What is "to blow great guns"

Gun \Gun\ (g[u^]n), n. [OE. gonne, gunne; of uncertain origin; cf. Ir., Gael., & LL. gunna, W. gum; possibly (like cannon) fr. L. canna reed, tube; or abbreviated fr. OF. mangonnel, E. mangonel, a machine for hurling stones.]

1. A weapon which throws or propels a missile to a distance; any firearm or instrument for throwing projectiles, consisting of a tube or barrel closed at one end, in which the projectile is placed, with an explosive charge (such as guncotton or gunpowder) behind, which is ignited by various means. Pistols, rifles, carbines, muskets, and fowling pieces are smaller guns, for hand use, and are called small arms. Larger guns are called cannon, ordnance, fieldpieces, carronades, howitzers, etc. See these terms in the Vocabulary.

   As swift as a pellet out of a gunne When fire is in the powder runne.
   --Chaucer.

   The word gun was in use in England for an engine to cast a thing from a man long before there was any gunpowder found out.
   --Selden.

2. (Mil.) A piece of heavy ordnance; in a restricted sense, a cannon.

3. pl. (Naut.) Violent blasts of wind.

   Note: Guns are classified, according to their construction or manner of loading as rifled or smoothbore, breech-loading or muzzle-loading, cast or built-up guns; or according to their use, as field, mountain, prairie, seacoast, and siege guns.

   Armstrong gun, a wrought iron breech-loading cannon named after its English inventor, Sir William Armstrong.

   Big gun or Great gun, a piece of heavy ordnance; hence (Fig.), a person superior in any way; as, bring in the big guns to tackle the problem.

   Gun barrel, the barrel or tube of a gun.

   Gun carriage, the carriage on which a gun is mounted or moved.

   Gun cotton (Chem.), a general name for a series of explosive nitric ethers of cellulose, obtained by steeping cotton in nitric and sulphuric acids. Although there are formed substances containing nitric acid radicals, yet the results exactly resemble ordinary cotton in appearance. It burns without ash, with explosion if confined, but quietly and harmlessly if free and open, and in small quantity. Specifically, the lower nitrates of cellulose which are insoluble in ether and alcohol in distinction from the highest (pyroxylin) which is soluble. See Pyroxylin, and cf. Xyloidin. The gun cottons are used for blasting and somewhat in gunnery: for making celluloid when compounded with camphor; and the soluble variety (pyroxylin) for making collodion. See Celluloid, and Collodion. Gun cotton is frequenty but improperly called nitrocellulose. It is not a nitro compound, but an ester of nitric acid.

   Gun deck. See under Deck.

   Gun fire, the time at which the morning or the evening gun is fired.

   Gun metal, a bronze, ordinarily composed of nine parts of copper and one of tin, used for cannon, etc. The name is also given to certain strong mixtures of cast iron.

   Gun port (Naut.), an opening in a ship through which a cannon's muzzle is run out for firing.

   Gun tackle (Naut.), the blocks and pulleys affixed to the side of a ship, by which a gun carriage is run to and from the gun port.

   Gun tackle purchase (Naut.), a tackle composed of two single blocks and a fall.
   --Totten.

   Krupp gun, a wrought steel breech-loading cannon, named after its German inventor, Herr Krupp.

   Machine gun, a breech-loading gun or a group of such guns, mounted on a carriage or other holder, and having a reservoir containing cartridges which are loaded into the gun or guns and fired in rapid succession. In earlier models, such as the Gatling gun, the cartridges were loaded by machinery operated by turning a crank. In modern versions the loading of cartidges is accomplished by levers operated by the recoil of the explosion driving the bullet, or by the pressure of gas within the barrel. Several hundred shots can be fired in a minute by such weapons, with accurate aim. The Gatling gun, Gardner gun, Hotchkiss gun, and Nordenfelt gun, named for their inventors, and the French mitrailleuse, are machine guns.

   To blow great guns (Naut.), to blow a gale. See Gun, n., 3.

Blow \Blow\, v. t.

1. To force a current of air upon with the mouth, or by other means; as, to blow the fire.

2. To drive by a current air; to impel; as, the tempest blew the ship ashore.

   Off at sea northeast winds blow Sabean odors from the spicy shore.
   --Milton.

3. To cause air to pass through by the action of the mouth, or otherwise; to cause to sound, as a wind instrument; as, to blow a trumpet; to blow an organ; to blow a horn.

   Hath she no husband That will take pains to blow a horn before her?
   --Shak.

   Boy, blow the pipe until the bubble rise, Then cast it off to float upon the skies.
   --Parnell.

4. To clear of contents by forcing air through; as, to blow an egg; to blow one's nose.

5. To burst, shatter, or destroy by an explosion; -- usually with up, down, open, or similar adverb; as, to blow up a building.

6. To spread by report; to publish; to disclose; to reveal, intentionally or inadvertently; as, to blow an agent's cover.

   Through the court his courtesy was blown.
   --Dryden.

   His language does his knowledge blow.
   --Whiting.

7. To form by inflation; to swell by injecting air; as, to blow bubbles; to blow glass.

8. To inflate, as with pride; to puff up.

   Look how imagination blows him.
   --Shak.

9. To put out of breath; to cause to blow from fatigue; as, to blow a horse.
   --Sir W. Scott.

10. To deposit eggs or larv[ae] upon, or in (meat, etc.).

    To suffer The flesh fly blow my mouth.
    --Shak.

11. To perform an act of fellatio on; to stimulate another's penis with one's mouth; -- usually considered vulgar.

12. to smoke (e. g. marijuana); to blow pot. [colloq.]

13. to botch; to bungle; as, he blew his chance at a good job by showing up late for the interview. [colloq.]

14. to leave; to depart from; as, to blow town. [slang]

15. to squander; as, he blew his inheritance gambling. To blow great guns, to blow furiously and with roaring blasts; -- said of the wind at sea or along the coast. To blow off, to empty (a boiler) of water through the blow-off pipe, while under steam pressure; also, to eject (steam, water, sediment, etc.) from a boiler. To blow one's own trumpet, to vaunt one's own exploits, or sound one's own praises. To blow out, to extinguish by a current of air, as a candle. To blow up.

    1. To fill with air; to swell; as, to blow up a bladder or bubble.

    2. To inflate, as with pride, self-conceit, etc.; to puff up; as, to blow one up with flattery. ``Blown up with high conceits engendering pride.''
       --Milton.

    3. To excite; as, to blow up a contention.

    4. To burst, to raise into the air, or to scatter, by an explosion; as, to blow up a fort.

    5. To scold violently; as, to blow up a person for some offense. [Colloq.] I have blown him up well -- nobody can say I wink at what he does. --G. Eliot. To blow upon.

       1. To blast; to taint; to bring into discredit; to render stale, unsavory, or worthless.

       2. To inform against. [Colloq.]

          How far the very custom of hearing anything spouted withers and blows upon a fine passage, may be seen in those speeches from [Shakespeare's] Henry V. which are current in the mouths of schoolboys.
          --C. Lamb.

          A lady's maid whose character had been blown upon.
          --Macaulay.