Definition of: "blast from the past" with explanation and origin
Definition of: blast from the past with explanation and origin? Meaning of blast from the past with examples in English idiom dictionary.
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Definition of: "blast from the past" with explanation and origin
blast from the past
blast from the past
Meaning
- a way to refer to something or someone reminding you of an earlier time.
- something or someone that surprises you because you have almost forgotten about them.
- something from the past that you remember, see, or hear again, reminds you of that time in your life.
Example Sentences
- What a blast from the past! I haven’t heard that song in years.
- This yearbook picture is a blast from the past.
- That nickname is a blast from the past. No one has called me that in years!
- Watching that movie again was a real blast from the past.
Origin
“Blast from the past” is an idiom made popular in the 1960s. Music and radio DJs were beginning to grow in popularity. It’s been said the term was popularized by DJs playing records and songs long forgotten. It’s impossible to identify which DJ coined the term, but it has been a popular phrase ever since its first use.
A DJ explains how a song is a “blast from the past” because it hasn’t been heard by the general audience in a long time. The DJ plays the song, and people immediately smile, cheer, or clap because of the memories the melody provides. The song is normally a popular one from a previous decade, so people may actually know the song. It’s just not heard on the radio anymore because newer songs have replaced them.
The Origins of blast from the past
Past, TimeEnglish
Related Dictionary
- English Definition & Meaning Dictionary
- English Idioms and phrases Dictionary
- Dictionnaire Français
- Dictionnaire d'expressions idiomatiques et de phrases en français
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English Idioms and phrases
An idiom is a common word or phrase with a figurative, non-literal meaning that is understood culturally and differs from what its composite words' denotations would suggest; i.e. the words together have a meaning that is different from the dictionary definitions of the individual words (although some idioms do retain their literal meanings – see the example "kick the bucket" below). By another definition, an idiom is a speech form or an expression of a given language that is peculiar to itself grammatically or cannot be understood from the individual meanings of its elements.[3] For example, an English speaker would understand the phrase "kick the bucket" to mean "to die" – and also to actually kick a bucket. Furthermore, they would understand when each meaning is being used in context.
To evoke the desired effect in the listener, idioms require a precise replication of the phrase: not even articles can be used interchangeably (e.g. "kick a bucket" only retains the literal meaning of the phrase but not the idiomatic meaning).
Idioms should not be confused with other figures of speech such as metaphors, which evoke an image by use of implicit comparisons (e.g., "the man of steel"); similes, which evoke an image by use of explicit comparisons (e.g., "faster than a speeding bullet"); or hyperbole, which exaggerates an image beyond truthfulness (e.g., "more powerful than a locomotive"). Idioms are also not to be confused with proverbs, which are simple sayings that express a truth based on common sense or practical experience.
