What does blower mean?
A blower is most commonly a device that produces or directs a stream of air, ranging from simple hand-operated bellows to powerful machines like leaf blowers, snow blowers, and industrial fans. The word appears frequently in compounds that name specific tools: a leaf blower clears gardens, a snow blower clears driveways, and in engineering a blower may force air into an engine as a supercharger. By extension, 'blower' can refer to anyone or anything that blows — a glassblower's pipe, for instance — though this sense usually survives only within fixed trades. In informal British English, 'on the blower' is a well-established idiom meaning 'on the telephone', a usage dating back to the early twentieth century. The word carries a practical, workaday tone rather than any strong emotional connotation, and it remains current in everyday speech across Britain, America, and Australia, particularly wherever machines move air.
A device that produces a current of air, such as a fan, bellows, or leaf blower; also a person who blows something, such as glass.
"The factory installed a large industrial blower to ventilate the workshop."
Often appears in compounds naming the specific tool: leaf blower, snow blower, air blower.
(British slang, dated) A telephone.
"Give me a ring on the blower when you get home."
Standard plural; used for multiple devices or instances.
"The landscaping crew carried two leaf blowers off the truck."
In British slang, 'on the blower' simply means on the phone — no electronics required, just hot air and history.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of blower
Blower is formed from the verb blow, which derives from Old English blāwan, meaning to produce a current of air, itself from Proto-Germanic *blēaną. The agent noun suffix -er was added to create a word for one who or that which blows, with the mechanical sense developing as such devices became common from the Middle Ages onward. Cognates include Dutch blaas- forms and German Bläser, all tracing back to the same Germanic root. The British slang sense referring to a telephone arose in the early twentieth century.
How blower is actually used
The mechanical sense is standard in both British and American English, often appearing in compounds such as 'leaf blower' or 'snow blower'. The sense meaning 'telephone' is informal British slang, now somewhat dated but still recognized, especially in the phrase 'on the blower'. In some contexts 'blower' can also refer to a whistle (as in 'the ref blew his blower') or, in automotive use, a supercharger — a usage common in car culture.
Easily confused with blower
A blowhard is a person who talks boastfully, whereas a blower is typically a machine or device that moves air.