Plural of blowfly, a large fly that lays its eggs in decaying meat and animal flesh.
From blow (Old English blawan) referring to the sound or action, plus fly. The 'blow' likely refers to the fly's buzzing sound or the rapid laying of eggs ('blowing' them onto meat).
Blowflies are crucial to forensic science—their life cycles are so predictable that investigators can use which blowfly species is present in a corpse to estimate time of death!
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