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on the blink

 - 6 dictionary results

blink

  [blingk]
Use on the blink in a Sentence
–verb (used without object)
1. to open and close the eye, esp. involuntarily; wink rapidly and repeatedly.
2. to look with winking or half-shut eyes: I blinked at the harsh morning light.
3. to be startled, surprised, or dismayed (usually fol. by at): She blinked at his sudden fury.
4. to look evasively or with indifference; ignore (often fol. by at): to blink at another's eccentricities.
5. to shine unsteadily, dimly, or intermittently; twinkle: The light on the buoy blinked in the distance.
–verb (used with object)
6. to open and close (the eye or eyes), usually rapidly and repeatedly; wink: She blinked her eyes in an effort to wake up.
7. to cause (something) to blink: We blinked the flashlight frantically, but there was no response.
8. to ignore deliberately; evade; shirk.
–noun
9. an act of blinking: The faithful blink of the lighthouse.
10. a gleam; glimmer: There was not a blink of light anywhere.
11. Chiefly Scot. a glance or glimpse.
12. Meteorology.
a. iceblink.
b. snowblink.
—Idiom
13. on the blink, not in proper working order; in need of repair: The washing machine is on the blink again.
Origin:
1250–1300; ME blinken (v.), var. of blenken to blench 1 ; c. D, G blinken

Synonyms:
1. See wink 1 . 8. overlook, disregard, avoid, condone. 9. wink, flicker, twinkle, flutter.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To on the blink
blink   (blĭngk)   
v.   blinked, blink·ing, blinks

v.   intr.

  1. To close and open one or both of the eyes rapidly.

  2. To look through half-closed eyes, as in a bright glare; squint.

  3. To shine with intermittent gleams; flash on and off.

    1. To be startled or dismayed.

    2. To waver or back down, as in a contest of wills: "This was the first genuine, direct confrontation between this administration and the Soviets. It was the U.S.A. that blinked" (Zbigniew Brzezinski).

  5. To look with feigned ignorance: a mayor who blinks at the corruption in city government.

v.   tr.

  1. To cause to blink.

  2. To hold back or remove from the eyes by blinking: blinked back the tears.

  3. To refuse to recognize or face: blink ugly facts.

  4. To transmit (a message) with a flashing light.

n.  

  1. The act or an instance of rapidly closing and opening the eyes or an eye.

  2. An instant: I'll be back in a blink.

  3. Scots A quick look or glimpse; a glance.

  4. A flash of light; a twinkle.

  5. See iceblink.


[Probably Middle English blinken, to move suddenly, variant of blenchen; see blench1.]
Synonyms: These verbs mean to open and close the eyelids or an eyelid rapidly: a dog blinking lazily at the fire; reptiles nictitating; twinkled, then laughed and responded; winked conspiratorially at his friend.
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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Slang Dictionary
on the blink

  1. mod.
    out of order; ill. (See also on the fritz.) : My refrigerator is on the blink again.
  2. mod.
    alcohol intoxicated; on a drinking spree. : They all went out and got on the blink.
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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Word Origin & History

blink 
1590, from M.Du. blinken "to glitter," of uncertain origin (possibly akin to bleach; cf. Ger. blinken "to gleam, sparkle, twinkle"). M.E. used blekne in this sense, related to blench (q.v.).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: 2blink
Function: noun
: a usually involuntary shutting and opening of the eye
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Idioms & Phrases

on the blink

Also, on the bum or fritz. Malfunctioning, out of order, broken, as in The TV is on the blink again, or You driveour car's on the bum. The first of these slangy expressions dates from the late 1800s and possibly alludes to an electric light that flickers on and off ("blinks"); the second, from the same period, possibly is derived from bum in the sense of "a contemptible person"; the third, fritz, dating from about 1900, is of unknown origin.

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