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January 13, 2009 7:17 pm
Has anyone else noticed the drift of this word from what I would consider to be the more familiar use, that of helping to describe intense heat, to the opposite -- 'a blistering cold day'.
Can something really be blisteringly cold? Is it catchall modifier for any temperature? I would have thought it wold have to be pegged to heat.
2 Replies
January 14, 2009 2:55 am
"Blistering cold" wouldn't be my first choice either, but it's not a recent invention. Google Books turns up this usage back in 1850. It would be interesting to know if the meaning of "blistering" as "intense or severe" can be traced from "causing blisters".
January 14, 2009 11:41 am
>> Google Books turns up this usage back in 1850.
Wow, I wouldn't have guess that, dilettante. Thanks.
And wytworm, love the picture!