Blat

//blæt// noun, verb

noun, verb ·Moderate ·High school level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    The Soviet system of connections and social relationships; one's social or business network (in Russian or Soviet society). uncountable

    "To open a new business in Russia you need blat."

  2. 2
    Initialism of bacon, lettuce, avocado and tomato: a sandwich made with these main ingredients. abbreviation, alt-of, initialism
Verb
  1. 1
    To cry, as a calf or sheep; bleat. intransitive
  2. 2
    cry plaintively wordnet
  3. 3
    To make a senseless noise. intransitive

    "A moment later the engine roared into life. Exhaust blatted through the straight-pipes; people stopped on the street to look."

  4. 4
    To talk inconsiderately; blab.
  5. 5
    To produce an overrich or overblown sound on a brass instrument such as a trumpet, trombone, or tuba.
Show 1 more definition
  1. 6
    To utter loudly or foolishly; blurt. transitive

Example

More examples

"Trombones: it may be fun to go wild, but try not to blat the notes."

Etymology

Etymology 1

Imitative. First attested in 1846 in the intransitive sense of "bleat". Compare English bleat, Old English blǣtan (“to bleat”).

Etymology 2

Borrowed from Russian блат (blat), from Polish blat (“cover, umbrella”) or Yiddish בלאַט (blat, “leaf, list”). Doublet of blade.

Related phrases

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.