Copyright © Philip M. Parker, INSEAD. Terms of Use.
"BLOCKS" is a plural of: block. |
Date "BLOCKS" was first used in popular English literature: sometime before 1593. (references) |
| Domain | Definition |
Metallurgy | Electrolytic iron produced in any form and broken into pieces and imported as such. Source: European Union. (references) |
Building & Civil Engineering | Obstructions set in the path of high velocity water, such as piers, on the apron of an overflow dam, weir or drop, to dissipate energy, prevent scour downstream and also to control the position of hydraulic jump. Source: European Union. (references) |
Geological | Tephra is the general term now used by volcanologists for airborne volcanic ejecta of any size. Historically, however, various terms have been used to describe ejecta of different sizes. ... Fragments larger than about 2.5 inches are called blocks if they were ejected in a solid state and volcanic bombs if ejected in semi-solid, or plastic, condition. (Tilling, Heliker, and Wright, 1987) * Fragments of lava or rock larger than 64 millimeters in size that are blasted into the air by volcanic explosions. (Miller, 1989)* See: Tephra. (references) |
Statistics | Matching, also known as pairing(with two samples)and blocking(with multiple samples)involves matching up individuals in the samples so as to minimize their dissimilarity except in the factor(s)under study. For example, in pre-test/post-test studies, each subject is paired(matched)with himself, so that the difference between the pre-test and post-test responses can be attributed to the change caused by taking the test, and not to differences between the individuals taking the test. A study involving animals might be blocked by matching up animals from the same litter or from the same cage. The goal is to minimize the variation within the pairs or blocks while maximizing the variation between them. This will minimize variation between subjects that is not attributable to the factors under study by attributing it to the blocking factor. The matched items in a pair or in a block are related by their membership in that pair or block. Other methods for controlling for variation between subjects for variables that are not of direct interest are stratification and the use of covariates. Source: European Union. (references) |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)
In telecommunication, the term block has the following meanings:1. A group of bits or digits that is transmitted as a unit and that may be encoded for error-control purposes.
2. A string of records, words, or characters, that for technical or logical purposes are treated as a unit.
Note 1: Blocks (a) are separated by interblock gaps, (b) are delimited by an end-of-block signal, and (c) may contain one or more records.
Note 2: A block is usually subjected to some type of block processing, such as multidimensional parity checking, associated with it.
3. In programming languages, a subdivision of a program that serves to group related statements, delimit routines, specify storage allocation, delineate the applicability of labels, or segment parts of the program for other purposes.
Source: from Federal Standard 1037C and from MIL-STD-188
In the construction (building) industry, a block is a shaped piece of masonry.
In philately, a block is an attached group of postage stamps; see block (philately).
Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Block."
| Context | Synonyms within Context (source: adapted from Roget's Thesaurus). |
Misuse | Cut blocks with a razor, employ a steam engine to crack a nut; catch at a straw. |
Reasoning, | Cut blocks with a razor, beat about the bush, play fast and loose, play fast and loose with the facts, blow hot and cold, prove that black is white and white black, travel out of the record, parler a tort et a travers, put oneself out of court, not have a leg to stand on. |
Refrigerator | Freezing mixture, ice, ice cubes, blocks of ice, chipped ice; liquid nitrogen, dry ice, dry ice-acetone, liquid helium. |
Unskillfulness | Cut blocks with a razor; (useless); fight with a shadow, grasp at a shadow; catch at straws, lean on a broken reed, reckon without one's host, pursue a wild goose chase; go on a fool's goose chase, sleeveless errand; go further and fare worse; lose one's way, miss one's way; fail. |
Waste | Waste its sweetness on the desert air ; cast one's bread upon the waters, cast pearls before swine; employ a steam engine to crack a nut, waste powder and shot, break a butterfly on a wheel; labor in vain; (useless); cut blocks with a razor, pour water into a sieve. |
| Source: adapted from Roget's Thesaurus. | |
| Domain | Usage | |
Screenplays | Own three blocks downtown (Sunset Blvd.; writing credit: Charles Brackett) 'Course I doubt they'll toss up any road blocks for that, not for an old crook like me. I find I'm so excited I can barely sit still or hold a thought in my head (The Shawshank Redemption; writing credit: Frank Darabont) In two minutes primary charges will blow base charges and a few square blocks will be reduced to smoldering rubble (Fight Club; writing credit: Jim Uhls) He now says that the house is a couple of blocks to his left, but he's scared if he gets any closer he'll be shot (Black Hawk Down; writing credit: Ken Nolan) That's like two blocks away (The Simpsons; writing credit: Artur Brauner; Paul Hengge) | |
Lyrics | 'Cuz he hates him so bad that he blocks him out (Sing For The Moment; performing artist: EMINEM) Keep hittin, and shift blocks for that cali dough (Can't Deny It; performing artist: Fabolous) I see you fake bitches for blocks, I never snooze (Take Your Time; performing artist: HOT) We off the blocks this year (Jenny From The Block; performing artist: Jennifer Lopez) Thugged out blocks playing thugged out games (Southern Hospitality; performing artist: Ludacris) | |
Clever | Challenges can be stepping stones or stumbling blocks. It's just a matter of how you view them. (references; author: unknown) | |
Movie/TV Titles | Ten Blocks on the Camino Real (1966) Twelve City Blocks (2002) 3 1/2 Blocks from Home (1992) Rollover and Cell Blocks (1988) Eighty Blocks from Tiffany's (1979) | |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | ||
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Theater & Movies |
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High Tech |
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Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |||
| Thumbnail | Description & Credit | Thumbnail | Description & Credit |
 | Pharmacist is preparing cd4, which is a new treatment for AIDS and ARC (AIDS-related complex). cd4 is administered intravenously by a syringe pump, in the foreground, which is programmed to infuse cd4 over a 24-hour period. cd4 acts like a decoy and blocks the cd4 receptors on the t4 cell, thus preventing the HIV virus from infecting the cell. Credit: Bill Branson (photographer). |  | AZT in bottles is used intravenously in treating patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, AIDS. Azidothymidine is an antiviral drug which floods the cell with false DNA building blocks so that the virus cannot make copies of itself. When this happens, viral infection and replication is stopped. Credit: Bill Branson (photographer). |
 | A very small, faint galaxy -- possibly one of the long sought "building blocks" of present-day ... Credit: NASA. |  | Once a vast carpet of healthy vegetation, the Amazon rain forest is changing rapidly. This image of Bolivia shows dramatic deforestation in the Amazon Basin. Loggers have cut long paths into the forest, while ranchers have cleared large blocks for their herds. Fanning out from these clear-cut areas are settlements built in radial arrangements of fields and farms. Healthy vegetation appears bright red in this image. Credit: NASA. |
 | Small Chesapeake Bay waterman's boat on the blocks for maintenance. Credit: Fisheries. |  | Menhaden fishing - beginning to haul in the purse seine with the power blocks. Credit: Fisheries. |
 | Oculina varicosa restoration structure comprised of cement blocks and PVC piping. Credit: NOAA Restoration Center. |  | A Manta Ray blocks out the sun. Credit: Sanctuaries. |
 | Galapagos sea lions - Zalophus californianus wollebacki - lounging on basalt blocks along a volcanic rock shoreline. Credit: Small World. |  | District Conservationist Edward Romero demonstrates the use of a moisture meter as an aid in scheduling irrigations for grapes The system is based on gypsum blocks placed in the soil profile to monitor moisture content. Arriba County, New Mexico. Credit: Jeff Vanuga. |
Source: pictures compiled by the editor from various references; see picture credits. | |||
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| "Colored mounting blocks 2" by Carlos Gustavo Curado Commentary: "Lego-like kids' mounting blocks. Very colorful!." | "London blocks" by Philip Jackson Commentary: "A photo of some crescent place in london. I thought the contrast between the more elegantly aged buildings curved round the place and the slightly more brutal buildings behind. That and the curve of the bunilding makes and obvious line of sight upto the t" |
Source: photographs selected by the editor, with permission from the photographers. | |
| Author | Quotation |
Alexander Pope | To endeavor to work upon the vulgar with fine sense is like attempting to hew blocks with a razor. |
Bill Hicks | I'll tell you, too, that's starting to depress me about UFO's, about the fact that they cross galaxies, or wherever they come from to visit us, and always end up in places like Fife, Alabama. Maybe these are not super-intelligent beings, man. Maybe they're like hillbilly aliens. Some intergalactic Joad family or something. "Don't you all want to land in New York, or L.A.?" "Nah, we just had a long trip, we gonna kick back and whittle some." Oh, my God, they're idiots. "We're gonna enter our mothership in the tractor pull!" My God, we're being invaded by rednecks. My biggest fear. Last thing I want to see is a flying saucer up on blocks in front of some trailer, you know? Wouldn't that be depressing? Some bumper sticker on it - "They'll get my ray gun when they pry my cold, dead, eighteen-fingered hand off of it." |
Elizabeth Cady Stanton | The Bible and the Church have been the greatest stumbling blocks in the way of women's emancipation. |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | |
| Title | Author | Quote |
Les Miserables | Hugo, Victor | They were enormous, sluggish gaps of stone, sometimes surrounded by stone blocks, with monumental effrontery |
King Richard III | Shakespeare, William | What, tongueless blocks were they |
Grapes of Wrath | Steinbeck, John | The preacher took up the blocks of pork and patted on the salt while she watched him. |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | ||
| Subject | Topic | Quote |
Health | One genetic defect blocks activation of B cells and T cells. (references) | |
Some stumbling blocks were administrative, others financial. (references) | ||
Paraffin blocks are preferred, particularly if death was not recent. (references) | ||
Business | One of the major stumbling blocks to attempted franchises has been the inability of master franchisees to come up with cash payments for the franchise. (references) | |
OKIOC plans to explore and develop 10 out of 200 blocks of Kazakhstan’s Caspian Sea shelf, which hold an estimated 4 billion tons of hydrocarbon reserves. (references) | ||
Encapsulation - systems are now available which use containers of inert resin when activated by the addition of hardeners encapsulate the waste into solid blocks. (references) | ||
Civil Liberties | United Arab Emirates | The monopoly also blocks commercial "voice-chat" sites on the Internet. (references) |
Syria | The Government also periodically blocks access to servers that provide free e-mail services. (references) | |
Oman | However, it blocks certain Web sites that it considers pornographic or politically sensitive. (references) | |
Economic History | Bahrain | Bureaucratic procedures can create stumbling blocks. (references) |
India | This is the first time India is inviting bids for CBM blocks. (references) | |
Cote D'ivoire | Additional blocks in shallower water remain open with prospects. (references) | |
Human Rights | United Arab Emirates | Only some blocks of the central prisons are air-conditioned during the intense heat and humidity of the summer. (references) |
Bolivia | Cell prices range from $20 to $5,000 (130 to 32,500 bolivianos), paid to prior occupants or to prisoners who control cell blocks. (references) | |
Ukraine | According to official sources, information on the physical state of prison walls and fences, as well as pretrial detention blocks is considered to be a government secret. (references) | |
Minorities | Kenya | Intermarriage between Muslims and Christians, although less frequent, also is socially acceptable, and mosques and Christian churches can be found on the same city blocks. (references) |
Mexico | Approximately 130 children of evangelicals have been denied access to the local public schools in 6 communities since 1994. On April 12, in the community of San Nicolas, Ixmiquilpan municipality, Hidalgo, more than 30 Protestant Evangelical families were threatened by a local official with expulsion by June 18, if they did not contribute money and cement blocks to a community celebration. (references) | |
Political Rights | Yemen | Although the Constitution permits Parliament to initiate legislation, to date it has not done so. Parliament generally is relegated to debating policies that the Government already has submitted, although it increasingly and successfully revises or blocks draft legislation submitted by the Government. (references) |
Trade | Uae | The GCC has been conducting talks with the European Community on the subject of establishing a free trade agreement between the respective blocks for a number of years, but so far with little progress. (references) |
Germany | However, most forms of anti-microbial treatments are prohibited in the EU. The EU's ban on anti-microbial treatments effectively blocks U.S. poultry exports to the EU which were estimated at $50 million in 1996. (references) | |
Travel | Ghana | Off 1st Street in Osu, two blocks in from Ring Road. (references) |
Lexicography | Devil's Dictionary | SMITHAREEN, n. A fragment, a decomponent part, a remain. The word is used variously, but in the following verse on a noted female reformer who opposed bicycle-riding by women because it "led them to the devil" it is seen at its best: The wheels go round without a sound -- The maidens hold high revel; In sinful mood, insanely gay, True spinsters spin adown the way From duty to the devil! They laugh, they sing, and -- ting-a-ling! Their bells go all the morning; Their lanterns bright bestar the night Pedestrians a-warning. With lifted hands Miss Charlotte stands, Good-Lording and O-mying, Her rheumatism forgotten quite, Her fat with anger frying. She blocks the path that leads to wrath, Jack Satan's power defying. The wheels go round without a sound The lights burn red and blue and green. What's this that's found upon the ground? Poor Charlotte Smith's a smithareen! John William Yope |
Source: compiled by the editor from ICON Group International, Inc.; see credits. | ||
| Speaker | Phrase(s) |
Dennis Miller | If there's anyway I can have an identical carcass up on blocks out in the backyard that I can pilfer spare parts from as needed, sign me up. |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
| Speaker | Term | Phrase(s) |
Ronald Reagan | 1981-1989 | I looked over a couple of blocks, and there was the Internal Revenue Service--bigger than I ever remembered it. |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | ||
| "BLOCKS" is generally used as a noun (plural) -- approximately 97.76% of the time. "BLOCKS" is used about 2,004 times out of a sample of 100 million words spoken or written in English. Its rank is based on over 700,000 words used in the English language. Some parts-of-speech are not covered due to the samples used by the British National Corpus. (note: percents less than one-hundredth of one percent have been omitted) |
| Parts of Speech | Percent | Usage per 100 Million Words | Rank in English |
| Noun (plural) | 97.76% | 1,959 | 4,388 |
| Lexical Verb (-s form) | 2.24% | 45 | 50,900 |
| Total | 100.00% | 2,004 | N/A |
Source: compiled by the editor from several corpora; see credits.
Expressions using "BLOCKS": array of blocks ♦ Back blocks ♦ bee blocks ♦ brake blocks ♦ control blocks ♦ cut blocks with a razor ♦ Erratic blocks ♦ floor blocks ♦ friction blocks ♦ in blocks ♦ linked blocks ♦ span blocks ♦ triangular singly or doubly linked blocks. Additional references. | |
| Hyphenated Usage | |
Beginning with "BLOCKS": blocks-away disinsection, blocks-southeast. | |
Ending with "BLOCKS": breeze-blocks, building-blocks, road-blocks, tower-blocks. | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
| Language | Translations for "BLOCKS"; alternative meanings/domain in parentheses. | |
Albanian | blloqe. (various references) | |
Chinese | 座兒 (seat for sitting, the base or lowest blocks of a structure; pedestal). (various references) | |
Danish | blokke, modstandselementer (baffle piers, control blocks, floor blocks, friction blocks). (various references) | |
Dutch | blokken (swot), onregelmatige brokken (lumps). (various references) | |
Esperanto | stratblokojn (street blocks). (various references) | |
Finnish | betonimonoliitti (baffle piers, control blocks, floor blocks, friction blocks), betonilohko (baffle piers, control blocks, floor blocks, friction blocks), lohko (lobe, section, sector), korttelia, este (check, fence, hindrance, hurdle, impediment, obstacle, obstruction, restraint). (various references) | |
French | bloque, bloc de dissipation d'énergie (control blocks, floor blocks, friction blocks), masses. (various references) | |
German | Blöcke (blocs). (various references) | |
Greek | μάζες (lumps), ογκόλιθοι διασκορπισμού ενεργείας (baffle piers, control blocks, floor blocks, friction blocks). (various references) | |
Hungarian | építőkockák (building blocks). (various references) | |
Italian | blocchi di dissipazione (baffle piers, control blocks, floor blocks, friction blocks), blocchi, masse (crowd, masses). (various references) | |
Japanese Kanji | 積木 (building blocks). (various references) | |
Japanese Katakana | つみき (brick, building block, building blocks). (various references) | |
Manx | kip (trunks, whip), blick. (various references) | |
Norwegian | kvartaler. (various references) | |
Pig Latin | ocksblay.(various references) | |
Portuguese | blocos de dissipação de energia (baffle piers, control blocks, floor blocks, friction blocks), blocos (lumps). (various references) | |
Romanian | bolovãniş, strãzi. (various references) | |
Slovene | bloka. (various references) | |
Spanish | bloques (logs), masas (hoi polloi, masses), manzanas (apples). (various references) | |
Swedish | energiomvandlarfundament (baffle piers, control blocks, floor blocks, friction blocks). (various references) | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various translation references. | ||
Derivations | |
Words ending with "BLOCKS": backblocks, breechblocks, cellblocks, cinderblocks, roadblocks, subblocks, sunblocks, superblocks, unblocks, woodblocks. (additional references) | |
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"BLOCKS" is suggested in spellcheckers for the following: ballocks, Bilocca, bloch, blocke, blockx, blork, blox, Bockos, bolcek, bulocks, glocks. (additional references) | |
| Source: compiled by the editor, based on several corpora (additional references). | |
| # of Phoneme Matches | Pronunciation | Word(s) rhyming with "BLOCKS" (pronounced blÄ"ks) |
| 5 | b l Ä" k s | blocs. |
| 4 | -l Ä" k s | clocks, flocks, locks, Lox. |
| 3 | -Ä" k s | box, Cox, docks, Fox, frocks, Jocks, knocks, macaques, mocks, outfox, ox, pocks, pox, rocks, shocks, socks, sox, stocks, vox. |
Source: compiled by the editor (additional references); see credits. | ||
Scrabble® Enable2K-Verified Anagrams | |
| Words within the letters "b-c-k-l-o-s" | |
-1 letter: block, blocs, bocks, locks. | |
-2 letters: bloc, bock, bosk, cobs, cols, kobs, lobs, lock, slob, sock. | |
-3 letters: bos, cob, col, cos, kob, kos, lob, sob, sol. | |
-4 letters: bo, lo, os, so. | |
| Words containing the letters "b-c-k-l-o-s" | |
+2 letters: backlogs, becloaks, blockers, blockish, bollocks, bullocks, lobstick, slotback, subblock, sunblock, unblocks. | |
+3 letters: backflows, blackboys, blackouts, blacktops, blockades, blockages, blockiest, blowbacks, bootlicks, cockbills, holdbacks, lobsticks, lockboxes, nonblacks, plowbacks, rollbacks, shockable, shoeblack, slotbacks, subblocks, sunblocks. | |
+4 letters: backblocks, backcloths, belowdecks, billycocks, blackcocks, blackpolls, blackwoods, blockaders, blockheads, blockhouse, bloodstock, bootblacks, cellblocks, cockleburs, goldbricks, roadblocks, schoolbook, shoeblacks, superblock, woodblocks. | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. SCRABBLE® is a registered trademark. All intellectual property rights in and to the game are owned in the U.S.A and Canada by Hasbro Inc., and throughout the rest of the world by J.W. Spear & Sons Limited of Maidenhead, Berkshire, England, a subsidiary of Mattel Inc. Mattel and Spear are not affiliated with Hasbro. | |
| 1. Definition 2. Crosswords 3. Usage: Modern 4. Usage: Commercial | 5. Images: Slideshow 6. Images: Photo Album 7. Images: Digital Art 8. Quotations: Familiar | 9. Quotations: Fiction 10. Quotations: Non-fiction 11. Quotations: Spoken 12. Quotations: Speeches | 13. Usage Frequency 14. Expressions 15. Translations: Modern 16. Derivations | 17. Rhymes 18. Anagrams 19. Bibliography |
Copyright © Philip M. Parker, INSEAD. Terms of Use.
