[f. BLOW v.1 + -ING1.]
1. gen. The action expressed by the vb. to BLOW.
c. 1000. Ælfric, Judges vii. 16 (Bosw.). Heora byman him to ðære blawunge.
1398. Trevisa, Barth. De P. R., XVII. clvii. (1495), 708. Wyth blowynge of wynde.
a. 1422. Le Venery de Twety, in Rel. Ant., I. 153. Ye shul change your speche and blowyng booth too.
1621. Sir R. Boyle, in Lismore Pap. (1886), II. 17. My 2 new ffurnaces had ffier to begin theer blowing put into them.
1710. Palmer, Proverbs, 178. This impious blowing upon other peoples reputations.
1799. J. Robertson, Agric. Perth, 279. Saving a great expence of boring and powder, in avoiding the trouble and danger of blowing.
2. Breathing; hard breathing; esp. of animals.
c. 1175. Lamb. Hom., 75. Hore loking, hore blawing, hore smelling, heore feling.
1398. Trevisa, Barth. De P. R., XVIII. ciii. (1495), 847. Brockes holdeth in the brethe and blowynge.
1523. Fitzherb., Husb., § 87. Broken wynded, and pursyfnes, is but shorte blowynge.
1591. Percivall, Sp. Dict., Bufido, the puffing and blowing of a horse.
1815. Scott, Guy M., xlv. Listening for the blowing of an otter.
1883. G. C. Davies, Norfolk Broads, xix. (1884), 143. Until they see the blowing of an eel, as the bubbles issuing from the mud are termed.
† b. Swelling, tumefaction. Obs.
1398. Trevisa, Barth. De P. R., XVI. lxxxvi. (1495), 582. The saphire hath singuler vertue to swage blowynge.
3. The oviposition of flesh-flies, and formerly of other insects. † b. concr. The blote or egg of a flesh-fly or other insect (obs.).
1558. Bp. Watson, Sev. Sacram., xxiv. 153. A fleshe flye wyll leaue fylthy blowinges in the fleshe.
1577. Holinshed, Chron., III. vi. 229. Beyond the seas they stampe and streine their combs, bees, and young blowings altogither into the stuffe.
1616. Surfl. & Markh., Countr. Farm, 320. Bees are bred of Bees, either of their blowings, or some other matter of their generation.
1677. Hale, Prim. Orig. Man., II. ix. 209. The blowings of Flies, and almost all kind of Insects.
4. Blowing up, an explosion; colloq. a scolding.
1772. Phil. Trans., LXIII. 44. The blowing up of a magazine of gun-powder.
1839. Haliburton, Letter-bag Gt. West., iv. 42. I would give him a good blowing-up.
1874. Mrs. Wood, J. Ludlow, Ser. I. xxv. 448. I received a good blowing up from Mr. Brandon for my pains.
5. Comb., as blowing-cylinder, the air-cylinder of a blast-engine; blowing-engine (= blowing-machine); blowing-furnace, a blast furnace used in glass-working; † blowing-house, a tin-smelting house; blowing-iron, pipe, -tube (Glass-working), an iron tube used in blowing glass; blowing-machine, any mechanical contrivance for producing a blast of air.
1875. Ure, Dict. Arts, II. 654. A blowing furnace for blowing the pear-shaped balls into large globes.
1674. Ray, Prepar. Tin, Coll. 120. The black Tin is smelted at the blowing house with Charcoal.
1875. Ure, Dict. Arts, III. 1005. Formerly in Cornwall nearly all the tin was smelted in blast-furnaces; these works were called blowing-houses.
1855. trans. Labartes Arts Mid. Ages, ix. 352. Gathers with the blowing-iron a small quantity of white glass.