† backblown.
/ˈbakbləʊ/ Obsolete.
1. A blow struck at the back or from behind.
ΘΚΠ
the world > movement > impact > striking > [noun] > stroke in or from specific direction
racec1400
by-blow1594
backblow1642
outstroke1688
up-stroke1828
understroke1837
in-stroke1887
1642 T. Fuller Holy State ii. xix. 127 A premeditated back-blow in cold bloud is base.
1857 Househ. Words 12 Sept. 245 Outwitted him at his own game of backblows.
2. figurative. (Cf. afterclap n.)
ΘΚΠ
the mind > mental capacity > expectation > surprise, unexpectedness > [noun] > cause of surprise > subsequent
afterclapc1330
backblowa1649
aftershock1848
a1649 W. Drummond Hist. James III in Wks. (1711) 55 So many Back-blows of Fortune.
1705 G. Stanhope Paraphr. Epist. & Gospels II. 456 That Reflexion fell upon his Mind with this terrible back-blow.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1885; most recently modified version published online March 2019).
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n.1642