"block" ~= street, and the OED?

Fri Apr 29 07:28:53 UTC 2011

A few other "blocks" that are missing. (Also some "busts".)

Yes, "block-buster" is there for the bombs, but not for the derivative
meaning--e.g., blockbuster deal, blockbuster trade, blockbuster story, etc.
Not even a hint that I found. OK, I'm lying--there is hint"

> 1957    G. Smith Friends vi a. 114   One day I had what seemed to me like
a block~buster of an idea for a musical play.

Right meaning, wrong function in a sentence (part of speech? It's still N-N,
right?). "Block-buster of an idea" is not the same as "blockbuster idea".

On the other hand, the other "block-buster" and "block-busting" appearances
seem to be quite distinct:

> 1967    Spectator 6 Oct. 394/2   The ‘block-buster’ is a figure in
American urban life who has yet to emerge in this country. He is a property
dealer who by subterfuge introduces black residents into all-white
neighbourhoods.

> 1959    Economist 31 Jan. 415/2   Once a single negro moves into a
block‥the houses on both sides of the street from corner to corner are bound
to become‥Negro.‥ Such ‘block-busting’ [etc.].
> 1961    Nation 7 Oct. 223/2   The block-busting real-estate men show homes
in integrated districts‥only to prospective Negro buyers.

It's the same sense of "block", but a different sense of "bust" that these
expressions rely on. IMO it seems closer to "breaking in[to]" than
"destroying".

Speaking of "bust", "busted"--discovered, uncovered--is not in OED. It seems
to be a variant of bust v.2 e., but it's a variant that's not mentioned.
"Jailed, arrested" is not the same thing as "uncovered, discovered,
unmasked", etc. In fact, I'm wondering which came first. The other meanings
listed under e. are "dismissed, demoted". These seem to be unrelated to
"jailed, arrested"--if anything, the latter are closer to the "discovered"
sense (again, not sure what came first).  I also suspect that people had
been "busted in rank" long before 1918, which is the earliest citation. But
being "busted"=="in jail" or "arrested" is likely later. But is it really
only post-WWII? And, if so, was it derived from "busted in rank"? Both seem
unlikely--just by looking at  bust n.3 f., which shows up at least as of
1938.

And when someone says, in isolation, "You are going to get busted," does
that mean "discovered" or "busted in rank" or "arrested"?

Then, there is bust v.2 d. --breaking into a house. What about "breaking
out"--"busting out of prison"? To make matters worse, transitivity is at
stake here--"He is going to bust his brother out [of prison]" vs. "His
brother is going to bust out of prison". Nor does it need to be a prison to
get "bust out of".

Also, when someone "is busting X's balls", I don't think he's either
breaking or bursting the aforementioned "balls"--not even squeezing them.
Sure, it's figurative, but what literal meaning is it attached to? And does
it deserve a separate sub-entry. It gets worse when someone "is busting X's
chops".

And I am not even going to get into all the gym senses of "bust" and
"busted".

Back to "block".

Block letter, capital, print, printing is also very limited--in fact,
limited to literal meaning of being printed with a block and an alternate of
sans-serif type that's printed or written. But the main use of "block
letters, caps, print, type", etc., today--at least, in the US--is to
hand-print something in capital letters (although this is is hardly a
requirement, just like being sans-serif) for legibility. This sense
certainly does not come across from reading the definitions under "block".

"Down the block", which is a derivative--if idiomatic--expression from the
one Joel identifies appears in two citations, neither one under "down" or
"block". This seems to be a serious omission. Note that the last citation
under 14.b. gives "cruised around the block". What about metaphorical "been
around the block"? Furthermore, when someone say, "You drive seven blocks,
then look for ...", does this not mean "pass seven streets" before looking?
Or does it literally refer to seven city blocks that you have to "pass"?

There is a "football" use of "block" in 19.f., but not basketball (although
the two are similar, the effect is different--in football, both American and
soccer/association, this is something you want to do; in basketball, it's a
foul; both are derived from the verb; not sure about hockey). Speaking of
American football--do blocking dummies deserve an entry? It's not an obvious
construct.

I strongly suspect 19.d. gets the derivation wrong. It's not derived from
the verb "block" or from "blocking up". "Nerve block" is short for
"blockade", but it's listed under "Senses from BLOCK v.". This is completely
different. I would venture to say that this use of "block" as a verb was in
fact back-derived. Furthermore, you still hear "blockade" as a verb in
medical jargon (sorry, my father is an anesthesiologist--I hear too much of
this). It's not going to be obvious without going to early medical
literature on nerve-blocking, but I am pretty confident that I am right.

VS-)

On Fri, Apr 29, 2011 at 12:20 AM, Wilson Gray <hwgray at gmail.com> wrote:

>
> "The bombs called 'blockbusters' were given that name because one of
> them was powerful enough to destroy an entire block"
>
> wherein _block_ easily meets the definition:
>
> "A compact or connected mass of houses or buildings, with no
> intervening spaces; (esp. in U.S. and Canada) the
> quadrangular mass of buildings included between four streets, or two
> 'avenues' and two streets at right angles to them"
>
> to a greater degree than does the _block_ in Joel's example.
>
> FWIW, IMO, Joel is correct WRT the need for additional definition. In
> Joel's example, _two blocks_ can be represented simply by two lines
> joined so as to form an angle of any kind or even by two lines joined
> so as to form a straight line and not only so as to express a right
> angle. That's not possible, if we're restricted to the OED definition.
>
>
> --
> -Wilson

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