blowers

Noun

blower (plural blowers)

1. A person who blows.
2. A fissure from which firedamp issues, often in quantity for many years.
   • The great sources of fire-damp in coal mines are blowers or fissures from which currents of this inflammable gas issue in considerable quantities and for a long series of years1843, Humphry Davy, “On the fire-damp of coal mines, and on methods of lighting the mines so as to prevent its explosion”, in Proceedings of the Royal Society of London, number 31 December 1833...

   Synonyms:

   feeder

3. Any device that blows; often, especially, a furnace component or a supercharger.
   • The locomotive […] was quietly "blowing off" on one Ross "pop" valve, whilst the rhythmic clanging of the fireman's shovel, the black smoke pouring from her chimney, and the harsh sound of the blower told of the proximity of departure time.1942 July–August, Philip Spencer, “On the Footplate in Egypt”, in Railway Magazine, page 208
   1. A ducted fan, usually part of a heating, ventilation, and/or air conditioning system.
      • The three motors on each bogie are force ventilated from a blower mounted in the adjacent nose-end compartment of the superstructure, the air being led by ducts and flexible bellows connections to the air inlet at the commutator end of the motor.1958 June, “Main-Line Diesel-Electric Locomotives for the Eastern Region”, in Railway Magazine, page 394
4. (Australia, Ireland, New Zealand, UK, slang, usually preceded by the) Telephone.
   • Get on the blower and call headquarters right away!
   1. (Australia, Ireland, New Zealand, UK, historical, slang) A telephone service providing betting odds and commentary, relayed to customers in a bookmaker's shop via loudspeaker.

See all 11 meanings of blower