blood and thunder
noun
sensationalism, violence, or exaggerated melodrama.
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blood and thunder
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blood-and-thunder
blood-and-thunderadjectivedenoting or relating to a melodramatic adventure story
blood and thunder
Americannoun
blood-and-thunder
British
adjective
Etymology
Origin of blood and thunder
First recorded in 1855–60
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:
Watching parts of Spence's chat with Ferdinand, you can perhaps make easy assumptions about why a blood and thunder coach like Conte may not immediately take to Spence's more laidback demeanour off the pitch.
From BBC ● May 19, 2025
Mainoo, meanwhile, rose above the blood and thunder with rare composure for one so young.
From BBC ● Feb. 18, 2024
On the other side of the English Channel, the reaction against the French Revolution packed a lot more blood and thunder.
From Salon ● Jul. 1, 2023
If the crowd expected a blood and thunder cup tie though, they were to be disappointed.
From The Guardian ● Jul. 12, 2012
The Manchester Guardian correspondent said that at last the Assembly, formerly a little dull, had taken on all the interest of a blood and thunder melodrama....
From Mystery at Geneva An Improbable Tale of Singular Happenings by Dame Rose Macaulay
England need to balance blood-and-thunder intensity with cunning and co-ordination, otherwise they risk being led into making all-too-familiar errors.
From BBC ● Nov. 16, 2024
It is a testament to Barry’s longevity, adaptability and quality that he has lasted so long in the fast-paced, blood-and-thunder world of English soccer.
From Washington Times ● Sep. 21, 2017
It felt unusual, for example, to see both teams in a blood-and-thunder English cup tie playing with three-man defences.
From The Guardian ● Oct. 26, 2016
At this World Cup, England Coach Roy Hodgson could follow most of his predecessors and deploy the traditional, failed bulldog, blood-and-thunder approach in a creaky old 4-4-2 formation.
From New York Times ● Jun. 15, 2014
He played a blood-and-thunder hymn, and Mrs. Cobb clapped to it.
From "Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy" by Gary D. Schmidt
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.
