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blow one\'s own horn

 [hawrn]   Origin

horn

   [hawrn]
noun
1.
one of the bony, permanent, hollow paired growths, often curved and pointed, that project from the upper part of the head of certain ungulate mammals, as cattle, sheep, goats, or antelopes.
2.
a similar growth, sometimes of hair, as the median horn or horns on the snout of the rhinoceros, or the tusk of the narwhal.
3.
antler.
4.
a process projecting from the head of an animal and suggestive of such a growth, as a feeler, tentacle, or crest.
5.
the bony substance of which such animal growths are composed.
EXPAND
6.
any similar substance, as that forming tortoise shell, hoofs, nails, or corns.
7.
an article made of the material of an animal horn or like substance, as a thimble, spoon, or shoehorn.
8.
any projection or extremity resembling the horn of an animal.
9.
something resembling or suggesting an animal horn: a drinking horn.
10.
a part resembling an animal horn attributed to deities, demons, etc.: the devil's horn.
11.
Usually, horns. the imaginary projections on a cuckold's brow.
12.
Music.
a.
a wind instrument, originally formed from the hollow horn of an animal but now usually made of brass or other metal or plastic.
b.
French horn.
13.
something used as or resembling such a wind instrument.
14.
Slang. a trumpet.
15.
an instrument for sounding a warning signal: an automobile horn.
16.
Aeronautics. any of certain short, armlike levers on the control surfaces of an airplane.
17.
Radio.
a.
a tube of varying cross section used in some loudspeakers to couple the diaphragm to the sound-transmitting space.
b.
Slang. a loudspeaker.
18.
Slang. a telephone or radiotelephone: I've been on the horn all morning.
19.
the high protuberant part at the front and top of certain saddles; a pommel, especially a high one.
20.
Carpentry. (in a door or window frame) that part of a jamb extending above the head.
21.
one of the curved extremities of a crescent, especially of the crescent moon.
22.
a crescent-shaped tract of land.
23.
a pyramidal mountain peak, especially one having concave faces carved by glaciation.
24.
a symbol of power or strength, as in the Bible: a horn of salvation.
25.
each of the alternatives of a dilemma.
26.
the narrow, more pointed part of an anvil.
27.
ear tuft.
28.
Metalworking. a projection at the side of the end of a rolled sheet or strip, caused by unevenness of the roll due to wear.
29.
Horology. (in a lever escapement) either of the two prongs at the end of the lever fork guarding against overbanking when the guard pin is in the crescent.
COLLAPSE
verb (used with object)
30.
to cuckold.
31.
to butt or gore with the horns.
32.
Shipbuilding. to set up (a frame or bulkhead of a vessel being built) at a proper angle to the keel with due regard to the inclination of the keel on the ways; plumb.

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Blow one's own horn is always a great word to know.
So is flibbertigibbet. Does it mean:
the offspring of a zebra and a donkey.
a chattering or flighty, light-headed person.
LEARN MORE UNUSUAL WORDS WITH WORD DYNAMO...
adjective
33.
made of horn.
Idioms
34.
blow/toot one's own horn, Informal. to publicize or boast about one's abilities or achievements: He's a bright fellow, but likes to blow his own horn too much.
35.
draw/pull in one's horns, to restrain oneself or become less belligerent; retreat: Since he lost so much gambling, he's drawn in his horns a bit.
36.
horn in, Informal. to thrust oneself forward obtrusively; intrude or interrupt: Every time we try to have a private conversation, the boss horns in.
37.
lock horns, to conflict, quarrel, or disagree: The administration and the staff locked horns over the proposed measures.
38.
on the horns of a dilemma, confronted with two equally disagreeable choices.
Origin:
before 900; Middle English horn(e) (noun), Old English horn; cognate with Dutch horen, Old Norse, Danish, Swedish horn, German Horn, Gothic haurn, Latin cornu cornu, Irish, Welsh corn; akin to Greek kéras horn (see cerat-)

Related forms
horn·ish, adjective
horn·less, adjective
horn·less·ness, noun
horn·like, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
Cite This Source Link To blow one's own horn
Etymonline
Word Origin & History

horn
O.E. horn "horn of an animal," also "wind instrument" (originally made from animal horns), from P.Gmc. *khurnaz (cf. Ger. Horn, Du. horen, Goth. haurn), from PIE *ker- "uppermost part of the body, head, horn, top, summit" (cf. Gk. karnon, L. cornu, Skt. srngam "horn"). Reference to car horns is first
EXPAND
recorded 1901. A hornpipe was originally a hornepype (c.1400), a musical instrument with bell and mouthpiece made of horn, later (c.1485) "dance associated with sailors" (originally performed to music from such an instrument). To horn in "intrude" is attested by 1880, originally cowboy slang, on the notion of buffalo behavior.
COLLAPSE
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
American Heritage
Medical Dictionary

horn (hôrn)
n.

  1. One of the hard, usually permanent structures projecting from the head of certain mammals, such as cattle, consisting of a bony core covered with a sheath of keratinous material.

  2. A hard protuberance that is similar to or suggestive of a horn.

  3. The hard, smooth keratinous material forming the outer covering of animal horns.

  4. Any of the major subdivisions of the lateral ventricle in the cerebral hemisphere of the brain: the frontal horn, occipital horn, and temporal horn. Also called cornu.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Cite This Source
American Heritage
Science Dictionary
horn   (hôrn)  Pronunciation Key 

  1. Either of the bony growths projecting from the upper part of the head of certain hoofed mammals, such as cattle, sheep, and goats. The horns of these animals are never shed, and they consist of bone covered by keratin.

  2. A hard growth that looks like a horn, such as an antler or a growth on the head of a giraffe or rhinoceros. Unlike true horns, antlers are shed yearly and have a velvety covering, and the horns of a rhinoceros are made not of bone but of hairy skin fused with keratin.

  3. The hard durable substance that forms the outer covering of true horns. It consists of keratin.


The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
American Heritage
Cultural Dictionary

blow one's own horn definition


To brag about oneself: “Although usually modest, Marilyn had to blow her own horn a bit during the job interview.” Sometimes phrased as “toot one's own horn.”

The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Slang Dictionary

blow (one's) own horn definition


and toot (one's) own horn
  1. tv.
    to brag. : Gary sure likes to toot his own horn. , Say something nice. I'm not one to blow my own horn.
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
Cite This Source

horn definition


  1. n.
    the nose. : He scratched his horn with his pencil and opened his mouth to speak.
  2. n.
    the telephone. : She's on the horn now. What'll I tell her?
  3. tv.
    to sniff or snorta narcotic. (Drugs.) : Ernie horned a line and paused for a minute.
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
Cite This Source
American Heritage
Idioms & Phrases

blow one's own horn

Also, blow one's trumpet. Brag about oneself, as in Within two minutes of meeting someone new, Bill was blowing his own horn. [Late 1500s]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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