definitions

blow fly

or blow·fly

|

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.

Nearby words

blow, blow a fuse, blow away, blow by blow, blow down, blow fly, blow hot and cold, blow in, blow into, blow it, blow job

Origin of blow fly

First recorded in 1815–25
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for blowfly

  • The house-fly has a life-history and immature stages like the blowfly, but its eggs are deposited on manure.

    Elementary Zoology, Second Edition|Vernon L. Kellogg

  • He swore savagely under his breath, and dabbed viciously at a blowfly that suddenly became noisy on the window-pane.

    The Plattner Story and Others|H. G. Wells

  • These must have been the larv of a blowfly similar to that which has been mentioned by others as inhabiting Sarracenia.

    The Romance of Plant Life|G. F. Scott Elliot

British Dictionary definitions for blowfly

blowfly

/ (ˈbləʊˌflaɪ) /

noun plural -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 CalliphoridaeAlso 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