fanning

1. gerundparticiplepresentpresent participle and gerund of fan

plural fannings

1. The act by which something is fanned.

   Each shrub of shade, each tree of spreading root, / That woo the first glad fannings of the breeze.

   1764, James Grainger, The Sugar Cane

   1. Winnowing.
   2. engineeringA shooting technique in which the shooter uses one hand to hold a revolver and pull the trigger, while using the other hand to cock the hammer repeatedly in a slapping-like fashion.
2. A very small fragment of tea leaf.

   Generally orthodox teas have four grades, namely whole leaf, broken leaf, fannings and dust.

   2013, Victor R. Preedy, Tea in Health and Disease Prevention

3. UKarchaicslangA beating.

   1 more example

   […] he found himself facing these four grim coves, big as bull-beef, demanders by trade and ready to give him a fanning, which they did, advising him to keep out of the Professor's way in future and never to speak with any from Idle Jack's family again. Within fifteen minutes, Carmichael had three broken ribs, a broken arm, a cracked cheekbone, a badly swollen eye, and was minus five teeth.

   2013, John Gardner, Moriarty

plural Fannings

1. A surname.