Definition

1. Noun:
   • A wooden prop used to support the roof of a mine: A piece of timber used in mining to hold up the ceiling or roof of a tunnel or shaft.
   • A chock or bar wedged under a wheel or between the spokes to prevent a vehicle from rolling down an incline: A device, often made of wood or metal, placed to stop a wheeled vehicle from moving, especially on a slope.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • The miners placed a sturdy sprag against the tunnel roof to prevent a collapse.
  • Before changing the tire on the hill, he securely positioned a sprag behind the rear wheel.

Advanced Usage

• Technical/Industrial Context: The term is primarily used in specific industries like mining and vehicle maintenance. It describes a safety device or structural support.
  • The old mining regulations required a sprag every ten feet in the new shaft.
• As a Verb (Rare/Obsolete): Historically, "to sprag" meant to check or stop with a sprag. This usage is now largely obsolete.
  • They managed to sprag the wagon before it could roll into the ditch.

Variants and Related Words

• Sprags (n): Plural form of sprag.
• Spragging (v, gerund/participle): The action of placing or using a sprag.
  • Spragging the wheels is a crucial safety step.

Synonyms

• Chock: A wedge or block placed against a wheel to prevent movement.
• Block: A solid piece of material used to stop or support something.
• Prop: A pole or beam used as a support.
• Scotch: (Chiefly British) A wedge or block placed under a wheel.

Related Phrases

• "To put a sprag in the wheels": To deliberately hinder or obstruct progress (figurative, derived from the literal use).
  • The new regulations put a sprag in the wheels of the development project.

Noun

1. a wooden prop used to support the roof of a mine
2. a chock or bar wedged under a wheel or between the spokes to prevent a vehicle from rolling down an incline