blow-by

or blow·by

[ bloh-bahy ]

/ ˈbloʊˌbaɪ /

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noun, plural blow-bies.Automotive.

leakage of the air-fuel mixture or of combustion gases between a piston and the cylinder wall into the crankcase of an automobile.

a device, fitted to a crankcase, for conducting such gases back to the cylinders for combustion.

QUIZ

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If autumn is your ideal season, spice up your repertoire of "fall" vocabulary with this quiz on some warm and vivid descriptive words for the season.

Question 1 of 10

Which of the following words means “to make a crackling sound; crackle”?

crisp

crepitate

fuscous

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Origin of blow-by

First recorded in 1930–35; noun use of verb phrase blow by

Words nearby blow-by

blow, blow a fuse, blow away, blowback, blowball, blow-by, blow-by-blow, blow-comb, blowdown, blow-dry, blow-dryer

How to use blow-by in a sentence

This is a blow against freedom of speech, we were told, by the likes of Homeland Security chief Jeh Johnson.
Politicians Only Love Journalists When They're Dead|Luke O’Neil|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Liberal Democrats like to blow their bugles about how all the big money in politics comes from rich Republicans.
The 100 Rich People Who Run America|Mark McKinnon|January 5, 2015|DAILY BEAST
On Friday, the story had looked like it might blow over as Buckingham Palace sought to dismiss it as a “civil case.”
Buckingham Palace Disputes Sex Allegations Against Prince ‘Randy Andy’|Tom Sykes|January 4, 2015|DAILY BEAST
It took a blow to the head from Clark and the assistance of three deputies to subdue her.
Dr. King Goes to Hollywood: The Flawed History of ‘Selma’|Gary May|January 2, 2015|DAILY BEAST

A step-by-step plan to break from your various technology addictions.
Can Self-Help Books Really Make a New You?|Lizzie Crocker|December 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
All along the highways and by-paths of our literature we encounter much that pertains to this "queen of plants."
Tobacco; Its History, Varieties, Culture, Manufacture and Commerce|E. R. Billings.
It was like his beautiful courtesy to call me in and introduce me to Blow instead of letting me go away.
Music-Study in Germany|Amy Fay
John was baptizing at a large pool called Ænon-by-Saleim,—probably allegorical, meaning “Fountain of Repose.”
Solomon and Solomonic Literature|Moncure Daniel Conway
He who has attained it grows giddy, and the fiercest winds are summoned to blow him from his eminence.
The Pastor's Fire-side Vol. 3 of 4|Jane Porter
Upon his knees then, he lingered, while I rained blow after blow upon his upturned face.
The Homesteader|Oscar Micheaux

British Dictionary definitions for blow-by

blow-by

noun

the leakage of gas past the piston of an engine at maximum pressure

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