blue-pencil

[ bloo-pen-suh l ]

/ ˈbluˈpɛn səl /

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verb (used with object), blue-pen·ciled, blue-pen·cil·ing or (especially British) blue-pen·cilled, blue-pen·cil·ling.

to alter, abridge, or cancel with or as with a pencil that has blue lead, as in editing a manuscript.

Nearby words

blue-green algae, blue-headed vireo, blue-jeaned, blue-leg, blue-on-blue, blue-pencil, blue-red, blue-ribbon, blue-ribbon jury, blue-ringed octopus, blue-rinse

Origin of blue-pencil

First recorded in 1885–90

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

British Dictionary definitions for blue pencil

blue pencil

noun

deletion, alteration, or censorship of the contents of a book or other work

verb blue-pencil -cils, -cilling or -cilled or US -cils, -ciling or -ciled

(tr) to alter or delete parts of (a book, film, etc), esp to censor

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012