Found 1 items, similar to To blow great guns.
English → English (gcide) Definition: To blow great guns Gun \Gun\ (g[u^]n), n. [OE. gonne, gunne; of uncertain origin; cf. Ir., Gael., & LL. gunna, W. gum; possibly (like cannon) fr. L. canna reed, tube; or abbreviated fr. OF. mangonnel, E. mangonel, a machine for hurling stones.] 1. A weapon which throws or propels a missile to a distance; any firearm or instrument for throwing projectiles, consisting of a tube or barrel closed at one end, in which the projectile is placed, with an explosive charge (such as guncotton or gunpowder) behind, which is ignited by various means. Pistols, rifles, carbines, muskets, and fowling pieces are smaller guns, for hand use, and are called small arms. Larger guns are called cannon, ordnance, fieldpieces, carronades, howitzers, etc. See these terms in the Vocabulary. [1913 Webster] As swift as a pellet out of a gunne When fire is in the powder runne. --Chaucer. [1913 Webster] The word gun was in use in England for an engine to cast a thing from a man long before there was any gunpowder found out. --Selden. [1913 Webster] 2. (Mil.) A piece of heavy ordnance; in a restricted sense, a cannon. [1913 Webster] 3. pl. (Naut.) Violent blasts of wind. [1913 Webster] Note: Guns are classified, according to their construction or manner of loading as rifled or smoothbore, breech-loading or muzzle-loading, cast or built-up guns; or according to their use, as field, mountain, prairie, seacoast, and siege guns. [1913 Webster] Armstrong gun, a wrought iron breech-loading cannon named after its English inventor, Sir William Armstrong. Big gun or Great gun, a piece of heavy ordnance; hence (Fig.), a person superior in any way; as, bring in the big guns to tackle the problem. Gun barrel, the barrel or tube of a gun. Gun carriage, the carriage on which a gun is mounted or moved. Gun cotton (Chem.), a general name for a series of explosive nitric ethers of cellulose, obtained by steeping cotton in nitric and sulphuric acids. Although there are formed substances containing nitric acid radicals, yet the results exactly resemble ordinary cotton in appearance. It burns without ash, with explosion if confined, but quietly and harmlessly if free and open, and in small quantity. Specifically, the lower nitrates of cellulose which are insoluble in ether and alcohol in distinction from the highest (pyroxylin) which is soluble. See Pyroxylin, and cf. Xyloidin. The gun cottons are used for blasting and somewhat in gunnery: for making celluloid when compounded with camphor; and the soluble variety (pyroxylin) for making collodion. See Celluloid, and Collodion. Gun cotton is frequenty but improperly called nitrocellulose. It is not a nitro compound, but an ester of nitric acid. Gun deck. See under Deck. Gun fire, the time at which the morning or the evening gun is fired. Gun metal, a bronze, ordinarily composed of nine parts of copper and one of tin, used for cannon, etc. The name is also given to certain strong mixtures of cast iron. Gun port (Naut.), an opening in a ship through which a cannon's muzzle is run out for firing. Gun tackle (Naut.), the blocks and pulleys affixed to the side of a ship, by which a gun carriage is run to and from the gun port. Gun tackle purchase (Naut.), a tackle composed of two single blocks and a fall. --Totten. Krupp gun, a wrought steel breech-loading cannon, named after its German inventor, Herr Krupp. Machine gun, a breech-loading gun or a group of such guns, mounted on a carriage or other holder, and having a reservoir containing cartridges which are loaded into the gun or guns and fired in rapid succession. In earlier models, such as the Gatling gun, the cartridges were loaded by machinery operated by turning a crank. In modern versions the loading of cartidges is accomplished by levers operated by the recoil of the explosion driving the bullet, or by the pressure of gas within the barrel. Several hundred shots can be fired in a minute by such weapons, with accurate aim. The Gatling gun, Gardner gun , Hotchkiss gun, and Nordenfelt gun, named for their inventors, and the French mitrailleuse, are machine guns. To blow great guns (Naut.), to blow a gale. See Gun, n., 3. [1913 Webster +PJC] Blow \Blow\, v. t. 1. To force a current of air upon with the mouth, or by other means; as, to blow the fire. [1913 Webster] 2. To drive by a current air; to impel; as, the tempest blew the ship ashore. [1913 Webster] Off at sea northeast winds blow Sabean odors from the spicy shore. --Milton. [1913 Webster] 3. To cause air to pass through by the action of the mouth, or otherwise; to cause to sound, as a wind instrument; as, to blow a trumpet; to blow an organ; to blow a horn. [1913 Webster] Hath she no husband That will take pains to blow a horn before her? --Shak. [1913 Webster] Boy, blow the pipe until the bubble rise, Then cast it off to float upon the skies. --Parnell. [1913 Webster] 4. To clear of contents by forcing air through; as, to blow an egg; to blow one's nose. [1913 Webster] 5. To burst, shatter, or destroy by an explosion; -- usually with up, down, open, or similar adverb; as, to blow up a building. [1913 Webster] 6. To spread by report; to publish; to disclose; to reveal, intentionally or inadvertently; as, to blow an agent's cover. [1913 Webster] Through the court his courtesy was blown. --Dryden. [1913 Webster] His language does his knowledge blow. --Whiting. [1913 Webster] 7. To form by inflation; to swell by injecting air; as, to blow bubbles; to blow glass. [1913 Webster] 8. To inflate, as with pride; to puff up. [1913 Webster] Look how imagination blows him. --Shak. [1913 Webster] 9. To put out of breath; to cause to blow from fatigue; as, to blow a horse. --Sir W. Scott. [1913 Webster] 10. To deposit eggs or larv[ae] upon, or in (meat, etc.). [1913 Webster] To suffer The flesh fly blow my mouth. --Shak. [1913 Webster] 11. To perform an act of fellatio on; to stimulate another's penis with one's mouth; -- usually considered vulgar. [slang] [PJC] 12. to smoke (e. g. marijuana); to blow pot. [colloq.] [PJC] 13. to botch; to bungle; as, he blew his chance at a good job by showing up late for the interview. [colloq.] [PJC] 14. to leave; to depart from; as, to blow town. [slang] [PJC] 15. to squander; as, he blew his inheritance gambling. [colloq.] [PJC] To blow great guns, to blow furiously and with roaring blasts; -- said of the wind at sea or along the coast. To blow off, to empty (a boiler) of water through the blow-off pipe, while under steam pressure; also, to eject (steam, water, sediment, etc.) from a boiler. To blow one's own trumpet, to vaunt one's own exploits, or sound one's own praises. To blow out, to extinguish by a current of air, as a candle. To blow up. (a) To fill with air; to swell; as, to blow up a bladder or bubble. (b) To inflate, as with pride, self-conceit, etc.; to puff up; as, to blow one up with flattery. “Blown up with high conceits engendering pride.” --Milton. (c) To excite; as, to blow up a contention. (d) To burst, to raise into the air, or to scatter, by an explosion; as, to blow up a fort. (e) To scold violently; as, to blow up a person for some offense. [Colloq.] [1913 Webster] I have blown him up well -- nobody can say I wink at what he does. --G. Eliot. [1913 Webster] To blow upon. (a) To blast; to taint; to bring into discredit; to render stale, unsavory, or worthless. (b) To inform against. [Colloq.] [1913 Webster] How far the very custom of hearing anything spouted withers and blows upon a fine passage, may be seen in those speeches from [Shakespeare's] Henry V. which are current in the mouths of schoolboys. --C. Lamb. [1913 Webster] A lady's maid whose character had been blown upon. --Macaulay. [1913 Webster]