linstock

/'linstɔk/

Thân thiện

A soldier holds a linstock to light the cannon's fuse.

Definition

1. Noun:
   • A historical artillery tool: A wooden staff, typically about one meter in length, with a pointed end for securing it in the ground and a forked or cloven head at the other end designed to hold a slow-burning match (a length of cord soaked in a combustible substance). It was used to safely ignite the powder charge of a cannon.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • The gunner carefully held the linstock, its match glowing, as he waited for the command to fire.
  • Museum displays of 18th-century artillery often include a linstock alongside the cannons.

Advanced Usage

• Historical/Metaphorical Context: The term is almost exclusively used in historical descriptions of pre-19th century warfare. It can metaphorically represent outdated technology or methods.
  • In an age of electronic ignition, his insistence on manual checks was seen as clinging to a linstock.

Variants and Related Words

• Slow match / Match: The treated cord that was held in the linstock's fork.
• Gunner's pick / Sponge staff: Other tools used by historical artillery crews, but these are distinct from the linstock.

Synonyms

• Portfire (n): A later, more refined type of ignition device using a tube of combustible composition, which eventually replaced the linstock and slow match for many uses.
• Ignition staff: A descriptive, non-historical term for the tool's function.

Related Phrases/Idioms

• To hold a linstock to: A very rare and archaic phrase meaning to be in a position to ignite or instigate a volatile situation.
  • His inflammatory speech was like holding a linstock to the powder keg of public opinion.

Học thuật

Noun

1. a stick about a meter long with a point on one end (to stick in the ground) and a forked head on the other end (to hold a lighted match); formerly used to fire cannons