fireplug

English

Fireplug in New Orleans, c. 1900

Etymology

From fire +‎ plug, referring to the system used prior to fire hydrants, in which a large plug was placed into a hole in the water main, then covered with a barrel. The plug was removed when water was needed.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /faɪ(ə)plʌɡ/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

Noun

fireplug (plural fireplugs)

1. A fire hydrant.
   • 1976, Kurt Vonnegut, chapter 1, in Slapstick, Delacorte Press, page 22:

     She is a strong and warm-hearted and hard-working farmer in her early sixties. She is built like a fireplug.

Translations

A fire hydrant — see fire hydrant

Anagrams

• gripeful