powder-works
Definition
Noun (plural in form but singular or plural in construction): A factory or facility where gunpowder or other explosive powders are manufactured.
Usage Examples
- (A specific factory that produced gunpowder.)
- (Multiple facilities for manufacturing explosive powder.)
Advanced Usage
"to work at the powder-works": to be employed in a gunpowder factory.
- My grandfather worked at the powder-works during the war. (He was employed at the gunpowder manufacturing plant.)
"the powder-works explosion": a specific historical incident involving a gunpowder factory.
- The powder-works explosion was heard for miles around. (The blast from the gunpowder factory was extremely loud.)
Variants and Related Words
Powder (n): a dry, fine substance; specifically, gunpowder.
- The barrel was filled with powder. (The container held gunpowder.)
Powder mill (n): a synonym for powder-works, often used interchangeably.
- The powder mill was located outside the city limits. (The gunpowder factory was built away from populated areas.)
Works (n): a factory or industrial plant.
- The steel works employed hundreds of people. (The steel factory had many workers.)
Synonyms
- Gunpowder factory: a facility that produces gunpowder.
- Powder mill: a mill or plant where gunpowder is ground and mixed.
- Explosives plant: a broader term for any facility that manufactures explosive materials.
Related Idioms
- "to sit on a powder keg": to be in a potentially dangerous or explosive situation (related metaphorically to gunpowder).
- The political tension was like sitting on a powder keg. (The situation was unstable and could erupt at any moment.)
Phrasal Verbs
- Powder down: (rare) to reduce to powder; to pulverize.
- The machine powders down the ingredients for the mixture. (The machine grinds the materials into a fine powder.)