point-blank en · ADJ
Pronunciation
- (US) audio
Etymology
From French point blanc (“white point”), originally referring to the white spot to be aimed at on a target (see blank's "bull's eye") or alternatively into empty space being fired horizontally.
Meanings
- (not-comparable, qualifier:forensics) Very close; not touching but not more than a few metres (yards).
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(not-comparable) The distance between a firearm and a target where a projectile in flight is expected to strike the centre of the target without adjusting the elevation of the firearm.
Now, here's a useful tool—.470, telescopic sight, double ejector, point-blank up to three-fifty. That's the rifle I used against the Peruvian slave-drivers three years ago.
1912, Arthur Conan Doyle, “‘I was the Flail of the Lord’”, in The Lost World […], London; New York, N.Y.: Hodder and Stoughton, →OCLC:Heavily armed militants launched a series of coordinated attacks in rural Assam on Tuesday, pulling villagers from their homes and shooting them at point-blank range, witnesses said.
2014 December 24, “Assam rebels kill scores on night of brutal attacks in Indian state”, in Alan Rusbridger, editor, The Guardian, London: Guardian News & Media, →ISSN, →OCLC:Fifteen of those people had died of natural causes, the rest from gunshot wounds, including point-blank shots, or from shrapnel.
2022 April 3, Carlotta Gall, Andrew E. Kramer, “In a Kyiv suburb,‘they shot everyone they saw’”, in The New York Times, New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC:
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(not-comparable) Disconcertingly straightforward or blunt; outright.
Yes, but surliness might have provoked a point-blank question.
1910 August-September, Joseph Conrad, chapter II, in The Secret Sharer, Harper's Magazine:a point-blank assertion
In recent years, the attitude of the railway authorities towards large-scale visits to works and sheds on the whole, has, happily, veered round from suspicion, and even point-blank opposition, to one of co-operation and ready welcome.
1951 April, R. S. McNaught, “Railway Enthusiasts”, in Railway Magazine, number 600, page 269:At this point-blank denial, Stephen turned his face away decisively, and preserved an ominous silence; […]
1872 September – 1873 July, Thomas Hardy, “‘VII’”, in A Pair of Blue Eyes. […], volume (please specify |volume=I to III), London: Tinsley Brothers, […], published 1873, →OCLC:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| pointblank | alternative | lexicographic | |
| point blank | alternative | lexicographic |
Translations (25)
fi lähietäisyydeltä (so close that a weapon may be aimed directly at its target) · sv på nära håll (so close that a weapon may be aimed directly at its target) · ca a boca de canó (so close that a weapon may be aimed directly at its target) · sv rättfram (disconcertingly straightforward or blunt) · gl a boca de cano (so close that a weapon may be aimed directly at its target) · ca a frec de roba (so close that a weapon may be aimed directly at its target) · sv direkt (disconcertingly straightforward or blunt) · cmn 斷然 /断然 (disconcertingly straightforward or blunt) · ru в упо́р (so close that a weapon may be aimed directly at its target) · fr à bout portant (so close that a weapon may be aimed directly at its target) · it a bruciapelo (disconcertingly straightforward or blunt) · es a quemarropa (so close that a weapon may be aimed directly at its target) · ru напряму́ю (disconcertingly straightforward or blunt) · cmn 近距離 /近距离 (so close that a weapon may be aimed directly at its target) · cmn 直截了當 /直截了当 (disconcertingly straightforward or blunt) · it a bruciapelo (so close that a weapon may be aimed directly at its target) · pl bezpośredni (so close that a weapon may be aimed directly at its target) · es a bocajarro (so close that a weapon may be aimed directly at its target) · pt a queima-roupa (so close that a weapon may be aimed directly at its target) · cmn 抵近 (so close that a weapon may be aimed directly at its target) · fr à brûle-pourpoint (disconcertingly straightforward or blunt) · pl bezpośredni (disconcertingly straightforward or blunt) · fr de but en blanc (so close that a weapon may be aimed directly at its target) · cmn 乾脆 /干脆 (disconcertingly straightforward or blunt) · ru напрями́к (disconcertingly straightforward or blunt)