blah
blah — adjective
1. describing a thing — a film, party, meal, or piece of writing — as flat and ordi
describing a thing — a film, party, meal, or piece of writing — as flat and ordinary, with nothing about it that grabs your attention or makes it stand out.
Rashida said the new pizza place was just blah and not worth a second visit.
predicative use after linking verb 'be'
The hotel room felt blah, with grey walls and a single sad painting above the bed.
describing a place or atmosphere
Citlali found the museum tour completely blah after the first ten minutes.
Her birthday cake looked beautiful but tasted blah, like dry bread with sugar.
The school play was a bit blah this year compared with last summer's show.
- boring
neutral and far more common than 'blah'
- dull
stronger and slightly more formal
- uninspiring
more formal; suggests a missed chance to be exciting
用法筆記
Predicative position is by far the most common — speakers say 'it was blah' more often than 'a blah film'. Almost always carries a mildly negative judgement; never a compliment.
常見錯誤
2. of a person — feeling slightly low and tired, with no spark to do anything, even
of a person — feeling slightly low and tired, with no spark to do anything, even though nothing is really wrong.
Tova has been feeling blah all week and just wants to stay in bed.
collocation: feel + blah for low mood
After her long flight from Tokyo, Kenji woke up blah and skipped his morning run.
Marcus feels a bit blah today and is hoping a walk by the lake will help.
The cold rainy weather always makes Grandma a little blah by Sunday evening.
Lina has been blah for two days, dragging herself around the kitchen in slippers and an old hoodie.
用法筆記
Distinguish from sense 1: this sense describes how a PERSON feels, not how something is. Almost always paired with 'feel' or 'be' plus a human subject.
常見錯誤
blah — noun
1. long-winded talk or writing that takes many words to say almost nothing — used t
long-winded talk or writing that takes many words to say almost nothing — used to mock a speaker who is trying to sound clever, official, or important.
The minister's speech was thirty minutes of blah about teamwork and bright futures.
structure: X minutes/pages of blah
Fadi skipped most of the report because it was full of corporate blah.
collocation: corporate / political blah
Cut the blah, Rashida, and tell us what really happened at the meeting.
The article was just marketing blah dressed up with fancy charts and big numbers.
Uncle Petros's new book is two hundred pages of philosophical blah about happiness and clouds.
- substance
the real, meaningful content that 'blah' is missing
用法筆記
Uncountable — never 'a blah' or 'blahs' in this sense. Usually preceded by an adjective that names the source of the empty talk: corporate, political, marketing, philosophical.
常見錯誤
2. a sound (almost always repeated three times: 'blah, blah, blah') used at the end
a sound (almost always repeated three times: 'blah, blah, blah') used at the end of a list or quoted speech to stand in for words the speaker cannot remember, or finds too long, dull, or obvious to spell out.
My boss started with the usual 'team spirit, hard work, blah, blah, blah' speech again.
fixed pattern: blah, blah, blah after a list
Citlali texted: 'Mom called about dinner, the dog, the laundry, blah, blah, blah.'
after a short list of items
The rental contract said no smoking, no loud parties after ten, no pets, blah, blah, blah.
Rashida rolled his eyes and said, 'She told me to study harder, blah, blah, blah.'
The email had the usual greeting, a long apology, blah, blah, blah, and then the bill.
文法句型
blah, blah, blah
用法筆記
Almost always tripled — 'blah, blah, blah' — and placed at the end of a list or quoted sentence. A single 'blah' is rare in this sense and may sound incomplete.
常見錯誤
3. a mild, lasting feeling of being tired and slightly down, often shown as 'the bl
a mild, lasting feeling of being tired and slightly down, often shown as 'the blahs' — nothing serious, just a flat patch when life feels grey.
Tova had a bad case of the blahs after his summer holiday ended.
fixed pattern: a case of the blahs
Grandma says the long winter always gives her the blahs by February.
collocation: give someone the blahs
When Marcus gets the blahs, he walks along the river with a hot coffee in hand.
Kenji woke up with the blahs and called his sister for a chat.
Sunday-night blahs hit Fadi every week before the long Monday meetings.
- the doldrums
stronger; suggests a longer, deeper flat period
- a slump
broader; can be about work or sport, not just mood
- the blues
sadder; closer to mild depression than mere flatness
- a buzz
a bright happy feeling; opposite of low and flat
文法句型
the blahs
用法筆記
Mostly American English. Almost always used with the definite article in the plural-looking form 'the blahs'; the noun version of adjective sense 2. Distinguish from noun sense 1 (empty talk), which is never about feelings.
常見錯誤
blah — verb
1. to keep talking and talking with very little real content — used when the speake
to keep talking and talking with very little real content — used when the speaker finds the talker boring or full of themselves.
Uncle Bob blahed on about his old fishing trips while the kids quietly fell asleep.
pattern: blah on about + topic
The host kept blahing for ten minutes before finally introducing the first guest.
with duration phrase 'for X minutes'
Stop blahing, Rashida, and just answer the question with a yes or no.
I had to sit through two hours of Nadia blahing about her new car and its leather seats.
- get to the point
the speaker stops drifting and says the key thing
文法句型
blah on (about something)
用法筆記
Rare compared with the noun forms; mostly British and almost always with 'on' to stress the boring length. Carries clear disapproval — never a neutral way to say 'speak'.