linstock
/'linstɔk/
Definition
- 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 It can metaphorically represent outdated technology or methods.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.
Noun
-
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
