Where did "blow smoke up your ass" come from - deed I ask?

The phrase "blowing smoke", meaning to deceive and/or distract, has been around for years. The "up ones ass" part is a fairly new addition. The origin of the "blowing smoke" part is from stage magic, where magicians use smoke to hide their actions or to distract the audience. So if your actions were meant to distract or deceive, you were said to be blowing smoke. Of course, anyone who studies American slang knows that pretty much any phrase can be improved by adding a reference to someones ass, so I suppose it's inevitable the that is where the smoke would eventually be blown.

Tobacco Smoke Enema (1750-1810)
The tobacco enema was used to infuse tobacco smoke into a patient’s rectum for various medical purposes, primarily the resuscitation of drowning victims. A rectal tube inserted into the anus was connected to a fumigator and bellows that forced the smoke towards the rectum. The warmth of the smoke was thought to promote respiration, but doubts about the credibility of tobacco enemas led to its disappearence and the popular phrase “blow smoke up one’s ass.”

In the 18th Century it was seriously believed that under certain conditions blowing tobacco smoke into the rectum of an apparently dead person could resuscitate them. In the Science Museum in London there is a Tobacco Resuscitator machine dated 1774. Check it out.

In the 1700's a new method of resuscitation was used. This "new" procedure involved blowing tobacco smoke into the victim's rectum. According to the literature, smoke was first blown into an animal bladder, then into the victim's rectum. It was used successfully by North American Indians and American colonists an introduced in England in 1767.

It was used until the mid 1800's.

ORIGIN: The Tobacco Smoke Enema (1750's-1810's) was used to infuse tobacco smoke into a patient's rectum for various medical purposes, primarily to resuscitation of drowning victims. A rectal tube inserted into the anus was connected to a fumigator and bellows that forced the smoke into the rectum. The warmth of the smoke was thought to promote respiration, but doubts about the credibility of tobacco enemas led to the popular phrase "blow smoke up one's ass." Search on "tobacco smoke enema" for illustrations of the apparatus.

where did "petered out" come from

They thought blowing smoke up a drowning victims ass wouuld restore respiration.

While on vacation I visited a museum in Vienna which included a display of antiquated medical instrumentation. Among the items on display was a bellows sort of thing with attachments used according to the display card, to give tobacco smoke enemas. Then instrument was dated to the late 1700's and the card said that at the time it was believed that giving tobacco smoke enemas was beneficial to one's health.

While on a tour of Vienna I chanced upon a museum which included all sorts of medical instruments from days gone by. One of these was an apparatus used to blow tobacco smoke up a person's rectum. The display card explained that at the time it was believed that doing so would be medically beneficial to people.

Former president Bill Klinton, after being impeached, (Not removed from office, but impeached), was on trial for lying to a Federal Judge. At the hearing, he was asked about his relationship with Monica Lewinski. He said, I did not have sexual relations with that woman, Ms. Lewinski" At which the questioner said, "Look boy, don't blow smoke up my ass." In other words, "don't try to lie to me."

Erm, The context in which I have normally encountered this expression is that "I'm not blowing smoke upvyour arse" is shorthamd for "I am not a sycophant sucking up to you and giving you empty imsincere flattery". My understanding is that this comes from early Hollywood days when big stars wishing to imduLge in the pleasures of the Peruvian Marching Powder or some other narcotic without tooting it up thier nostrils thus messing and their nasil passages (and potentially impairing thier vocal tonality) would get a flunky to quite literally blow it up thier derriers... When you think about it that would have been a very effective method of getting it into the bloodstream given the eh hem way in which that part of the anatomy is constructed.

To lie, to tell a falsehood. originally comes from the era of snake-oil salesmen and traveling hucksters pandering cure-all ointments.

One said cure for many ailments (including constipation) was a "tobacco enema" in which the purveyor would literally blow smoke up the afflicted person's rectum with a device created solely for this purpose. obviously people caught on soon enough, and figured out that tobacco enemas were embarrassing as well as useless.

As such, the phrase became the euphemism it is today for selling a line of nonsense to an otherwise naive or unsuspecting rube.

During WWI, in the trenches, at night, the snipers would shoot at anyone that they could see above the level of the trench. The allies started using dummies to draw their fie and would then fire back at the muzzle flash. After a while the snipers got smart and waited to see a sign of life from the figure they saw so the allies ran a tube up the back leading to the mouth. They would push the dummy up enough to be seen and then blow smoke through the tube so that it looked like it was being blown out by the dummy and would shoot at it. Hence, "Don't blow smoke up my ass" meaning don't make me out to be a dummy.