puffer

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Puffer machine

Wikipedia

From puff +‎ -er.

The cellular automata definition is a clipping of puffer train.

• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈpʌfɚ/
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈpʌfə/

• Audio (General Australian):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ʌfə(ɹ)

puffer (plural puffers)

1. Someone or something that puffs.
2. Any of several poisonous fish, of the family Tetraodontidae, which have the ability to inflate their bodies when in danger.
3. A manually-operated inhaler.
4. (dated, childish) A train; a locomotive, usually one that is steam-powered.
5. A Clyde puffer, a kind of small ship.
6. (slang) A car left idling to warm up, emitting steam from the rear.
7. (fashion) An insulated puffy jacket, such as a down jacket.
8. (dated) A person who gives exaggerated praise to a product, literary work, etc.
9. (dated, slang) One who is employed by the owner or seller of goods sold at auction to bid up the price; a by-bidder.
   • 1834, The Law Library:

     Cicero in his Offices declares his opinion , that a vendor ought not to appoint a puffer to raise the price

10. (derogatory) An alchemist; so named from their constant attendance to the bellows of their furnaces.
11. The common, or harbour, porpoise.
12. A kier used in dyeing.
13. (glassblowing) A soffietta.
14. (cellular automata) A finite pattern that moves like a spaceship but leaves a trail of debris.
    • 1993 March 16, David Bell, “Life program (part 2/18)”, in comp.theory.cell-automata‎ (Usenet):

      This is the next best thing, which is a pseudo-puffer made by converting a stream of spaceships into puffer output using several c/3 spaceships.

    • 2008 June 25, Dave Greene, “B37/S23 - A Chaotic Universe.”, in comp.theory.cell-automata‎ (Usenet):

      Might be interesting to see if the debris from this puffer can be suppressed somehow -- assuming somebody hasn't already done that, but I don't see any sign of previous attempts.

    • 2015, Paul Rendell, Turing Machine Universality of the Game of Life, page 133:

      The switch engine is unstable but a number of them working in combination can form stable puffers, spaceships and rakes.

15. A security device used to detect traces of explosives or drugs on a person, by blowing puffs of air that pick up tiny particles.

• (fish): globefish, pufferfish

• 'puffer (slang), The Official Dictionary of Unofficial English: A Crunk Omnibus, by Grant Barrett, McGraw-Hill Professional, 2006, p. 273.

puffer c (singular definite pufferen, plural indefinite puffere)

1. (chemistry) buffer

• buffer