blooding

American

[bluhd-ing] / ˈblʌd ɪŋ /

noun

Chiefly British.

(in fox hunting) an informal initiation ceremony in which the face of a novice is smeared with the blood of the first fox that person has seen killed.

Etymology

Origin of blooding

First recorded in 1590–1600; blood + -ing ¹

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Seen by many as an inconvenience in an already congested calendar, the EFL Cup remains essential when it comes to blooding emerging Premier League talent.

From BBC • Sep. 25, 2024

The north London club have retained their core of international players, while blooding youngsters last season and allowing others to gain experience from loan spells.

From BBC • Sep. 16, 2021

In the meantime, Dave Sarachan has been operating as interim head coach and dutifully going about blooding a series of young players in some tough friendlies.

From The Guardian • Sep. 11, 2018

Southgate offered a nod, too, to the much-criticised Roy Hodgson for blooding so many younger players during his tenure in charge.

From The Guardian • Jul. 7, 2018

"They are blooding him again," he said; and then—"What are you doing here?"

From Oddsfish! by Benson, Robert Hugh

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023