We prepared 4-(4-cyanophenyl) phenyl 4-octyloxybenzoate derivatives possessing a laterally attached mesogen and investigated their phase transition behavior. They showed a wide temperature range of a nematic phase in spite of being far from a rod-like structure. Each oligomer was found to induce blue phases in the mixture with a conventional chiral smectic liquid crystal. A binary mixture of 4-(4-cyanophenyl) phenyl 4-octyloxy-2-} 11-} 4-[2 ...