point-blank adjective 5adverb 3 adjective5 •Very close; not touching but not more than a few metres (yards). •Blunt, outright.Again I had an opportunity of asking him a point blank question, and again my delicacy prevented me from forcing another man to confide in me. — 1887 •Disconcertingly straightforward or blunt; outright.At this point-blank denial, Stephen turned his face away decisively, and preserved an ominous silence; […] — 1872 •The distance between a gun and a target such that it requires minimal effort in aiming it. In particular no allowance needs to be made for effects of gravity, target movement or wind in aiming the projectile. •The distance between a firearm and a target where a projectile in flight is expected to strike the centre of the target without adjusting the elevation of the firearm.Now, here's a useful tool—.470, telescopic sight, double ejector, point-blank up to three-fifty. That's the rifle I used against the Peruvian slave-drivers three years ago. — 1912 adverb3 •Horizontally (as the angle at which a projectile is launched); directly or straight (at the target). •In a direct manner, without hesitation.One day, when he was doing some valuation for me, he told me point-blank that clergymen seldom understood anything about business, and did mischief when they meddled; […] — 1871 •Directly; bluntly; without pretense or caution.I asked him point blank whether he was cheating on his wife.
