A round ocean fish that can inflate its body like a balloon by swallowing water or air as a defense mechanism; also called a pufferfish.
From 'blow' (Old English 'blawan' meaning to puff) combined with 'fish.' The compound term describes the fish's primary defense strategy and has been used in English since around the 1600s.
Blowfish contain tetrodotoxin, one of the deadliest natural poisons on Earth—yet in Japan, fugu (blowfish) is considered a delicacy where specially trained chefs spend years learning to prepare it safely, making it perhaps the world's most prestige-laden dangerous food.
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