taste blood :
blood and guts
violence and bloodshed especially in fiction
blood and iron
military force rather than diplomacy
Blood and iron is a translation of German Blut und Eisen, a phrase particularly associated with a speech made by the German statesman Bismarck (1815-98) in the Prussian House of Deputies in 1886.
blood and thunder
unrestrained and violent action or behaviour especially in sport or fiction
Blood and thunder is often used to describe sensational literature and in the late 19th century gave rise to penny bloods as a term for cheap sensational novels.
blood is thicker than water
family loyalties are stronger than other relationships
blood on the carpet
used to refer in an exaggerated way to a serious disagreement or its aftermath
1984 - Times - The last thing I want now is blood on the boardroom carpet.
blood sweat and tears
extremely hard work
unstinting effort
ln May 1940 Winston Churchill made a speech in the House of Commons in which he declared : I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears, and sweat.
blood will tell
family characteristics cannot be concealed - proverb
first blood
the first point or advantage gained in a contest
First blood is literally the first shedding of blood especially in a boxing match or formerly in duelling with swords.
have blood on your hands
be responsible for the death of someone
in cold blood
without feeling or mercy, ruthlessly
According to medieval physiology blood was naturally hot and so this phrase refers to an unnatural state in which someone can carry out a (hot-blooded) deed of passion or violence without the normal heating of the blood.
in your blood
ingrained in or fundamental to your character
like getting blood out of a stone
extremely difficult and frustrating
A North American variant of this expression is like getting blood out of a turnip.
make your blood boil
infuriate you
make your blood curdle
fill you with horror
make your blood run cold
horrify you
The previous three phrases all come from the medieval physiological scheme of the four humours in the human body (melancholy, phlegm, blood and choler). Under this scheme blood was the hot, moist element, so the effect of horror or fear in making the blood run cold or curdling (solidifying) it was to make it unable to fulfill its proper function of supplying the body with vital heat or energy. The blood boiling was a supposedly dangerous overreaction to strong emotion.
new blood = young blood
new or younger members of a group especially those admitted as an invigorating force
someone's blood is up
someone is in a fighting mood
sweat blood
make an extraordinarily strenuous effort to do something
be extremely anxious
taste blood
achieve an early success that stimulates further efforts.
there is bad blood between
there is longstanding hostility between the parties
2001 - Hugh Collins - No Smoke - There are occasional square-gos sometimes. But there's no bad blood between rival gangs.
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