blow fly

or blowfly

noun

any of numerous dipterous insects of the family Calliphoridae that deposit their eggs or larvae on carrion, excrement, etc., or in wounds of living animals.

Origin of blow fly

First recorded in 1815–25

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use blow fly in a sentence

And in some instances, they have no distinct head, as in the larva of the blow fly.
The Life of an Insect | Anonymous
All these parts are better seen in the proboscis of the blow-fly than in that of the house-fly, on account of their larger size.
An Elementary Text-book of the Microscope | John William Griffith
The larv of the blow-fly are well known to the angler, who uses them for bait, and calls them gentles.
An Elementary Text-book of the Microscope | John William Griffith
But there was no answer; only the cobwebs moved there, though I thought I heard a faint buzzing, which might have been a blow-fly.
Old Junk | H. M. Tomlinson
The blow-fly will cause its disagreeable offspring to take part in every meal.
Brighter Britain! (Volume 1 of 2) | William Delisle Hay

British Dictionary definitions for blowfly

blowfly

/ (ˈbləʊˌflaɪ) /

nounplural -flies

any of various dipterous flies of the genus Calliphora and related genera that lay their eggs in rotting meat, dung, carrion, and open wounds: family Calliphoridae: Also called: bluebottle

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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