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Bfows on 'the fword make a fpecies of putfuit, called beating, Hope', New Meth. of Fenc. c. 5. p. 15 r, feq; Sec the ar- ticle Beating.
£/iW Blow, nSai «-£« or tarns, is that which does not appear, or is not attended with effufion of blood ; in contradiftinction from that followed by a wound, difcolouring, tumor, or the like, called iilus apertus or apparens, an open blow. Du Cange y Gloff. Lat. T. 3. p. 7- voc. iilus.
In the antient laws, we find blows for rehiembrance, given to make perfons remember fome tranfaction, and enable them to become better witnefles of it in future times. Leg. Ripuar. tit. 60. §• l> Alapam dare & aurem tdrqucre in teftimonium. Du Conge, lib. cit. T. 1. p. 1 17. voc. alapa.
Military Blow, alapa militarise that given with a fword on the neck or Shoulder of a candidate for knighthood, in the cere- mony of dubbing him. Cafen. Orig. Franc, p. 2. voc. accolee. The cuftom feems to have taken its life from the antient cere- mony of manumiflion.
In giving the blew-, the prince ufed the formula ejlo bonus miles ; upon which the party rofe a complete knight, and qualified to bear arms in his own right. Sometimes a double or even triple blow was given, called trinapercujjio. Vid, Du Cange. lib. cit. T. 1. p. 117, feq. voc. alapa.
Blows, in common law. See Battery, Cycl.
Blows and contufions on the head, and about the larynx, are dangerous a ; thofc in the epigaflric region, especially about the fcrobiculus cordis, are frequently mortal b — [ a Teichney. Inft. Med. Leg. c. 23. qu. 2. p. ziO. b Id. ibid. c. 22.
qu. 5. p. 198, feq.]
Fly Blows, the ova of flies depofited on flefh, or other bodies proper for hatching them.
It is an experiment worth trying, whether infects will breed in an ox-bladder fo clofe, that no paflage be left for any fly- blows ; and becaufe flies may be fuppofed to have blown on the ou tiide of the bladder, and the Jly-blows to have eaten through die bladder, it might be proper to include it in a cafe, fo as to defend it from Jly- blows outwardly as well as inwardly. Vid. Ray, Phil. Lett. p. 1 10.
Blow -pipe, among jewellers and other artificers, is a glafs tube, of a length and thicknefs at difcrction, wherewith they quick- en the flame of their lamp, by blowing through it with their mouth. It is ufed in works of quicker difpatch, which do dot need the bellows. Savar. Diet. Comm. T. 2. p. 1829. voc. tube.
Though the wind blown out at a fmall bent tube of glafs, called a blow-pipe, feems not to have any great celerity, in comparifon of the parts of flame, and is itfelf of little force; yet, when the flame of a lamp or candle is directed by it, fo as to beat upon a body at a convenient diftance, it may be made to melt filver, or even copper itfelf, which yet may be kept, for many hours, unmelted in a red-hot crucible, or the flame of the lamp or candle unaffifted by the Haft. Boyle, Phil. Work abridg. T. t. p. 477. The enamellers have alfo tubes of divers fizes, wherewith to blow their enamel, anfwering to the fame purpofe as the pontil- lio, or blow-pipe, of glafimen. Savar. loc. cit.
BLOWER, foufftew, an appellation of contempt fometimes given to alchemifts. See Alchemist. In the French king's kitchen, there was antiently an officer under the denomination of fufflator, or fire •■blower. Du Cange. GlofT Lat. T. 4. p. 1002. voc fuffiator. The Roman mint-men were diftinguifhed by the appellation of blowers of gold, filver, and brafs, &c, fiatores auri, argenti- ne. Pitifc. Lex. Ant. T. 1. p. 792. voc. Jlator.
BLOWING (Cycl-) — Butchers have a practice of blowing up veal especially loins, as foon as killed, with a pipe made of a fheep's fhank, to make it look larger and fairer. Hought. Collect, T. 1. N° 1 12. p. 301. Savar. Diet. Comm. T. 1. p, 428. voc. bouffcr.
One method of adminiftring medicines is by inflation, or blowing them into the part by a tube : thus it is they fome- times convey powders into the eye, and fometimes up the nofe, for the cure of a polypus. Cajl. Lex. Med. p, 43 1 . voc, infufflatio.
Blowing is alfo ufed for breathing or refpiring, or alternately receiving and expelling the air by the lungs. Trev. Diet. Univ. T. 4. p. 1829. voc. fwffler. See Respiration. Afthmatic perfons are Subject to blow much after motion. A horfe is Said to be purfy when he blows, and his flank heaves upon brifk exercife. Cbauv. Lex. Phil. p. 42. voc. anbelitus.
Blowing, exfuffiatio, was alfo a ceremony in the antient admi- nistration of baptifm, whereby the catechumen, upon rehear- Sing the renunciation, blew three blafts with his mouth, to Signify that he rejected or caft the devil absolutely off. See the article Baptism.
Something like this is ft ill retained in the Ruffian church, where the godfathers being interrogated in the child's behalf, whether they renounce the devil, fpit thrice on the ground, to teftify their abhorrence. Du Cange, GlofT. Lat. T. 2. p. 329, feq- voc. exfuffiatio.
In the facramentary of St. Gregory, the prieft who admini- sters baptifm, is enjoined to blow thrice on the child's face, making the Sign of the crofs with his head, and pronouncing the words exi ab eo fatan », Juftin Martyr, TertuIIian, St, Suppl. Vol. I,
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Cyril, and St. Auguflin, fpeak of this ceremony as ufed iri their times '.— [» Durmt. de Ritib. Ecclef. I. i. c. 19. n 22. p. 138. » Cyril. Catech. z. AugU/l. contra Julian.
I. 6. c. 2. Cah. Inft. 1. 4. c. 19. Ou Sange, loc. cit.] See Exorcism, Cycl.
Blowing of tin, the running or melting die ore, after firft burn- ing it in a kiln, to deftroy the mundic. Phil. Trahf N° 69 p. zm, feq. See Tin.
BloWTOG of a firearm, is when the touch-hole is billed, fo that the powder will flame out. Manwayr. Seam. Direct, p. 10.
Blowing is aifo ufed in fpeaking of the natural motion or courfe of the wind.
In the fea-Ianguage, the wind is faid to How home, or blow through, when it does not ceafe, or grow lefs, till it comes patt the place where the fpeaker is. To blow through is fome- times alio ufed to denote, that the wind will be fo "great as to blow afunder the fails. When a wind increafes fo much that they cannot bear any top-fails, they fay, they were blown into their courfes, 1. e. they could only have out the fails fo called. To exprefs an extraordinary great wind, they fometimes fav, it will blow the fail out of 'tire bolt-ropes. Manwar. Seam! Direct, p. 10.
Blowing is alfo ufed in fpeaking of the force and effect of kin- dled gun-powder, on bodies which happen to be over it. See GvK-poivder.
In this fenfe we fay to blow up a houfe. Engineers at fieges make mines wherewith to blow up walls, baffions, and other defences. See Mine, Cycl.
Powder-mills are apt to blow up by the iron gudeeon's growino hot, and fctting fire to the powdcr-duit flying about. Hought. Collect. T. 2. N° 229. p. 125.
Blowing, among gardners, denotes the action of flowers, whereby they open and difplay their leaves. In which fenfe, blowing amounts fo much the fame with flow- ering or bloffoming. See Flowering and Blossoming. The regular blowing fcafon is in the fpring ; though fonre plants have other extraordinary times and manners of blowing, as the rofe of Jericho, and the Glaftenbury thorn. Divers flowers alfo, as the tulip, clofe every evening, and blow again in the morning. Trev. Diet. Univ. T. 2. p. 1394. Tulips are divided into early bloiutrs, called alfo prxcoce, and late blower!, or feratine tulips. Brad!. New Impi'ov. Gard P. 2.C. 7. §. I. p. 143.
The blowing of hops differs from their belling, the former hap- pening aboMt the end of July, the latter about a week or fort- night after. Hmght. Collefl. T. 2. N» 376. p. 448. See the article Hops.
Annual plants blow fooner or later, as their feeds are put in the ground ; whence the curious in gardening fow fomc in every month in fummer, to have a confhnt fuccefTion of flowers c . The blowing of rofes may be retarded by fhearing offthe buds as they put forth d . — [ c Brad', lib. cit. p. 134, feq. d Mortim. Hufband. 1. 13. c. 1. T. 2. p. 167.]
lowing of a flower, among florifts, an artificial pfocefs, in order to bring a flower to difplay itfelf with greater perfection and beauty than it would arrive to in the natural way of blew ing. The ufual method is thus : about April, when the flowcr- flcms begin to put forth, or fpindle, as the gardeners call it, they place by each flower a ftrcight flick four feet long, and tie the fpindles to it as they fhoot. As foon as the flower- buds appear, they leave only one of the largeft on each flower- Item to bloflbm. About ten days before the flowers open themfelves, the round podded kinds will begin to crack their hulks on one fide, when the careful gardener, with a fine needle, fplits or opens the huik on the oppofite fide to the na- tural fraction ; and about three or four days before the com- plete opening of the flower, cuts off with a pair of fcifiars the points on the top of the flower-pod, andfupplies the vacancies or openings on each fide the hulk with two fmall pieces of vel- lum or oil-cloth flipped in between the flower-leaves and the infide of the hufk; by fuch means, the bloflbm will difplay its parts equally on all fides, and be of a regular figure. Bcfides this care, when the bloflbm begins to fhew its colours, they ufe to fhade it from the extreme heat of the fun with a tren- cher-like board, or other device of the like nature, fattened to the flick which fupports it ; for the flowers, as well as fruits, grow larger in the fhade, and ripen and decay fooneft in the fun. Bradl. Newlmprov. Gard. P. 7. p. 88. In heraldry, a flower-de-luce is faid to b'e blown, cfpanoui, when its leaves are opened, fo as buds appear among the fleu- rons. The arms of the city of Florence are argent, a flovvcr- de-Iuce blown, gules. Trev. Diet. Univ. T. 2. p. 13CJ5.
Blowing fnake, in zoology, a name given by the people of Virginia to a fpecies of ferpent much refcm'bling the European viper, but confiderably larger, and very remarkable for its in- flating and extending the furface of its head before it bites. Its wound is very fatal.
BLOWN red, in the manufaclure of porcelane. See Red.
BLUBBER, in phyfiology and trade, the fat which inverts the bodies of all large cetaceous fifties, or fea-monflers, fervin^ to furnifh an oil. Vid. Collins, Salt & Fife. p. 89. The blubber is properly the adeps of the animal : it lies imme- diately under the fkin, and over the mufcular flefh '. In the porpoife, it is firm and full of fibres, and inverts the body about 5 D »i
