Wire \Wire\ (w[imac]r), n. [OE. wir, AS. wir; akin to Icel.
v[imac]rr, Dan. vire, LG. wir, wire; cf. OHG. wiara fine
gold; perhaps akin to E. withy. [root]141.]
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1. A thread or slender rod of metal; a metallic substance
formed to an even thread by being passed between grooved
rollers, or drawn through holes in a plate of steel.
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Note: Wire is made of any desired form, as round, square,
triangular, etc., by giving this shape to the hole in
the drawplate, or between the rollers.
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2. A telegraph wire or cable; hence, an electric telegraph;
as, to send a message by wire. [Colloq.]
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3. Chiefly in pl. The system of wires used to operate the
puppets in a puppet show; hence (Chiefly Political Slang),
the network of hidden influences controlling the action of
a person or organization; as, to pull the wires for
office; -- in this sense, synonymous with strings.
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4. One who picks women's pockets. [Thieves' Slang]
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5. A knitting needle. [Scot.]
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6. A wire stretching across over a race track at the judges'
stand, to mark the line at which the races end. [Racing
Cant]
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Wire bed, Wire mattress, an elastic bed bottom or
mattress made of wires interwoven or looped together in
various ways.
Wire bridge, a bridge suspended from wires, or cables made
of wire.
Wire cartridge, a shot cartridge having the shot inclosed
in a wire cage.
Wire cloth, a coarse cloth made of woven metallic wire, --
used for strainers, and for various other purposes.
Wire edge, the thin, wirelike thread of metal sometimes
formed on the edge of a tool by the stone in sharpening
it.
Wire fence, a fence consisting of posts with strained
horizontal wires, wire netting, or other wirework,
between.
Wire gauge or Wire gage.
(a) A gauge for measuring the diameter of wire, thickness
of sheet metal, etc., often consisting of a metal
plate with a series of notches of various widths in
its edge.
(b) A standard series of sizes arbitrarily indicated, as
by numbers, to which the diameter of wire or the
thickness of sheet metal in usually made, and which is
used in describing the size or thickness. There are
many different standards for wire gauges, as in
different countries, or for different kinds of metal,
the Birmingham wire gauges and the American wire gauge
being often used and designated by the abbreviations
B. W. G. and A. W. G. respectively.
Wire gauze, a texture of finely interwoven wire, resembling
gauze.
Wire grass (Bot.), either of the two common grasses
Eleusine Indica, valuable for hay and pasture, and Poa
compressa, or blue grass. See Blue grass.
Wire grub (Zool.), a wireworm.
Wire iron, wire rods of iron.
Wire lathing, wire cloth or wire netting applied in the
place of wooden lathing for holding plastering.
Wire mattress. See Wire bed, above.
Wire micrometer, a micrometer having spider lines, or fine
wires, across the field of the instrument.
Wire nail, a nail formed of a piece of wire which is headed
and pointed.
Wire netting, a texture of woven wire coarser than ordinary
wire gauze.
Wire rod, a metal rod from which wire is formed by drawing.
Wire rope, a rope formed wholly, or in great part, of
wires.
down to the wire, up to the last moment, as in a race or
competition; as, the two front runners were neck-and-neck
down to the wire. From wire[6].
under the wire, just in time; shortly before the deadline;
as, to file an application just under the wire.
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Crab \Crab\ (kr[a^]b), n. [AS. crabba; akin to D. krab, G.
krabbe, krebs, Icel. krabbi, Sw. krabba, Dan. krabbe, and
perh. to E. cramp. Cf. Crawfish.]
1. (Zool.) One of the brachyuran Crustacea. They are mostly
marine, and usually have a broad, short body, covered with
a strong shell or carapace. The abdomen is small and
curled up beneath the body.
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Note: The name is applied to all the Brachyura, and to
certain Anomura, as the hermit crabs. Formerly, it was
sometimes applied to Crustacea in general. Many species
are edible, the blue crab of the Atlantic coast being
one of the most esteemed. The large European edible
crab is Cancer padurus. Soft-shelled crabs are blue
crabs that have recently cast their shells. See
Cancer; also, Box crab, Fiddler crab, Hermit
crab, Spider crab, etc., under Box, Fiddler.
etc.
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2. The zodiacal constellation Cancer.
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3. [See Crab, a.] (Bot.) A crab apple; -- so named from its
harsh taste.
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When roasted crabs hiss in the bowl,
Then nightly sings the staring owl. --Shak.
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4. A cudgel made of the wood of the crab tree; a crabstick.
[Obs.] --Garrick.
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5. (Mech.)
(a) A movable winch or windlass with powerful gearing,
used with derricks, etc.
(b) A form of windlass, or geared capstan, for hauling
ships into dock, etc.
(c) A machine used in ropewalks to stretch the yarn.
(d) A claw for anchoring a portable machine.
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Calling crab. (Zool.) See Fiddler., n., 2.
Crab apple, a small, sour apple, of several kinds; also,
the tree which bears it; as, the European crab apple
(Pyrus Malus var. sylvestris); the Siberian crab apple
(Pyrus baccata); and the American (Pyrus coronaria).
Crab grass. (Bot.)
(a) A grass (Digitaria sanguinalis syn. Panicum
sanguinalis); -- called also finger grass.
(b) A grass of the genus Eleusine (Eleusine Indica);
-- called also dog's-tail grass, wire grass, etc.
Crab louse (Zool.), a species of louse (Phthirius pubis),
sometimes infesting the human body.
Crab plover (Zool.), an Asiatic plover (Dromas ardeola).
Crab's eyes, or Crab's stones, masses of calcareous
matter found, at certain seasons of the year, on either
side of the stomach of the European crawfishes, and
formerly used in medicine for absorbent and antacid
purposes; the gastroliths.
Crab spider (Zool.), one of a group of spiders
(Laterigrad[ae]); -- called because they can run
backwards or sideways like a crab.
Crab tree, the tree that bears crab applies.
Crab wood, a light cabinet wood obtained in Guiana, which
takes a high polish. --McElrath.
To catch a crab (Naut.), a phrase used of a rower:
(a) when he fails to raise his oar clear of the water;
(b) when he misses the water altogether in making a
stroke.
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