[a. F. bloque-r (15th c. in Littré), of same meaning, f. bloc BLOCK sb., the orig. sense being apparently to put ‘blocks’ in a way; but in later senses, 8–11, directly from BLOCK sb.]
1. trans. To obstruct or close with obstacles (a passage). Predicated either of the personal agent, or of the obstructions. Also fig.
[c. 1425. Wyntoun, Cron., VII. Prol. 21. Swa my wan-wyt … A matere gud suld block or spyle.]
1645. Quarles, Sol. Recant., v. 24. All his ways Are blokt with troubles.
1862. Stanley, Jew. Ch. (1877), I. xi. 208. The mouth of the cave was blocked by huge stones.
1881. Chicago Times, 12 March. The Illinois Central Road is again blocked.
b. with up.
1580. North, Plutarch (1656), 926. They shut and blocked up all the ways from the one sea to the other, with mighty great pieces of timber across.
1719. De Foe, Crusoe (1840), I. iv. 65. I blocked up the door … with some boards.
1833. Ht. Martineau, Briery Creek, iv. 91. Were the avenues of the temple blocked up?
2. To shut up or in by obstructing ingress and egress, to prevent access to or exit from. Predicated of the agent or the obstruction, as in 1.
1630. Prynne, God No Impostor, 9. Blocking vp their hearts against the Lord.
1631. Gouge, God’s Arrows, ii. § 22. 160. Blocking up people within narrow compasses.
1733. Swift’s Lett. (1766), II. 187. We are throwing down a parcel of walls, that blocked us up every way.
1853. Kane, Grinnell Exp., xxii. (1856), 178. Our little harbor was completely blocked in by heavy masses [of ice].
3. spec. To blockade, invest. [So F. bloquer.]
1591. Unton, Corr., 30. All Poictou is reduced … excepte Poictiers, by the Prince Conty, who hath also blocked that.
1796. Nelson, in Nicolas, Disp. (1845), II. 228. I ought not to have less than four Vessels to block the Port.
1871. Browning, Balaust., 103. Back must you, though ten pirates blocked the bay!
b. usually with up.
1639. Massinger, Unnat. Combat, I. i. Our navy should be blocked up.
1709. Steele, Tatler, No. 40, ¶ 10. The Blockade of Olivenza was continued … it is at present so closely blocked up that [etc.].
1790. Beatson, Nav. & Mil. Mem., I. 334. The British fleet … bombarded and blocked it up by sea.
1839. Thirlwall, Greece, II. 303. The danger of being defeated and blocked up in Salamis.
4. To obstruct the way or course of.
1865. Bushnell, Vicar. Sacr., III. iii. 238. One [attribute in God] totally blocking another, and refusing to allow a step of movement till it has gotten its complete satisfaction.
1875. J. Heath, Croquet-player, 16. A ball is blocked when another ball lies in the way.
1884. Boston (Mass.) Jrnl., 20 Dec., 2/2. Their little game was blocked.
5. Cricket. To stop (a ball) with the bat, so as merely to protect the wicket, without attempting to hit so as to score runs; also absol.
1773. Gentl. Mag., Nov., 568. The modern way of blocking every ball at play.
1827. E. Neale, Living & Dead, 165. Before my time! But I’ve heard of him. Blocked well—Best long stop in England.
1837. Dickens, Pickw. (1847), 55/1. He blocked the doubtful balls, missed the bad ones, took the good ones.
1879. W. G. Grace, in Cricketer’s Ann., 32. When you hit, hit hard; when you block, do not be deterred from using vigour even in this movement.
6. Parliament. To prevent or postpone the passage of a bill; spec. to give notice of opposition to a bill in the House of Commons, which prevents it from being taken after half past twelve (midnight). (See BLOCK sb. 19 b.)
1884. Mr. Speaker, in Times, 4 April, 6. The term ‘blocking’ is a colloquial expression recognized in this House.
1884. Dk. St. Albans, in Contemp. Rev., Aug., 171. The House of Lords, by blocking the Bill, has denied to two million persons the right of having votes.
7. intr. To bargain. Sc.
c. 1570. Leg. Bp. St. Andrews, in Scot. Poems 16th C., II. 334. Eftir that he had long tyme blockit, With grit difficultie he tuik thame.
1637. Rutherford, Lett., cvi. (1862), I. 269. God forbid that there were buying and selling and blocking for as good again, betwixt Christ and us.
8. trans. To shape on a block: see BLOCK sb. 4.
1622. Rowlands, Gd. Newes & Bad, 33. His hat new block’d.
[1637. Heywood, Roy. King, III. iii. The haberdasher will sooner call us blockheads than block us.]
b. To hammer smooth or into a particular shape on a block.
1831. J. Holland, Manuf. Metals, I. 338. The saw is once more submitted to the hammer … but it is now termed blocking.
1884. Law Times Rep., LI. 274/2. The hammering carried on in the process of tin blocking.
Mod. Blocking-down, in silver manufacture, is the first process when the article has to be made from a flat piece of metal.
c. To emboss the covers of books by pressure with a device from a block.
1869. G. Dodd, Dict. Manuf., 38. In blocking, the tools are fixed into a frame to form a device for the whole cover of a book; it receives the name of gold blocking or blind blocking according as gold is or is not used.
9. To sketch out, mark out roughly (work to be finished afterwards); to lay out, plan. Now usually with out; also in.
1585. James I., Ess. Poesie (Arb.), 55. I tuke earnist and willing panis to blok it [this short treatise].
1652. Urquhart, Jewel, Wks. (1834), 264. Which designe, though intended, essayed, and blocked by many others.
1837. Lockhart, Scott (1839), III. 15. The latter Cantos having … been merely blocked out when the first went to press.
1881. Academy, 8 June, 33/2. The head … seems scarcely to belong to the rather rudely blocked limbs; but it is a nice little picture.
1884. Lady M. Majendie, Out of Element, I. viii. 110. Pictures blocked in roughly are often capable of a high degree of ultimate finish.
10. To cut out or make into blocks.
1863. Smiles, Indust. Biog., 305. Making wooden wedges used in pitwork, and blocking out segments of solid oak required for walling the sides of the mine.
Mod. Coal is always blocked from the bottom of the seam.
11. To support or fit with blocks of wood.
1881. Young, Every Man his own Mechanic, § 765. When the top of any table of this kind is a fixture, it is generally ‘blocked’; that is to say, rectangular blocks of wood … are glued at short intervals into the angle formed by the meeting [etc.].
