road-metal

The workers spread road-metal on the new path.

Definition

1. Noun:
   • Material for road construction: "road-metal" refers to broken stone or other hard material used as a foundation or surface layer for roads, typically to provide stability and drainage.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • The construction crew spread road-metal evenly across the gravel path. (Broken stone material used to build a stable road surface.)
  • Quarries supply road-metal for highway projects throughout the region. (Hard material extracted for road-building purposes.)

Advanced Usage

• "to lay road-metal": to place or spread the material for road construction.
  • The workers began to lay road-metal early in the morning to finish the road by dusk. (They spread the broken stone to form the road base.)

Variants and Related Words

• Road (n): a path for travel, often surfaced with road-metal.

  • The road was smooth after the new layer of road-metal was applied. (The path was improved with the hard material.)

• Metal (n): a solid material, but in "road-metal" it specifically refers to crushed stone or aggregate, not metallic elements.

  • The term "metal" in road-metal comes from its use in mining and construction. (The word denotes hard, durable material.)

Synonyms

• Aggregate: a mixture of crushed stone, gravel, or sand used in construction.
• Crushed stone: stone broken into small pieces for use as road material.
• Ballast: material like gravel used to provide a stable base for roads or railways.

Related Idioms

• "To have a road-metal heart" (rare, figurative): to be unyielding or tough, like the material used in roads.
  • He had a road-metal heart, never showing emotion during the crisis. (He was emotionally hard and resilient.)