~ 1
■ adjective ( bloodier , bloodiest )
1》 covered with or composed of blood.
2》 involving much violence or cruelty.
■ verb ( bloodies , ~ing , bloodied ) cover or stain with blood.
Derivatives
bloodily adverb
bloodiness noun
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~ 2
■ adjective ( bloodier , bloodiest ) informal, chiefly Brit.
1》 used to express anger or shock, or for emphasis.
2》 dated unpleasant or perverse: don't be too ~ to poor Nigel.
Word History
Although widely believed to be a blasphemous reference to the blood of God or Christ, as in the archaic oath 'S-blood or God's blood , the informal use of ~ was probably, in the first place, simply a reference to young bloods (that is 'young aristocrats', or children of 'good blood'), who behaved in a rowdy manner; in the 17th century the phrase ~ drunk meant 'drunk as a blood' or 'drunk as a lord'.