What does blattered mean?
Blattered is an informal British word that functions mainly as the past tense and past participle of the verb 'blatter', meaning to strike, pound, or beat something with a heavy, repetitive impact — most often heard in descriptions of weather, where rain or hail is said to have blattered down on a roof or window. The word carries a strongly onomatopoeic quality, its flat, percussive sound echoing the noise of the blows it describes. In modern British slang, 'blattered' has also developed a second, unrelated life as a term for being extremely drunk, sitting alongside similar intensives like 'hammered' and 'plastered'. Because both senses are colloquial, the word belongs to casual speech rather than formal writing. Its similarity in spelling to 'blathered' makes it a frequent source of confusion, though the two meanings could hardly be further apart.
Struck or pounded heavily and repeatedly; used especially of rain or hail beating down noisily.
"Hailstones blattered off the greenhouse glass throughout the storm."
Informal and chiefly British; the base form is 'blatter'.
Extremely drunk.
"He stumbled out of the pub utterly blattered."
Colloquial British slang; avoid in formal contexts.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of blattered
Blattered derives from 'blatter', a chiefly dialectal and imitative English verb suggesting repeated heavy striking, related in spirit to other percussive formations such as 'batter' and 'patter'. Its exact origins are obscure, as is typical of imitative words, and it has long circulated in regional and informal British usage. The slang drinking sense arose later within colloquial British English, following the familiar pattern by which verbs of violent impact become metaphors for intoxication.
Related word forms
How blattered is actually used
Informal and chiefly British. The drinking sense is colloquial slang and would be out of place in formal writing. The verb is largely onomatopoeic in feel, evoking heavy, repetitive impact such as rain or hail.
Easily confused with blattered
'Blathered' means talked foolishly at length, while 'blattered' means struck or beaten heavily — the words differ by one letter but have unrelated meanings.