blow

Dictionary of Australasian Words Phrases and Usages by Edward E. Morris

I.


n.

stroke of the shears in sheep-shearing.

1890. `The Argus,' September 20, p. 13, col. 7:

«The shearers must make their clip clean and thorough. If itbe done so incompetently that a `second blow' is needed, thefleece is hacked.»

II.

n.

braggadocio, boasting.

1890. Lyth, `Golden South,' viii. p. 71:

«Is there not very much that the Australian may well be proudof, and may we not commend him for a spice of blow?»

1891. Rolf Boldrewood, `Sydney-Side Saxon,' p. 77:

«He can walk as fast as some horses can trot, cut out any beastthat ever stood on a camp, and canter round a cheese-plate.This was a bit of blow.»

1893. `The Australasian,' Aug. 12, p. 102, col. 1:

«Now Digby Holland will think it was mere Australian blow.»

III.

v.

to boast; abbreviated from the phrase «to blow your own trumpet.» The word is not Australian thoughoften so regarded. It is common in Scotland and in the UnitedStates.

1873. A. Trollope, `Australia and New Zealand,' vol. i. p. 387:

«The blast of the trumpet as heard in Victoria is louder thanall the blasts – – and the Melbourne blast beats all the otherblowing of that proud colony. My first, my constant, myparting advice to my Australian cousins is contained in twowords, `don't blow.'»

Dictionary of Australasian Words Phrases and Usages by Edward E. Morris

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