Fly vs Blow - What's the difference?
fly | blow |
(zoology) Any insect of the order Diptera; characterized by having two wings, also called true flies.
* {{quote-magazine, date=2012-01
, author=Douglas Larson, volume=100, issue=1, page=46, magazine=(American Scientist)
, title= (non-technical) Especially , any of the insects of the family Muscidae, such as the common housefly (other families of Diptera include mosquitoes and midges).
* , chapter=5
, title= Any similar, but unrelated insect such as dragonfly or butterfly.
(fishing) A lightweight fishing lure resembling an insect.
(weightlifting) A chest exercise performed by moving extended arms from the sides to in front of the chest. (also flye)
(obsolete) A witch's familiar.
* Ben Jonson
(obsolete) A parasite.
To travel through the air, another gas or a vacuum, without being in contact with a grounded surface.
*
* {{quote-magazine, date=2013-09-07, volume=408, issue=8852, magazine=(The Economist)
, title= (ambitransitive, archaic, poetic) To flee, to escape (from).
* (John Dryden)
* (William Shakespeare)
* (William Shakespeare)
* (John Milton)
*
(ergative) To cause to fly (travel or float in the air): to transport via air or the like.
*
* {{quote-magazine, date=2013-09-07, volume=408, issue=8852, magazine=(The Economist)
, title= To be accepted, come about or work out.
To travel very fast.
* (John Milton)
* Bryant
* {{quote-news, year=2011, date=September 18, author=Ben Dirs, work=BBC Sport
, title= To move suddenly, or with violence; to do an act suddenly or swiftly.
To hunt with a hawk.
(obsolete) The action of flying; flight.
An act of flying.
(baseball) A fly ball.
A type of small, fast carriage (sometimes pluralised flys).
* 1897 , (Bram Stoker), (Dracula) , Folio Society 2008, p. 124:
* , chapter=16
, title= *1924 , (Ford Madox Ford), Some Do Not…'', Penguin 2012 (''Parade's End ), p. 54:
*:And, driving back in the fly , Macmaster said to himself that you couldn't call Mrs. Duchemin ordinary, at least.
A piece of canvas that covers the opening at the front of a tent.
A strip of material hiding the zipper, buttons etc. at the front of a pair of trousers, pants, underpants, bootees, etc.
The free edge of a flag.
The horizontal length of a flag.
Butterfly, a form of swimming.
(weightlifting) An exercise that involves wide opening and closing of the arms perpendicular to the shoulders.
The part of a vane pointing the direction from which the wind blows.
(nautical) That part of a compass on which the points are marked; the compass card.
Two or more vanes set on a revolving axis, to act as a fanner, or to equalize or impede the motion of machinery by the resistance of the air, as in the striking part of a clock.
A heavy wheel, or cross arms with weights at the ends on a revolving axis, to regulate or equalize the motion of machinery by means of its inertia, where the power communicated, or the resistance to be overcome, is variable, as in the steam engine or the coining press. See fly wheel.
In a knitting machine, the piece hinged to the needle, which holds the engaged loop in position while the needle is penetrating another loop; a latch.
The pair of arms revolving around the bobbin, in a spinning wheel or spinning frame, to twist the yarn.
(weaving) A shuttle driven through the shed by a blow or jerk.
(printing, historical) The person who took the printed sheets from the press.
(printing, historical) A vibrating frame with fingers, attached to a power printing press for doing the same work.
One of the upper screens of a stage in a theatre.
(baseball) To hit a fly ball; to hit a fly ball that is caught for an out. Compare ground (verb) and line (verb).
(slang, dated) Quick-witted, alert, mentally sharp, smart (in a mental sense).
(slang) Well dressed, smart in appearance.
(slang) Beautiful; displaying physical beauty.
Blue.
To produce an air current.
* 1606 , , King Lear , act 3, sc. 2:
* Walton
To propel by an air current.
To be propelled by an air current.
To create or shape by blowing; as in to blow bubbles'', ''to blow glass .
To force a current of air upon with the mouth, or by other means.
To clear of contents by forcing air through.
To cause to make sound by blowing, as a musical instrument.
To make a sound as the result of being blown.
* Milton
(of a cetacean) To exhale visibly through the spout the seawater which it has taken in while feeding.
To explode.
To cause to explode, shatter, or be utterly destroyed.
To cause sudden destruction of.
To suddenly fail destructively.
(slang) To be very undesirable (see also suck).
(slang) To recklessly squander.
(vulgar) To fellate.
To leave.
To make flyblown, to defile, especially with fly eggs.
* 1606 , , Act V, scene 2, line 55.
* 1610 , , act 3 scene 1
(obsolete) To spread by report; to publish; to disclose.
* Dryden
* Whiting
(obsolete) To inflate, as with pride; to puff up.
* Shakespeare
To breathe hard or quick; to pant; to puff.
* Shakespeare
To put out of breath; to cause to blow from fatigue.
(obsolete) To talk loudly; to boast; to storm.
* Bartlett
A strong wind.
(informal) A chance to catch one’s breath.
(uncountable, US, slang) Cocaine.
(uncountable, UK, slang) Cannabis.
(uncountable, US Chicago Regional, slang) Heroin.
The act of striking or hitting.
A sudden or forcible act or effort; an assault.
* T. Arnold
A damaging occurrence.
* Shakespeare
* {{quote-news, year=2011
, date=April 15
, author=Saj Chowdhury
, title=Norwich 2 - 1 Nott'm Forest
, work=BBC Sport
To blossom; to cause to bloom or blossom.
* 1599 ,
* 1667 ,
* 1784 , William Cowper, Tirocinium; or, A Review of Schools
* '>citation
In obsolete terms the difference between fly and blow
is that fly is the action of flying; flight while blow is to talk loudly; to boast; to storm.In intransitive terms the difference between fly and blow
is that fly is to travel very fast while blow is to breathe hard or quick; to pant; to puff.fly
English
Etymology 1
From (etyl) . Cognate with Scots flee, Dutch vlieg, German Fliege, Swedish fluga.Noun
(flies)Runaway Devils Lake, passage=Devils Lake is where I began my career as a limnologist in 1964, studying the lake’s neotenic salamanders and chironomids, or midge flies . […] The Devils Lake Basin is an endorheic, or closed, basin covering about 9,800 square kilometers in northeastern North Dakota.}}
Mr. Pratt's Patients, passage=When you're well enough off so's you don't have to fret about anything but your heft or your diseases you begin to get queer, I suppose. And the queerer the cure for those ailings the bigger the attraction. A place like the Right Livers' Rest was bound to draw freaks, same as molasses draws flies .}}
- a trifling fly , none of your great familiars
- (Massinger)
Derived terms
* blackfly * blowfly * botfly * caddis fly * cranefly * damselfly * dragonfly * drain fly * firefly * fly agaric * fly on the wall * flyswatter * flyweight * fruit fly * gadfly * greenfly * horsefly * housefly * hoverfly * march fly * mayfly * moth fly * no flies on * sandfly, sand fly * sawfly * warble fly * whitefly * wouldn't hurt a flyExternal links
* (wikipedia) * (Muscidae)Etymology 2
From (etyl) flien, from (etyl) . More at flow.Verb
- Angels can fly because they take themselves lightly.
On a bright new wing, passage=Flying using only the power of the sun is an enticing prospect. But manned solar-powered aircraft are fragile and slow, […].}}
- Sleep flies the wretch.
- to fly the favours of so good a king
- Whither shall I fly to escape their hands?
- Fly , ere evil intercept thy flight.
- He staggered and fell, grasped vainly at the stone, and slid into the abyss. “Fly , you fools!” he cried, and was gone.
- The brave black flag I fly .
On a bright new wing, passage=A solar-powered unmanned aerial system (a UAS, more commonly called a drone) could fly long, lonely missions that conventional aircraft would not be capable of.}}
- Fly , envious Time, till thou run out thy race.
- The dark waves murmured as the ships flew on.
Rugby World Cup 2011: England 41-10 Georgia, passage=After yet another missed penalty by Kvirikashvili from bang in front of the posts, England scored again, centre Tuilagi flying into the line and touching down under the bar.}}
- (Francis Bacon)
Synonyms
* (travel through air) soar, hover, wing, skim, glide, ascend, rise, float, aviate * (flee) escape, flee, abscondAntonyms
* (travel through air) walk * (flee) remain, stayDerived terms
* fly a kite * fly-by-night * fly into a rage * fly like a bird * fly like a rock * fly like the wind * fly off the handle * fly out the window * on the fly * overflyNoun
(flies)- As we left the house in my fly , which had been waiting, Van Helsing said:— ‘Tonight I can sleep in peace [...].’
The Mirror and the Lamp, passage=“[…] She takes the whole thing with desperate seriousness. But the others are all easy and jovial—thinking about the good fare that is soon to be eaten, about the hired fly , about anything.”}}
- (Totten)
- (Knight)
- (Knight)
Derived terms
* flyman * fly-coach * fly systemVerb
- Jones flied to right in his last at-bat.
Etymology 3
Origin uncertain; probably from the verb or noun.Adjective
(er)- be assured, O man of sin—pilferer of small wares and petty larcener—that there is an eye within keenly glancing from some loophole contrived between accordions and tin breastplates that watches your every movement, and is "fly,"— to use a term peculiarly comprehensible to dishonest minds—to the slightest gesture of illegal conveyancing. (Charles Dickens, "Arcadia"; Household Words
Vol.7 p.381
)
- He's pretty fly .
blow
English
Etymology 1
From (etyl) blo, bloo, from (etyl) .Adjective
(en-adj)Etymology 2
From (etyl) blowen, from (etyl) ).Verb
- "Blow', winds, and crack your cheeks! rage! ' blow !"
- Hark how it rains and blows !
- Blow the dust off that book and open it up.
- The leaves blow through the streets in the fall.
- to blow the fire
- to blow an egg
- to blow one's nose
- In the harbor, the ships' horns blew .
- There let the pealing organ blow .
- There's nothing more thrilling to the whale watcher than to see a whale surface and blow .
- There she blows ! (i.e. "I see a whale spouting!")
- Get away from that burning gas tank! It's about to blow !
- The demolition squad neatly blew the old hotel up.
- The aerosol can was blown to bits.
- He blew the tires and the engine.
- He tried to sprint, but his ligaments blew and he was barely able to walk to the finish line.
- This blows !
- I managed to blow $1000 at blackjack in under an hour.
- I blew $35 thou on a car.
- We blew an opportunity to get benign corporate sponsorship.
- Who did you have to blow to get those backstage passes?
- Let's blow this joint.
- Shall they hoist me up,
And show me to the shouting varletry
Of censuring Rome? Rather a ditch in Egypt
Be gentle grave unto me, rather on Nilus' mud
Lay me stark naked, and let the water-flies
Blow me into abhorring!
- (FERDINAND)
- I am, in my condition,
- A prince, Miranda; I do think, a king;—
- I would not so!—and would no more endure
- This wooden slavery than to suffer
- The flesh-fly blow my mouth.
- Through the court his courtesy was blown .
- His language does his knowledge blow .
- Look how imagination blows him.
- Here is Mistress Page at the door, sweating and blowing .
- to blow a horse
- (Sir Walter Scott)
- You blow behind my back, but dare not say anything to my face.
Derived terms
* blow a gasket * blow a kiss * blow apart * blow away * blower * blowhard * blow hot and cold * blowhorn * blow it * blowjob * blow me * blow off * blow off steam * blow one's horn * blow one's nose * blow one's top * blow one's trumpet * blow out * blowout * blow over * blow someone out of the water * blow someone's brains out * blow someone's mind * blow someone's socks off * blow the whistle * blow up * blow upon * blowup * blow up in one's face * glassblower * mind-blowing * there she blowsNoun
(en noun)- We're having a bit of a blow this afternoon.
- The players were able to get a blow during the last timeout.
Etymology 3
(etyl) blowe, blaw, northern variant of , Middle Dutch blouwen). Related to block.Noun
(en noun)- A fabricator is used to direct a sharp blow to the surface of the stone.
- During an exchange to end round 13, Duran landed a blow to the midsection.
- A vigorous blow might win [Hanno's camp].
- A further blow to the group came in 1917 when Thomson died while canoeing in Algonquin Park.
- a most poor man, made tame to fortune's blows
citation, page= , passage=Norwich returned to second in the Championship with victory over Nottingham Forest, whose promotion hopes were dealt another blow .}}
Synonyms
* (The act of striking) bace, strike, hit, punch * (A damaging occurrence) disaster, calamityDerived terms
* blow-by-blow * body blow * come to blows * low blowEtymology 4
(etyl) blowen, from (etyl) 'to bloom').Verb
- You seem to me as in her orb,
- As chaste as is the bud ere it be blown ;
- How blows the citron grove.
- Boys are at best but pretty buds unblown ,
- Whose scent and hues are rather guessed than known;