What is "fanning"

Fan \Fan\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Fanned; p. pr. & vb. n. Fanning.] [Cf. OF. vanner, L. vannere. See Fan, n., Van a winnowing machine.]

1. To move as with a fan.

   The air . . . fanned with unnumbered plumes.
   --Milton.

2. To cool and refresh, by moving the air with a fan; to blow the air on the face of with a fan.

3. To ventilate; to blow on; to affect by air put in motion.

   Calm as the breath which fans our eastern groves.
   --Dryden.

4. To winnow; to separate chaff from, and drive it away by a current of air; as, to fan wheat.
   --Jer. li. 2.

5. To excite or stir up to activity, as a fan excites a flame; to stimulate; as, this conduct fanned the excitement of the populace.

   Fanning machine, or Fanning mill, a machine for separating seed from chaff, etc., by a blast of air; a fanner.

n. A very small fragment of tea leaf. vb. (present participle of fan English)

1. n. a device for creating a current of air by movement of a surface or surfaces

2. an enthusiastic devotee of sports [syn: sports fan]

3. an ardent follower and admirer [syn: buff, devotee, lover]

4. [also: fanning, fanned]

1. v. strike out (a batter), (of a pitcher)

2. make (an emotion) fiercer; "fan hatred"

3. agitate the air

4. separate from chaff; "She stood there winnowing grain all day in the field" [syn: winnow]

5. [also: fanning, fanned]

See fan

Fanning may refer to:

• Fanning (surname)
• Fanning (firearms), a shooting technique in which one hand holds a revolver and the other hits the hammer repeatedly
• Fanning friction factor, a dimensionless number used in fluid flow calculations
• Fan dance, a dance art form
• Sector (disambiguation)#Geometry
• USS Fanning, ships of the United States Navy

Fanning is a revolver shooting technique in which one hand holds the trigger and the other hits the hammer repeatedly. This turns the cylinder and hits the firing pin, in that order, allowing for ' semi-automatic fire' of single-action revolvers. The technique does not work on double-action, which are designed to require a trigger pull for each shot. When performed very quickly, it can be very damaging to the cylinder stop mechanism. This technique is used extensively in fast draw competitions, which generally use special lightweight aluminum or titanium blank-firing cylinders, rather than the steel cylinders normally found on single-action revolvers.

The idea (as spread by old western films) that people in the "Old West" fanned their hammers in actual firefights with any regularity is considered a caricature. It was done in shooting shows (where trick marksmen entertained crowds with shooting tricks) and by many a curious target-practicer; but it was probably not common in actual firefights, because it doesn't lend itself to most real-life tactical situations, in accuracy or cover. One longtime firearms instructor, George L. Tooley, said: "Fanning is hard on the revolver, in addition to being inaccurate, and is not recommended".

A similar rapid-fire method called sliding, in which the thumb of the gun hand exerts just enough pressure on the hammer to pull it down, but not lock it into readiness for firing, is also known in many references.

A slip gun is a revolver which has been modified to disconnect the trigger from the hammer, so as to cause it to fire by pulling back and releasing the hammer. Often the hammer spur is lowered, so the gun may be fired by wiping one's finger across the hammer. The only difference from fanning is that only one hand is needed, because in fanning one hand holds the gun and pulls back the trigger while the other hand knocks back the hammer repeatedly. Slip shooting is a little slower than fanning, but more accurate and practical since only one hand is needed.
Slip guns were used for various types of rapid trick shooting in which the ability to instinctively rapid fire was crucial.

Fanning is a surname of Irish origin. Notable people with the surname include:

• Bede Fanning (1885–1970), Australian public servant
• Bernard Fanning (born 1969), Australian musician, best known for his role as the lead singer of the Australian rock band Powderfinger
• Buckner Fanning (1926-2016), American clergyman
• Buist M. Fanning (born 1949), American biblical Greek scholar
• Dakota Fanning (born 1994), American child actress
• Dave Fanning, Irish television and radio personality
• Detective Fanning (born 1967), character in 2004 film Collateral played by actor Mark Ruffalo
• Edmund Fanning (1769–1841), American explorer
• Edmund Fanning (colonial administrator) (1739–1818), American-born administrator for the British government in New York and Loyalist; later a governor in Canada
• Elle Fanning (born 1998), American child actress and younger sister of Dakota
• Eric Kenneth Fanning (born 1968), United States Secretary of the Army
• Fred Fanning (born 1921), Australian rules footballer
• Jim Fanning (born 1927), former catcher, manager and front office executive in Major League Baseball
• Jimmy Valiant (born James Harold Fanning, 1942), American retired professional wrestler
• Juan Fanning (1824–1881), Peruvian naval officer and war hero
• Kay Fanning (1927–2000), American newspaper editor and publisher, first American woman to edit a national newspaper
• Ken Fanning (born 1947), American wilderness guide and retired politician
• Eugene Michael "Mick" Fanning, Australian professional surfer and two time world champion
• Nathaniel Fanning (1755–1804), American naval officer and war hero
• Shawn Fanning (born 1980), computer programmer and creator of the original Napster application
• Thomas A. Fanning (a.k.a. Tom Fanning), American chief executive.
• Vincent Fanning, Irish, first manager of Cork Airport (1961).