blow-by-blow
adjective
precisely detailed; describing every minute detail and step.
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blow-by-blow
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blow by blow
blow by blowDescribed in minute detail, as in Tell me about last night's party, blow by blow. This term originated in radio broadcasts during the 1930s, in which the sportscaster gave a detailed account of each punch struck in a boxing match. It soon was transferred to a detailed account of anything at all.
blow-by-blow
American
[bloh-bahy-bloh]
/ ˈbloʊˌbaɪˈbloʊ /
adjective
noun
blow-by-blow
British
adjective
blow by blow
Idioms
Etymology
Origin of blow-by-blow
An Americanism dating back to 1930–35
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.
See Examples For:
“Smile” seems like kids’ stuff next to the excruciating blow-by-blow of “West End Girl,” which was recorded speedily last December.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 2025
If you’re into following the blow-by-blow process of how science works, perhaps hearing researchers get excited about their work is interesting.
From Slate ● Sep. 18, 2024
The New York Times, which first reported on the upside-down flag, published a blow-by-blow account of the neighbourhood dispute on Tuesday.
From BBC ● May 29, 2024
It was painstaking, and sometimes dull, and included a blow-by-blow account about how checks were approved, then cut, then mailed, then signed, then returned.
From Seattle Times ● May 10, 2024
This was the point of a symphony; it was like an essay, or a detailed, blow-by-blow experiment.
From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall
Do not follow up with the blow by blow you’ve presented here.
From Slate ● Mar. 22, 2020
While many editorial pages supported Nixon almost to the end, front pages all around the country were telling people what was happening, blow by blow.
From Washington Post ● Jun. 7, 2019
But all jokes are funniest when taken apart and explained, so I’ll give you this one blow by blow.
From Salon ● Jan. 8, 2013
The Daily Mirror gives a blow by blow account and says it turned Parliament into the "Wild Westminster".
From BBC ● Feb. 24, 2012
But using her hands as planes, Lilya was able to describe the maneuvering of their aerial dogfight blow by blow, and the German pilot had to admit that this novice fighter had defeated him.
From "A Thousand Sisters" by Elizabeth Wein
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
