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blimp

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blimp

[blimp]
–noun
1. a small, nonrigid airship or dirigible, esp. one used chiefly for observation.
2. Slang. a fat person.

Origin:
1915–20; of uncert. orig.

Blimp

[blimp]
(sometimes lowercase)
Colonel Blimp.

Origin:
1930–35
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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blimp   (blĭmp)   
n.  
  1. A nonrigid, buoyant airship.

  2. Slang An obese person.

intr.v.  Slang To become very fat. Often used with out: He's really blimped out since he got that desk job.

[Perhaps from limp.]
Blimp   (blĭmp)   
n.   Chiefly British
A pompous, reactionary, ultranationalistic person.

[After Colonel Blimp, a cartoon character invented by David Low (1891-1963).]
Blimp'ish adj.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Encyclopedia

blimp

nonrigid or semirigid airship dependent on internal gas pressure to maintain its form. The origin of the name blimp is uncertain, but the most common explanation is that it derives from "British Class B airship" plus "limp"-i.e., nonrigid. Blimps were used by navies during World War I in convoy and antisubmarine patrol duty, became attractions at fairs and expositions, and later carried advertising messages.

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Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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