Part 679

Cowering low with blandishment. Milton.

Attacked by royal smiles, by female blandishments. Macaulay.

Bland"ly (&?;), adv. In a bland manner; mildly; suavely.

Bland"ness, n. The state or quality of being bland.

Blank (&?;), a. [OE. blank, blonc, blaunc, blaunche, fr. F. blanc, fem. blanche, fr. OHG. blanch shining, bright, white, G. blank; akin to E. blink, cf. also AS. blanc white. &?;98. See Blink, and cf. 1st Blanch.]

1. Of a white or pale color; without color.

To the blank moon Her office they prescribed. Milton.

2. Free from writing, printing, or marks; having an empty space to be filled in with some special writing; -- said of checks, official documents, etc.; as, blank paper; a blank check; a blank ballot.

3. Utterly confounded or discomfited.

Adam . . . astonied stood, and blank. Milton.

4. Empty; void; without result; fruitless; as, a blank space; a blank day.

5. Lacking characteristics which give variety; as, a blank desert; a blank wall; destitute of interests, affections, hopes, etc.; as, to live a blank existence; destitute of sensations; as, blank unconsciousness.

6. Lacking animation and intelligence, or their associated characteristics, as expression of face, look, etc.; expressionless; vacant. "Blank and horror-stricken faces." C. Kingsley.

The blank . . . glance of a half returned consciousness. G. Eliot.

7. Absolute; downright; unmixed; as, blank terror.

Blank bar (Law), a plea put in to oblige the plaintiff in an action of trespass to assign the certain place where the trespass was committed; -- called also common bar. -- Blank cartridge, a cartridge containing no ball. -- Blank deed. See Deed. -- Blank door, or Blank window (Arch.), a depression in a wall of the size of a door or window, either for symmetrical effect, or for the more convenient insertion of a door or window at a future time, should it be needed. -- Blank indorsement (Law), an indorsement which omits the name of the person in whose favor it is made; it is usually made by simply writing the name of the indorser on the back of the bill. -- Blank line (Print.), a vacant space of the breadth of a line, on a printed page; a line of quadrats. -- Blank tire (Mech.), a tire without a flange. -- Blank tooling. See Blind tooling, under Blind. -- Blank verse. See under Verse. -- Blank wall, a wall in which there is no opening; a dead wall.

Blank (&?;), n. 1. Any void space; a void space on paper, or in any written instrument; an interval void of consciousness, action, result, etc; a void.

I can not write a paper full, I used to do; and yet I will not forgive a blank of half an inch from you. Swift.

From this time there ensues a long blank in the history of French legislation. Hallam.

I was ill. I can't tell how long -- it was a blank. G. Eliot.

2. A lot by which nothing is gained; a ticket in a lottery on which no prize is indicated.

In Fortune's lottery lies A heap of blanks, like this, for one small prize. Dryden.

3. A paper unwritten; a paper without marks or characters a blank ballot; -- especially, a paper on which are to be inserted designated items of information, for which spaces are left vacant; a bland form.

The freemen signified their approbation by an inscribed vote, and their dissent by a blank. Palfrey.

4. A paper containing the substance of a legal instrument, as a deed, release, writ, or execution, with spaces left to be filled with names, date, descriptions, etc.

5. The point aimed at in a target, marked with a white spot; hence, the object to which anything is directed.

Let me still remain The true blank of thine eye. Shak.

6. Aim; shot; range. [Obs.]