blown away
phrasal verb

- to be thoroughly impressed, overwhelmed, or excited by something

The Farlex Dictionary

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ORIGIN

Blow derives from the Old English “blawan” to blow (of the wind, bellows, etc.), to breathe, to make an air current, to inflate, to sound (a wind instrument)… from Old High German “blaen” (German blähen).

The song “Blow Your Mind”, released in 1965 (by a group appropriately named The Gas Company), may have contributed to its modern meaning.

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BLOW IDIOMS

The word blow is used in a wide range of other idioms and phrases including:

- blow one’s top = to fly into a rage, lose one’s composure (One of the passengers blew his top when the pilot said take-off would be delayed another hour)

- blow smoke = to speak in a way that conceals the truth (Many politicians just blow smoke)

- blow the whistle = to report someone’s wrongdoing to someone (He was fired for blowing the whistle concerning kickbacks to a foreign client)

- blow off steam = to release emotional tension (Sorry that I yelled, but I just had to blow off some steam)

- blow me down! = an expression of complete surprise (Blow me down! That stranger over there looks exactly like my brother!)

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SYNONYMS

amaze, astonish, astound, bowl over, BLOWN AWAY, dazzle, electrify, excite, impress, knock the socks off, knock dead, leave open-mouthed, light a fire under, sweep over, take breath away, wow

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PRACTICE OWAD in an English conversation, say something like:

“I was BLOWN AWAY by the success of our new campaign!”

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Paul Smith