by-blow
/ˈbʌɪbləʊ
/noun British dated
1A side-blow not at the main target.On the accursed spot where a house was burnt down, they never build a new one; if, in laying the ground-beam, a single spark is kindled by a by-blow, it foretells a new fire, and they look out another place to build on.
2A man’s illegitimate child: he was, he declared, a by-blow of the prince...
- The second hypothesis, which is more plausible, is that Helen is illegitimate - one of her debauched father's by-blows.
- The Vagabonds, in effect, buy off the by-blow of their hired man's romance, and the action of the novel consists of what the present generation makes of that earlier gift.
- There were no other brothers to help ease the burden but, fortunately, neither were there sisters to provide dowries for and, as far as Croft could tell, no by-blows of his brother's to maintain.