when they called him a conquering hero.

to feel shame or embarrassment (often followed by at or for ): Your behavior makes me blush for your poor mother.

(of the sky, flowers, etc.) to become rosy.

(of new house paint or lacquer) to become cloudy or dull through moisture or excessive evaporation of solvents.

verb (used with object)

to make red; flush.

to make known by a blush: She could not help blushing the truth.

00:10

At first blush is always a great word to know.

So is interrobang. Does it mean:

a fool or simpleton; ninny.

a printed punctuation mark (‽), available only in some typefaces, designed to combine the question mark (?) and the exclamation point (!), indicating a mixture of query and interjection, as after a rhetorical question.

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noun

a reddening, as of the face.

rosy or pinkish tinge.

blusher ( def 2 ).

10.

Also called blush· wine·, rosé.

Idioms

11.

at first blush, without previous knowledge or adequate consideration; at first glance: At first blush, the solution to the problem seemed simple enough.

Origin:
1275–1325; (v.) Middle English bluschen, Old English blyscan to redden; akin to Old English blysa, Old Norse blys, Middle Low German blus torch, bloschen to blaze; (noun) Middle English blusch, blisch, derivative of the v.

Related forms

blush·ful, adjective

blush·ful·ly, adverb

blush·ful·ness, noun

blush·ing·ly, adverb

blush·less, adjective

out·blush, verb (used with object)

Synonyms
1. flush, color.

Antonyms
1. pale, blanch.

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Collins

World English Dictionary

blush (blʌʃ)

—vb
1.	(intr) to become suddenly red in the face from embarrassment, shame, modesty, or guilt; redden
2.	to make or become reddish or rosy

—n
3.	a sudden reddening of the face from embarrassment, shame, modesty, or guilt
4.	a rosy glow: the blush of a peach
5.	a reddish or pinkish tinge
6.	a cloudy area on the surface of freshly applied gloss paint
7.	at first blush when first seen; as a first impression

[Old English blӯscan; related to blӯsian to burn, Middle Low German blüsen to light a fire]

'blushful

—*adj*

'blushing

—n, —*adj*

'blushingly

—*adv*

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Etymonline

Word Origin & History

blush

M.E. bluschen, from O.E. blyscan "blush, become red, glow" (glossing L. rutilare), akin to blyse "torch," from P.Gmc. *blusi, which also yielded words in Low Ger. (cf. Du. blozen "to blush") and O.N.; from PIE *bhles- "shine" (see blaze). For vowel evolution, see bury.

American Heritage

Medical Dictionary

blush (blŭsh)
n.
A sudden and brief redness of the face and neck due to emotion; flush.

blush v.

American Heritage

Idioms & Phrases

at first blush

Also, at first glance or sight. When first seen. For example, At first blush we thought it was an elegant restaurant, but it soon became obvious that it was hardly the place for a special dinner, or At first glance the contract looked just fine. All three phrases date from the 1300s. The noun blush is used with the obsolete meaning "glimpse" or "momentary view" and in this idiom has nothing to do with showing embarrassment. Also see love at first sight.

Matching Quote

"All my stories are webs of style and none seems at first blush to contain much kinetic matter.... For me "style" is matter."

-Vladimir Nabokov

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Idioms & Phrases

love at first sight