plugn.
/plʌɡ/, U.S. /pləɡ/ I. A piece of solid material used as a stopper or wedge, or to fill a hole, and related senses.† 4. Zoology. = piston n. 2. Obsolete. rare.
1.
a. A piece of solid material fitting tightly into a hole or aperture, used to fill a gap or cavity, or act as a wedge. Also in extended use: a natural accretion or formation blocking an opening, a vessel, etc.
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the world > space > relative position > closed or shut condition > that which or one who closes or shuts > [noun] > closure for a vessel, tube, etc. > a bung or plug
bungc1440
tampiona1475
peg1593
plug1618
picket1868
1618 R. M. Newes of Sr. Walter Rauleigh 24 You shall deuide your Carpenters some in the hold..and the rest betweene the Decks, with plates of lead, plugs, with all things necessary laid by them.
1627 J. Smith Sea Gram. ii. 10 A Hause-plug at Sea.
1669 R. Boyle Contin. New Exper. Physico-mechanicall: 1st Pt. xlvii. 161 On which was put a Wooden Plug, markt with Ink.
1706 Phillips's New World of Words (new ed.) Plug, a great wooden Peg, to stop the Bottom of a Cistern or Cask.
?c1710 J. Taylor Journey Edenborough (1903) 62 The Canopy is not supported by a Pillar, but by..a Pinn or Plugg plac't exactly in the Center.
1790 J. C. Smyth in Med. Communications 2 483 The plug or stopper of the Canula was taken out.
1845 G. Budd On Dis. Liver 143 A string of small abscesses had formed along them, separated here and there by a plug of lymph.
1861 A. Wynter Our Social Bees 194 Instantly he drops..a plug of molten solder, which hermetically seals it.
1865 E. B. Tylor Res. Early Hist. Mankind i. 1 Wooden plugs as big as table spoons put through slits in the under lip.
1899 T. C. Allbutt et al. Syst. Med. VIII. 555 Small plugs of horny epidermis can be picked out, leaving pits behind.
1937 A. J. Cronin Citadel ii. v. 140 Out of the corner of his eye he observed the carron oil bottle, corked with a plug of newspaper.
1971 W. Hillen Blackwater River 10. 97 In the lower intestine of a hibernating bear there is a ‘plug’ mainly composed of grasses.
2004 Canad. Home Workshop (Nexis) June For the best possible appearance, countersink the holes and cover them with tapered wooden plugs.
b. spec. A removable stopper for the waste pipe leading out of a sink or bath.
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the world > physical sensation > cleanness and dirtiness > sanitation > provision of sewers > [noun] > sewer > plug-hole > stopper for
plug1860
waste plug1877
1860 T. Hamilton in T. L. Donaldson Handbk. Specifications i. 221 A neat wash-hand basin, with brass plug, socket, and chain.
1872 W. Eassie Healthy Houses iv. 37 Although not long introduced the ordinary troughs and basins with plugs at the bottom and with supply taps..are sufficiently familiar as not to need any description.
1901 G. L. Sutcliffe Sanitary Fittings & Plumbing vii. 48 The plug is of the type known as ‘sunk’, the stud and chain-ring being in the sunk portion of the plug, so as not to project above the bottom of the sink.
1965 A. L. Townsend Plumbing Second Year iii. 72 The ‘pop-up’ plug is operated by turning a handle incorporated in the overflow fitting.
1991 Which? Oct. 563/1 To clear the blockage, put a bucket or bowl beneath the trap and if there's water in the sink put the plug in.
2. In various technical contexts.† a. The piston or plunger of a pump. Obsolete.† d. A small block of boxwood inserted to replace a damaged part of an engraved woodblock. Obsolete.† e. A soft steel cylinder on the end of which a die or stamp may be impressed by a punch. Obsolete.† f. A wooden cylinder attached to a line to allow it to be fired from a gun during sea rescues. Obsolete.† k. Railways. A wedge driven between a rail and its support. Obsolete.
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society > occupation and work > equipment > pump > [noun] > plunger or piston
box1531
pump shoe1534
shoe1576
force1596
pestle1604
bucket1634
forcer1634
plug1642
syringe1659
ram1875
society > occupation and work > equipment > lever or crowbar > [noun] > wedges
wedgec725
verementc1440
froe1573
quinnet1686
plug1766
stooper1784
glut1790
gadder1871
fromward1883
1642 C. Culpeper Let. 5 Apr. in Camden Misc. (1996) XXXIII. 166 A kinde of pumpe..the excellency whereof..consisted in thatwhich is called the shooe or plogge which hath leather nayld about it.
1766 T. H. Croker et al. Compl. Dict. Arts & Sci. III. at Water At the end of which [sc. levers] are jointed four rods with their forcing plugs working into four cast iron cylinders.
b. A metal wedge, driven between two other wedges (known as feathers) to split rock or stones. Frequently in plug and feather. See also feather n. 1b.
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society > occupation and work > equipment > mining equipment > [noun] > wedges, etc.
gad1671
plug1747
stook and coil1808
stook and feathers1808
Jack1846
stob1883
1747 W. Hooson Miners Dict. sig. C1v [If a hole be bored slanting or upwards] some miners in thise case use a Plug and Feather.
1842 J. Gwilt Encycl. Archit. Gloss. 1017 Plug And Feather, or Key and Feather, a name given to a method of dividing hard stones by means of a long tapering wedge called the key, and wedge-shaped pieces of iron called feathers.
1894 R. O. Heslop Northumberland Words (at cited word) The plug and feather was introduced into coal mining by Mr. G. C. Greenwell in 1869. It had been from early times used in lead mining.
1947 J. C. Rich Materials & Methods Sculpt. ix. 278 Metallic wedges, or ‘plugs’, and ‘feathers’ are inserted into the holes [in stone splitting] and lightly tapped in succession until the block is split.
1991 D. Parsons in J. Blair & N. Ramsay Eng. Medieval Industries i. 5 Detaching them [sc. blocks] from the parent rock required considerably more skill than did the digging of the rubble. The method is likely to have been the traditional plug-and-feather technique or a version of it.
c. The part of a tap, stopcock, etc., which moves to allow or block the flow of water or steam through a pipe.
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1836 W. T. Brande Man. Chem. (ed. 4) ii. 172 The piston having reached the bottom of the cylinder, the plug of the cock..shifts its position, and..the steam enters as before.., and passes in the direction of the arrows to the bottom cylinder, so as to elevate the piston.
1893 Times 6 May 14 The plug of the feed-cock blew out, filling the stokehold with steam.
1960 Dict. Mech. Engin. (ed. 8) ii. 261 Plug, the plug of a cock is the inner movable portion, which on being turned allows free passage to the liquid.
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society > leisure > the arts > visual arts > printmaking > engraving > relief engraving > [noun] > wood engraving and cutting > block > plug
plug1839
1839 W. A. Chatto Treat. Wood Engraving viii. 645 The ‘plug’ which they [sc. Albert Dürer and his contemporaries] inserted was usually square, and not circular as at present.
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society > occupation and work > equipment > marking tools > [noun] > others
arcanna1753
plug1839
penetrant1930
1839 A. Ure Dict. Arts 395 This punch becomes an inexhaustible parent of dies, without further reference to the original matrix; for now by impressing upon it plugs of soft steel..we procure impressions from it to any amount.
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the world > action or operation > safety > rescue or deliverance > [noun] > means of > means of saving life > from ship or drowning
plank1608
cradle1839
plug1841
anchor ball1858
breeches-buoy1880
Lyle gun1880
life gun1910
Schermuly1922
1841 Civil Engineer & Architect's Jrnl. 4 30/2 A long coil of rope, ¾ inch diameter, with a stout piece of wood or plug..fastened to it. This plug is intended to be put in the mouth of the gun.
1841 Civil Engineer & Architect's Jrnl. 4 125/1 The carronade was fired from off the pier, which carried the plug beyond the breakers.
g. A filling in a tooth. Now rare.
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the world > health and disease > healing > dentistry > [noun] > a restoration > filling(s)
plug1847
filling1848
plumbing1955
1847 R. Anderson Let. 23 Mar. in Artillery Officer in Mexican War (1911) 93 The only thing I have to complain of is that having lost the plug from one of my teeth it annoys me by feeling sore.
a1877 E. H. Knight Pract. Dict. Mech. II. 1749/2 An instrument for condensing the filling or plug in a tooth by a rapid succession of strokes.
1903 Dental Cosmos 45 80/2 There will be an excess of powder, which simply remains as inert material, causing the plug to crumble.
h. A small wedge or cylinder of wood or plastic, driven into a wall, etc., as a fixing for a nail, screw, etc.
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society > occupation and work > equipment > building and constructing equipment > fastenings > [noun] > plug to hold nail or screw
dook1808
wall dock1833
dowel1864
plug1881
Rawlplug1912
1881 F. Young Every Man his own Mechanic iii. iv. 588 The proper manner of making or cutting a plug to drive between bricks.
1983 J. S. Foster Struct. & Fabric (rev. ed.) I. iii. 137/3 Fix to timber plates inserted in core of laminated plasterboard and to battens screwed to plugs inserted in cellular units.
1990 Pract. Woodworking Mar. 66/2 Shelf fixing..was only solved by..first fixing wooden battens to the wall wherever it was possible to get a plastic plug in.
i. A device, usually consisting of metal pins in an insulated casing, for inserting into a socket to make an electrical connection, esp. between an appliance and an electricity supply. Also figurative. Also: a socket for receiving such a plug. Cf. to pull the plug at Phrases.
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the world > matter > physics > electromagnetic radiation > electricity > electrical appliances or devices > [noun] > electric plug
plug1883
1883 J. W. Urquhart Electr. Light (ed. 2) ix. 286 When it is required to transmit the current to a particular lamp, a metal plug is inserted at the point where the bar connected with the lamp and the bar connected to the machine intersect.
1890 D. Salomons Managem. Accumulators (ed. 5) ii. ii. 166 The two pins of this plug are pushed into the wall connector..to obtain the light.
1891 F. C. Allsop Telephones vi. 97 When the plug is inserted between the two blocks.., the circuit is closed.
1923 T. E. Herbert Telephony xiii. 316 It is particularly important that during the insertion of the plug the two springs of the jack shall not be short circuited.
1945 F. Wiseman Penguin Handyman i. 19 One end is connected to the earth pin in the three-pin plug, whilst the other end is connected to the metal housing or frame of the fire.
1972 Village Voice (N.Y.) 1 June 5/4 The whole point of the call, her thinking I was a plug into good connections.
1976 D. Phillips Planning your Lighting 13/1 A power point with an outcrop of plugs and flexes feeding a number of different items of equipment is still a common sight.
1992 I. Pattison More Rab C. Nesbitt Scripts 50 Mary hen. I've got the telly. Where's the nearest plug?
1997 J. Coe House of Sleep iv. 60 There was enough space between the socket and the back of the wardrobe to accommodate a regular three-pin plug.
j. Short for spark plug n.
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the world > matter > physics > electromagnetic radiation > electricity > discharge of electricity > [noun] > point of discharge > in internal-combustion engine > plug
plug1886
ignition plug1900
sparking plug1902
spark plug1903
society > occupation and work > equipment > machine > machines which impart power > engine > internal-combustion engine > [noun] > parts of > starters
fire syringe1822
starting handle1836
magneto1882
self-starter1884
plug1886
gas starter1898
ignition plug1900
sparking plug1902
spark plug1903
dual ignition1909
impulse coupling1916
impulse starter1916
kick-starter1916
mag1918
cut-in1921
cartridge starter1922
recoil starter1931
glow plug1947
ignition1961
1886 D. Clerk Gas Engine viii. 204 The igniting points..consist of porcelain plugs.
1890 W. Robinson Gas & Petroleum Engines vii. 225 The igniter..consists of a brass tube..screwed into the end covers at the top of cylinder. This tube contains a plug of porcelain..to insulate the points of the platinum wires.
1922 J. Buchan Bk. Escapes viii. 151 They had flown all the way to Egypt without cleaning their plugs!
1973 F. Peterson Hand-bk. Lawn Mower Repair iii. 52 You can clean the old plug with a wire brush, then make sure the electrodes are set the proper distance apart.
1990 S. King Stand (new ed.) xxxvii. 344 All the machinery is just sitting there, waiting for someone to come along—the right someone, who knows how to clean the plugs and replace a few burned-out bearings.
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1890 Cent. Dict. Plug,..a wedge-pin forced between a rail and its chair on a railway.
l. Horticulture.
(a) Chiefly U.S. A small piece of turf or pre-planted soil used chiefly for filling or making lawns.
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the world > food and drink > farming > cultivation or tillage > preparation of land or soil > [noun] > prepared surface
tilth1743
plug1947
1947 Puerto Rico Federal Exper. Station Circular No. 26. 15 Holes are dug in the existing sod about 12 inches apart both ways, and the Manila grass plugs are set at their previous depth.
1961 L. N. Wise Lawn Bk. iii. 99 The plugs or sod pieces are..dropped into corresponding size holes that have been laid out in some definite pattern.
1997 Courier-Jrnl. (Louisville, Kentucky) 16 Mar. 17 (advt.) Exclusive step-on plugger with orders of 600 plugs or more.
(b) Chiefly British. A rooted cutting or small plant grown in an individual container or compartment so that it retains a compact, well-formed root ball when planted out. More fully plug plant.
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1977 Fortune Apr. 78/1 Last year also turned out 23 million containerized ‘plugs’, seedlings grown more expensively in plastic tubes, which have the advantage of being plantable in five to seven months.
1990 Garden Answers Nov. 20/4 The ease of sending young plants through the post, (as our seed companies do with seedling geraniums and other plug plants).
1995 Daily Mail 2 Jan. 56/1 For the more experienced gardener we are offering for the first time..smaller plugs which need a slightly longer growing-on period before planting.
2003 Amateur Gardening 24 May 30/1 The three fuchsias grown from one tiny plug plant bought back in late winter are ready to be planted into their hanging basket.
m. Each of the small patches of scalp with strong hair growth which are grafted on to a balding area in hair transplantation.
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the world > health and disease > healing > medical treatment > surgery > transplanting and grafting operations > [noun] > a transplant or graft > of skin > with strong hair growth
plug1971
1971 Lima (Ohio) News 19 Sept. b7 Each small hair plug is trimmed and inserted into a forward hole.
1987 Muscle & Fitness Oct. 33/2 I've got a friend who had a hair transplant a few years ago and I could tell where the plugs of hair that were used in the transplant came from.
2001 W. Ferguson Generica li. 300 Mr. Mead got hair plugs, which didn't take, and was left with a scalp that was now both bald and scarred.
3.
a. A stoppered opening on a public water pipe for a fire hose; (hence) a fire hydrant. Now chiefly historical except in fireplug n. at fire n. and int. Compounds 2a.
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society > occupation and work > equipment > other specific types of equipment > [noun] > tap > types of
washer1596
plug1707
ballcock1734
bib cock1797
draw-off1826
plug cock1826
screw tap1842
waste-cock1844
ball tap1849
self-tapping1878
mixing valve1902
mixer tap1936
combination tap1951
mixer1973
1707 Act 6 Anne c. 58 §1 To the Intent such Plugs or Fire Cocks may always upon Occasion of any Fire be opened.
1727 R. Bradley Chomel's Dictionaire Oeconomique (Dublin ed.) at Building One Leather Pipe and Socket of the same Size as the Plug or Fire-Cock, to the intent the Socket might be put into the Pipe, to convey the Water clean into the Engine.
1812 H. Smith & J. Smith Rejected Addr. 49 Before the plug was found.
1833 Act 3 & 4 William IV c. 46 §97 The said commissioners may provide one or more fire engines and fire cocks or plugs.
1875 E. H. Knight Pract. Dict. Mech. This pipe is closed by a cap or plug, which is removed..when the hose is to be attached.
1982 S. B. Flexner Listening to Amer. 225 Early water mains had holes drilled in them every 150 to 200 yards, with wooden plugs stopping up these holes, so that when a fire brigade got to a fire it had only to pull out the plug to reach the water supply.
b. The stopper, or (in extended use) the entire flushing mechanism, which releases waste from a water closet or lavatory. See also to pull the plug at Phrases. Now rare.
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the world > physical sensation > cleanness and dirtiness > sanitation > privy or latrine > [noun] > water-closet or lavatory > W.C. appliances > stopper
plug1764
waste plug1877
1764 J. Prestage Particular of Argyll House 10 A water closet with a mahogany seat, a marble cistern with a cock and plug.
1859 F. Nightingale Notes on Nursing i. 13 As well might you have a sewer under the room, or think that in a water closet the plug need be pulled up but once a day.
1873 B. Latham Sanitary Engin. 331 When the handle H which lifts the plug is raised, everything in the basin is suddenly discharged into the trap below, and so into the drain.
1896 T. E. Coleman Sanitary House Drainage xiii. 97 Should a small piece of paper or other substance prevent the plug resting tightly upon its seat, the water above gradually escapes into the drain.
1919 R. Fry Let. May (1972) II. 451 A real Victorian W.C. with a pull up plug.
1965 C. Mackenzie My Life & Times IV. 22 The plug in the water-closet seldom worked.
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the world > animals > invertebrates > subkingdom Metazoa > grade Triploblastica or Coelomata > class Cephalopoda > [noun] > member of > parts of > retractile part in sucker
piston1841
plug1854
1854 S. P. Woodward Man. Mollusca ii. 249 The large central impression..is produced by the muscle of the plug (the equivalent of the byssal muscle in Pinna and Modiola).
5. Geology.
a. A cylindrical mass of solidified lava formed in the vent of a volcano. Also volcanic plug. Cf. neck n.1 7c.
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the world > the earth > structure of the earth > structural features > volcanic formations > [noun] > lava formations > plug
neck1876
plug1882
spine1903
tholoid1912
1882 A. Geikie Text-bk. Geol. 256 If the tuff of a cone..were swept away, we should find a central lava plug or core resembling the volcanic ‘heads’..of Germany.
1897 Science 26 Feb. 361/1 On a protected face of the Boar's tusk, a volcanic plug, was observed a white coating of soda nitre.
1900 Q. Jrnl. Geol. Soc. 56 221 Mount Kenya is an ancient much-eroded volcano; the highest peak is formed of the rocks of the central plug.
1944 A. Holmes Princ. Physical Geol. xx. 456 Later, the plug of the conduit was forced bodily upwards, through the dome, thus forming the celebrated ‘spine’ of Mont Pelée.
1976 P. Francis Volcanoes iii. 123 The vent may well become blocked with a slow-moving or stationary plug of lava.
1988 Holiday Which? May 143/2 The cathedral of Le Puy is a striking affair, high on a volcanic plug.
b. A mass of rock which has been forced upwards by tectonic pressures, lifting overlying strata into the form of a dome; esp. such a mass formed of salt (cf. salt plug n. at salt n.1 Compounds 2).
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the world > the earth > structure of the earth > structural features > discontinuity or unconformity > [noun] > intrusion > plug
plug1906
salt dome1908
salt plug1952
1906 Prof. Papers U.S. Geol. Surv. No. 46. 67 Lee Hager..has suggested a hypothesis which explains the origin of these..domes..by the upthrust of an igneous plug.
1952 W. J. Miller Introd. Hist. Geol. (ed. 6) xxiii. 428 In southeastern Texas and southern Louisiana..oil-bearing strata are upturned around large masses or plugs of salt.
2002 Earth & Planetary Sci. Lett. 201 253/1 A composite fault-bounded central uplift dome, consisting of a 20–25 km wide granitoid plug mantled by a 31–37 km wide updomed sedimentary colar.
II. Senses developed from plug v.† 7. slang. A punch, a knock. Cf. plug v. 4b. Also figurative. Obsolete.
6. A cake or stick of tobacco; a piece of this, esp. for chewing.
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the world > physical sensation > use of drugs and poison > tobacco > [noun] > tobacco in a roll, cake, or stick
cane-tobacco1600
pudding tobacco1601
roll1602
tobacco roll1602
canea1612
pudding-packa1618
prick1666
pigtail1681
nova1688
prick tobacco1688
plug1729
plug tobacco1788
twist1791
carrot1808
cavendish1839
nail-rod1848
hard1865
twist tobacco1894
the world > physical sensation > use of drugs and poison > tobacco > [noun] > tobacco in a roll, cake, or stick > small piece cut from
cudeOE
quid1720
chew1725
chaw1772
fid1793
fig1838
plug1843
1729 P. Delany Tribune No. xviii. 122 They must content themselves with such Herbs as they can pick up in the Fields, and make themselves merry with a Plug of Tobacco.
1732 J. Swift Pastoral Dialogue vi, in Misc. III. 37 The Dean threw me this Tobacco-plug: A longer half-p'orth never did I see.
1841 G. Catlin Lett. N. Amer. Indians II. xlii. 66 Offering him a few plugs of tobacco.
1843 C. Dickens Martin Chuzzlewit (1844) xxi. 260 Cutting a quid or plug from his cake of tobacco.
1898 T. C. Allbutt et al. Syst. Med. V. 853 The tobacco being generally twist or plug.
1951 S. H. Bell December Bride ii. viii. 129 ‘Will ye bring back two or three packets o' fegs wi' ye?’ he asked, laying some money on the table. ‘Oh, and a bit o' plug for Petie.’
1992 A. W. Eckert Sorrow in our Heart iv. 271 There were large dark evil-looking sticks of twist tobacco, shredded tobacco in tins, chewing tobacco in bars and plugs and snuff of various qualities and flavors.
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the world > movement > impact > striking > striking with specific thing > [noun] > with the hand > with the fist
bobeta1400
bobettingc1440
boba1568
nevel1568
fisticuffs1600
bunch1642
condyle1644
poke1690
punch1766
fist1767
plug1798
chuckera1805
polthogue1808
fistera1834
jab1889
bust1893
1798 W. Pitt in Ld. Rosebery Life (1891) 208 The bill is to be read a second time tomorrow, and, in spite of many Plugs from Sir W. Pulteney, will certainly pass.
1862 R. A. Bensell Jrnl. 26 Apr. in All Quiet on Yamhill 17 Jordan gave him a plug in the face.
1898 W. T. Goodge in Bulletin (Sydney) 4 June If he hits a man in fighting That is what he calls a plug.
III. Miscellaneous other uses.† 8. slang. A measure of beer. Obsolete. rare.
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the world > food and drink > drink > intoxicating liquor > ale or beer > [noun] > drink of
plug1816
jar1925
tank1936
1816 ‘Quiz’ Grand Master vii. 184 Come, Sir, another plug of malt.
9. slang (originally North American).
a. Originally and chiefly U.S. An incompetent or undistinguished person. Also, more generally: a bloke, a fellow.
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the world > people > person > man > [noun]
churla800
werec900
rinkeOE
wapmanc950
heOE
wyeOE
gomeOE
ledeOE
seggeOE
shalkOE
manOE
carmanlOE
mother bairnc1225
hemea1250
mother sona1250
hind1297
buck1303
mister mana1325
piecec1325
groomc1330
man of mouldc1330
hathela1350
sire1362
malea1382
fellowa1393
guestc1394
sergeant?a1400
tailarda1400
tulka1400
harlotc1405
mother's sona1470
frekea1475
her1488
masculinea1500
gentlemana1513
horse?a1513
mutton?a1513
merchant1549
child1551
dick1553
sorrya1555
knavea1556
dandiprat1556
cove1567
rat1571
manling1573
bird1575
stone-horse1580
loona1586
shaver1592
slave1592
copemate1593
tit1594
dog1597
hima1599
prick1598
dingle-dangle1605
jade1608
dildoa1616
Roger1631
Johnny1648
boy1651
cod1653
cully1676
son of a bitch1697
cull1698
feller1699
chap1704
buff1708
son of a gun1708
buffer1749
codger1750
Mr1753
he-man1758
fella1778
gilla1790
gloak1795
joker1811
gory1819
covey1821
chappie1822
Charley1825
hombre1832
brother-man1839
rooster1840
blokie1841
hoss1843
Joe1846
guy1847
plug1848
chal1851
rye1851
omee1859
bloke1861
guffin1862
gadgie1865
mug1865
kerel1873
stiff1882
snoozer1884
geezer1885
josser1886
dude1895
gazabo1896
jasper1896
prairie dog1897
sport1897
crow-eater1899
papa1903
gink1906
stud1909
scout1912
head1913
beezer1914
jeff1917
pisser1918
bimbo1919
bozo1920
gee1921
mush1936
rye mush1936
basher1942
okie1943
mugger1945
cat1946
ou1949
tess1952
oke1970
bra1974
muzhik1993
the mind > goodness and badness > quality of being good > mediocrity > [noun] > mediocre person
mediocrity1694
mediocrist1779
mediocritist1797
plug1848
little guy1939
poor little guy1955
the mind > mental capacity > lack of understanding > stupid, foolish, or inadequate person > person of weak intellect > confused, muddled person > [noun]
mafflardc1450
juffler15..
dromedary1567
madbrain1570
batie buma1586
addle-head1592
blunderkin1596
nit1598
addle-pate1601
hash1655
blunderbuss1692
blunderhead1692
shaffles1703
fog-pate1732
blunderer1741
puzzle-pate1761
slouch1767
étourdi1768
botch1769
puddle1782
bumble1789
scatter-brain1790
addle-brain1799
puzzle-head1815
shaffler1828
chowderhead1833
muddlehead1833
muddler1833
flounderer1836
duffer1842
muddle-pate1844
plug1848
incompetent1866
schlemiel1868
dinlo1873
drumble-dore1881
hodmandod1881
dub1887
prune1895
foozler1896
bollock1916
messer1926
Pilot Officer (also P.O.) Prune1942
spaz1965
spastic1981
1848 Ladies' Repository 8 316/2 Plug,..a nickname for a homely man.
1863 in J. D. Billings Hardtack & Coffee (1887) 72 Next came General Meade, a slow old plug, For he let them away at Gettysburg.
1899 ‘J. Flynt’ Tramping with Tramps ii. iv. 278 I'm always willing to be square to a square plug (fellow).
1907 Reader Aug. 253 The fellow that owned it was a wiser plug than I thought.
1920 S. Lewis Main St. xxv. 308 You figure I'm just a plug general practitioner.
1935 N. Ersine Underworld & Prison Slang 58 Plug, a working stiff, an ox.
1948 Redbook Mag. (Chicago) Mar. 48/2 You—you broken reed! You doormat! Old steady, unimaginative, dumb plug!
1981 S. McAughtry Belfast Stories i. 38 I remember the time when you were considered an ignorant plug if you didn't stay between the house and the pub till the small hours of the morning, after a funeral.
b. North American slang. An old and worn-out horse; (more generally) any horse. Also (Australian and New Zealand slang): a slow and steady horse; a decent horse (now rare).
ΘΚΠ
the world > animals > mammals > group Ungulata (hoofed) > family Equidae (general equines) > equus caballus or horse > [noun]
horsec825
blonkOE
brockc1000
mareOE
stota1100
caplec1290
foala1300
rouncyc1300
scot1319
caballc1450
jade1553
chival1567
prancer1567
ball1570
pranker1591
roussin1602
wormly1606
cheval1609
sonipes1639
neigher1649
quadruped1660
keffel1699
prad1703
jig1706
hoss1815
cayuse1841
yarraman1848
quad1854
plug1860
bronco1869
gee-gee1869
quadrupedant1870
rabbit1882
gee1887
neddy1887
nanto1889
prod1891
goat1894
skin1918
bang-tail1921
horsy1923
steed-
the world > animals > mammals > group Ungulata (hoofed) > family Equidae (general equines) > equus caballus or horse > [noun] > inferior or old and worn-out
brockc1000
stota1100
jadec1386
yaud?a1513
roila1529
tit1548
hilding1590
tireling1590
dog horsec1600
baffle1639
Rosinante1641
aver1691
keffel1699
runt1725
hack horse1760
rip1775
kadisha1817
dunghill1833
pelter1854
crow-bait1857
caster1859
plug1860
knacker1864
plug horse1872
crock1879
skate1894
robbo1897
1860 in A. H. Oldroyd Lincoln's Campaign (1896) 171 There's an old plow ‘hoss’ whose name is ‘Dug’... He's short and thick and a regular ‘plug’.
1869 ‘M. Twain’ Innocents Abroad xxvii. 285 We bought two sorry-looking Mexican ‘plugs’.
1885 W. T. Hornaday Two Years in Jungle xxiv. 284 The horses were large and rather raw-boned Australian ‘plugs’, well qualified for the work they had to do.
1930 V. Palmer Men are Human xxi. 195 There would be a moral rot and everyone would be looking for an old plug to ride.
1948 Chicago Tribune 12 Dec. (Grafic Mag.) 5/5 He was a hopeless plug and never ran in the money.
1992 Morgan Horse Nov. 23/1 The other horse to get was a plug and if you've ridden a bit, a plug is incredibly boring.
c. Publishing. A book which sells badly; a remainder.
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society > communication > book > kind of book > books as sold > [noun] > worst-seller or slow-seller
remainder1757
rum1760
remainder book1858
plug1890
crab1896
worst-seller1903
1890 Cent. Dict. 4565/1 Plug,..a shelf-worn book.
1901 Dial. Notes 2 145 Plug, a book left on author's or publisher's hands. N.Y. City.
1928 Publisher's Circular 21 July 59/2 Out of the vast number of publications issued, some must, indeed, turn out to be plugs.
1970 R. K. Kent Lang. Journalism 104 Plug,..a book sold at a reduced price by a publisher after sales have fallen off: in plural, also remainders.
10. U.S. slang. = plug hat n. at Compounds 2. Now rare.
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the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > types or styles of clothing > headgear > [noun] > hat > tall > cylindrical > top hat > silk
silk hat1546
plug1848
chimney-pot hat1851
plug hat1860
box hat1864
shiner1867
1848 Ladies' Repository 8 316/2 Plug, a hat.
1891 E. Kinglake Austral. at Home 6 The reign of the ‘stove pipe’, or as the Americans have it, ‘the plug’, is as secure in Australia as anywhere.
1891 R. Kipling City Dreadful Night 9 He steps into the brougham and puts on—a top hat, a shiny black ‘plug’.
1909 ‘O. Henry’ Roads of Destiny xiv. 223 He wore a high, well-kept silk hat—known as a ‘plug’ in Elmville.
1928 C. T. Harris Mem. Manhattan 117 High hats were commonly worn until the introduction of the English derby which relegated the ‘plug’ to politicians and Patrick's Day parades.
11. Originally English regional (northern). A long pull; a steady, plodding route or course. Cf. plug v. 5.
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society > travel > aspects of travel > a journey > [noun] > steady plodding
plug1885
1885 R. Holland Gloss. Words County of Chester (1886) 265 Plug, a pull.
1900 W. Dickinson & E. W. Prevost Gloss. Dial. Cumberland (rev. ed.) 247/1 Plug, a long continued pull.
1909 Daily Chron. 16 Sept. 3/4 The story is of the quiet plug of the prosaic Henry and the meteoric flight of the splendid Len.
1911 A. Cherry-Garrard Jrnl. 17 Dec. in Worst Journey in World (1922) II. x. 359 It was a hard plug up the waves.
1958 Times 10 Jan. 3 After a hard plug to windward, Lutine arrived first, on Sunday afternoon.
12. colloquial (originally U.S.). A piece of (usually free) publicity for a product, event, idea, etc.
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society > communication > information > publishing or spreading abroad > advertising > types or methods of advertising > [noun] > by persistent repetition
plug1902
plugola1954
1902 G. Ade Girl Proposition 50 They were friendly to the prosperous Bachelor and each one determined to put in a few quiet Plugs for Sis.
1929 Variety 10 July 1/5 Everything gets a Wrigley plug, for the benefit of his gum.
1958 Spectator 13 June 762/1 Nobody will be a penny the better off for the debate except Mr. Noel-Baker, whose new book on disarmament..got a series of plugs that not even a film programme on BBC television could rival.
1978 Jrnl. Royal Soc. Arts 126 418/1 I was interested in Sir Monty's plug for engineers to be involved as managers in top management.
1994 Richmond (Va.) Times-Dispatch 9 Nov. c1/3 It was a well-planned, well-photographed plug for Richmond.
13. Angling. A lure resembling a fish.
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the world > food and drink > hunting > fishing > fishing-tackle > means of attracting fish > [noun] > lure with one or more hooks
plug1917
plunker1930
plug bait1933
popper1936
chugger1938
1917 Sandusky (Ohio) Star Jrnl. 14 Apr. When you lope into a tackle store and see the many different artificial plugs for unsuspecting fish, you are sure in a quandary as to a selection of what plugs will really get the fish.
1944 ‘N. Shute’ Pastoral i. 5 To take his new rod and his new reel and his new plugs.
1976 Norwich Mercury 19 Nov. 9/5 Jeremy Epton and Anthony Raywood, 11, were having no success at all dipping a plug into the nearby River Wensum hoping for a pike.
2002 Field & Stream Oct. 74/2 Bulky items and large lures, like saltwater trolling plugs..and chunky plugs with several sets of large treble hooks.
Phrases
to pull the plug.
a. figurative. To release or unleash suddenly or early; (also, now more commonly) to prevent from happening or continuing; to bring to a sudden conclusion. Also with †out. Frequently with on.Now frequently with allusion to sense 1b and 2i.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > manner of action > rapidity or speed of action or operation > proceed rapidly [verb (intransitive)] > initiate sudden action
to pull the plug1923
society > armed hostility > hostilities in the air > attack with aircraft [verb (intransitive)] > drop bomb > drop all bombs at once
to pull the plug1923
the world > action or operation > difficulty > hindrance > hindering completely or preventing > hinder completely or prevent [verb (transitive)] > thwart or foil
false?c1225
confoundc1315
blenk?a1400
matea1400
interrupt1464
blench1485
fruster?a1513
frustrate?a1513
infatuate1533
disappoint1545
prevent1555
foila1564
blank1566
thwart1581
confute1589
dispurpose1607
shorten1608
foola1616
vain1628
balk1635
throwa1650
scotch1654
bafflea1674
crossbar1680
transverse1770
tomahawk1773
throttle1825
wreck1855
stultify1865
derail1889
to pull the plug1923
rank1924
1923 San Antonio (Texas) Express 15 July 2/2 ‘When you first made those contracts, it looked as if you could resell—’ ‘Yes—and then they pulled the plug.’
1923 Brainerd (Minnesota) Daily Dispatch 21 Aug. 3/1 The governor of South Dakota pulled the plug out when he ordered the state highway station to reduce the price of gasoline to 16 cents per gallon.
1930 Decatur (Illinois) Daily Rev. 7 Dec. 10/8 Navy pulled the plug on an extremely potent offensive and smothered the Quakers.
1934 V. M. Yeates Winged Victory xix. 152 Showers of tracers..frightened him and made him pull the plug rather too soon, and..he..saw his bombs burst a long way from his target.
1943 C. H. Ward-Jackson It's a Piece of Cake 50 To pull the plug, to release the bombs in one go, as distinct from playing the piano.
1961 C. Cockburn View from West vii. 81 The British statesman finds its [sic] nearly impossible to make a simple statement..which might not inadvertently pull the plug on himself and flush him..down the drain.
1974 Observer 18 Aug. 11/4 Any prudent banker would have pulled the plug on Court Line long ago.
1977 Spare Rib Sept. 12/2 The older lady pulled the plug on her tormentors by prudently using the vibrator.
1994 Daily Mail 29 Sept. 2/3 The plug has got to be pulled on European law which has such perverse effects.
b. To flush the lavatory. Also occasionally to pull up the plug. See sense 3b.
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the world > physical sensation > cleanness and dirtiness > sanitation > privy or latrine > [verb (intransitive)] > flush lavatory
to pull the plug1932
1859 F. Nightingale Notes on Nursing i. 13 As well might you have a sewer under the room, or think that in a water closet the plug need be pulled up but once a day.]
1932 A. Bell Cherry Tree x. 143 He pulled the plug of the water-closet and turned to us with a triumphant smile as the house echoed with the demonstrably efficient deluge.
1943 G. Greene Ministry of Fear i. iii. 60 Pull the plug... Wait till the cistern refills, then pull the plug again.
1964 C. Mackenzie My Life & Times III. 75 ‘They must not hurt my seat.’ He then pulled up the plug, and pushed it down again. ‘Doulton you see.’
1991 E. J. Howard Marking Time (1992) 181 He tore off his clothes and chucked them into the water, and then climbed onto the lavatory seat and pulled the plug.
Compounds
C1.
a. General attributive.† plug bat n. Obsolete† plug bolt n. Obsolete† plug bullet n. Obsolete
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1837 Civil Engineer & Architect's Jrnl. 1 44/2 A hole of two inches diameter having been..made in each side of the stone, and plug bats..inserted.
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1838 Civil Engineer & Architect's Jrnl. 1 258/2 A form of plug bolt peculiarly adapted for mooring and warping up rapids.
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1858 W. Greener Gunnery in 1858 390 ‘Wobbling’, a principle inherent in all plug bullets after leaving the muzzle.
plug machine n.
ΚΠ
1875 E. H. Knight Amer. Mech. Dict. III. 1750/1 Plug-machine, a machine for making wooden plugs for faucet-holes of..barrels.
1948 N. M. Tilley in Jrnl. Southern Hist. 14 566 The cutting machine for smoking tobacco, the Lester-Adams plug machine, the cigarette machine.
plug shot n.
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1901 ‘G. Douglas’ House with Green Shutters 138 He..ground them [sc. his words] out like a labouring mill, each word solid as plug shot.
b. (In sense 2e.)
plug pony n.
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1884 J. G. Bourke Snake Dance Moquis xxix. 315 Our mules and Nahi-vehma's plug pony stampeded.
1998 Buffalo News (N.Y.) (Nexis) 27 June 2 b When they came to me they were docile, like little plug ponies.
c. (In sense 2j.)
plug number n.
ΚΠ
1933 P. Godfrey Back-stage xiv. 173 In pursuance of his theory of the value of reiteration de Courville instituted the feature of the ‘plug number’.
1983 Nat. Jrnl. (Nexis) 8 Jan. 84 Other late matters scheduled for Oval Office review include proposed savings in medicare and medicaid and a ‘plug number’ for social security savings.
2003 FD Wire (Nexis) 27 Mar. It's not a plug number; it's a scientific approach to capital.
plug schedule n.
ΚΠ
1947 Time 24 Nov. 74/3 Music publishers and recording companies were getting together on ‘plug schedules’ to ration out the hits.
plug song n.
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1938 Lowell (Mass.) Sun 29 Jan. ‘It's Easier Said Than Done’, the plug song of the new Lombardo music firm.
2003 Africa News (Nexis) 9 Mar. When the now defunct youthful music group, Mosi Oa Tunya released their debut album, Musatize Project One, the plug song was a Taitos Tenda Upenyu original.
C2. † plug arbor n. Obsolete an arbor or mandril in a lathe on which a drill chuck is mounted.† plug-basket n. Brewing Obsolete (perhaps) the depression at the bottom of a mash tun into which a plug fits.† plug-draining n. Obsolete a system of draining heavy clay land, in which plugs or blocks of wood are placed at the bottom of a cutting to keep the channel open while the cutting is filled in.† plug-finisher n. Obsolete a fine file for finishing the surface of a filling in a tooth.† plug joggle n. Masonry Obsolete a joint between two pieces of stone resembling a plug and matching cavity.† plugman n. Mining Obsolete a person who operates and maintains a pit pumping engine. † plug-rod n. Obsolete (a) a pump-rod; (b) = plug-frame n.† plug-tree n. Obsolete = plug-frame n.
plug-and-socket adj. designating or relating to a system or fitting that features an arrangement of a plug and its matching socket.
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1920 Times 2 Feb. 19/6 Conduit and Conduit Fittings, comprising 350 plug and socket fittings, wall plugs and sockets, [etc.].
1965 Sunday Times Recorder (Zanesville, Ohio) 21 Oct. 4 b/2 The anti-theft device for cars, trucks and power boats features armoured cable and a 16-pin plug-and-socket connector.
1996 Financial Post (Canada) 18 Oct. 10/2 The 18 members of the European electrical standards body, (CENELEC), who account for 20 different plug and socket systems among them, have agreed to disagree.
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a1884 E. H. Knight Pract. Dict. Mech. Suppl. 694/1 Plug Arbor, a lathe attachment for mounting drill chucks.
plug assist n. a heated plunger used in the vacuum moulding of plastics which forces the plastic partially into the mould cavity before the vacuum is applied; the technique of using this device.
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society > occupation and work > equipment > equipment for working with other materials > [noun] > with plastics
transfer mould1933
transfer chamber1946
compression mould1951
preformer1952
slush mould1957
plug assist1958
transfer pot1963
1958 Brit. Plastics 31 20/2 Almost immediately the heated plug-assist is lowered into the bubble.
1958 Times Rev. Industry Aug. 57/2 This machine uses deep-draw, drape, Airslip, and drop-form plug assist techniques either individually or in combination.
1999 Materials World Sept. 575/4 A range of syntactic foam materials..are used to manufacture thermoforming plug assists and feed rollers operating at temperatures up to 232°C.
plug-assisted adj. using a plug assist.
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society > occupation and work > equipment > equipment for working with other materials > [adjective] > for working with plastics
landed plunger1942
plug-assisted1958
1958 Brit. Plastics 31 352/2 Drape and plug-assisted techniques are particularly suitable.
2000 Adv. Materials & Processes (Nexis) 1 Oct. 22 A plug-assisted twin-sheet thermoforming process to produce fuel tanks having better dimensional uniformity..than those made by blow molding.
plug bait n. = sense 13.
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the world > food and drink > hunting > fishing > fishing-tackle > means of attracting fish > [noun] > lure with one or more hooks
plug1917
plunker1930
plug bait1933
popper1936
chugger1938
1933 Indiana (Pa.) Evening Gaz. 6 June The Board of Fish Commissioners..will issue a ruling prohibiting the use of more than one burr hook of three points on a plug bait.
2003 S. Wales Echo (Nexis) 20 Feb. 46 Graham..caught a 25.25lb pike on a plug bait lure.
plug-basin n. now rare a washbasin with a plug hole.
ΚΠ
1833 Times 23 Sept. 4 Plug basin stands.
1874 Manufacturer & Builder Jan. 21/1 Set one overflow plug basin, with plated chains, stays, plugs, and strainers.
1890 Cent. Dict. (at cited word) Plug-basin.
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1743 W. Ellis Suppl. to London & Country Brewer (ed. 2) 267 Flour of all Malt, especially if it is ground very small, is apt to wash to the Plug-Basket, and thereby cause a foul Wort to run off.
plug bayonet n. an early type of bayonet, which was fixed into the muzzle of a gun.
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1767 Compan. London & Westm. 19 The sword-bayonet is made like the plug-handled bayonet, only longer.]
1856 Littell's Living Age 5 Apr. 33/2 The plate..depicts a soldier evidently using the plug-bayonet.
1994 Fighting Firearms Autumn 31/2 The obvious drawback to the plug bayonet is the musket could not be fired while it was in place.
plug box n. (a) Mining a wooden pipe used to carry off water while lining a mineshaft to make it waterproof; (b) a box for electrical plugs.
ΘΚΠ
society > occupation and work > workplace > places where raw materials are extracted > mine > [noun] > drain or channel for carrying off water
soughc1619
water level1698
yeo1725
plug box1883
1883 W. S. Gresley Gloss. Terms Coal Mining Plug Box, a wooden water-pipe used in coffering.
1937 Proc. Royal Soc. B. 123 152 For rectifier cells we at first merely added a low resistance plug box to the outfit.
1991 Lighting Dimensions Nov. 124/2 Manufactures a full line of electrical distribution equipment for the stage and studio industry including connector strips, plug boxes, floor pockets.
plug centre bit n. Woodworking and Mechanics a kind of centre bit having a solid cylindrical projection instead of a central point, which fits into a hole around which a countersink or enlargement is to be made.
ΚΠ
1846 C. Holtzapffel Turning & Mech. Manip. II. xxiv. 241 This tool, known as the plug center-bit, is much used in making frames and furniture, held together by screw-bolts.
1928 Old-time New England July 30 (caption) (E and F) called by Holtzapffel, ‘Plug Center Bits’, found among the tools in the amateur Germantown workshop of Mr. C. J. Wister (1820 to 1860).., are constructed like the button bit but lack the outer scribe points and replace the central pointed pivot with a round, blunt plug.
1940 Chambers's Techn. Dict. 654/2 Plug centre bit, a form of centre bit in which the projecting central point is replaced by a plug of metal.
plug cock n. (a) a tap with a pierced or perforated plug which allows liquid to flow through when turned on; cf. plug valve n.; †(b) a spigot which is driven into a barrel rather than screwed in (obsolete).
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society > occupation and work > equipment > other specific types of equipment > [noun] > tap > types of
washer1596
plug1707
ballcock1734
bib cock1797
draw-off1826
plug cock1826
screw tap1842
waste-cock1844
ball tap1849
self-tapping1878
mixing valve1902
mixer tap1936
combination tap1951
mixer1973
1826 Glasgow Mechanics' Mag. 1 July 276/1 His [sc. Mr. Bramah's] new plug and sliding cocks, are..well worthy of being noticed.
1850 T. Ewbank Descriptive & Hist. Acct. Hydraul. & Other Machines 21 May 557 There is reason to believe that ancient modifications both of valve and plug cocks were quite as numerous as modern ones.
1992 C. Hardyment Home Comfort vi. 83 The plug cock at the base of the copper was then opened so that the hopped wort..could run into the shallow rectangular cooling tray.
plug compatibility n. Computing the property of being plug-compatible.
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society > computing and information technology > hardware > computer > [noun] > compatible device > quality of
plug compatibility1979
1979 Microprocessors & Microsystems 3 194/3 Other features include..hardware plug-compatibility with LSI 11/2 and PDP 11/03 at board level.
2003 Club Managem. (Nexis) Apr. 62 Time clocks typically contain microprocessors with plug compatibility for connecting monitors, keyboards, printers, and communication equipment.
plug-compatible adj. and n. Computing (a) adj. relating to or designating equipment that is compatible with the device or system into which it may be plugged; (b) n. a plug-compatible device.
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society > computing and information technology > [adjective] > compatible
plug-compatible1971
computer-friendly1982
society > computing and information technology > hardware > computer > [noun] > compatible device
plug-compatible1971
1971 Wall St. Jrnl. 4 Feb. 30/2 Plug-to-plug compatible independent hardware.]
1971 Electronic News 8 Nov. 23/3 Executive vice-president of the Santa Clara, Calif. plug-compatible peripheral equipment manufacturer.
1979 Financial Times 19 Feb. 26/5 It seems that the plug compatibles have found the ideal market.
2001 Computer Weekly (Nexis) 22 Feb. 21 This is a consequence of IBM's decision in the mid-1990s to move disc storage under the covers... The effect was to kill off the plug-compatible competition.
plug contact n. an electrical contact formed by the presence of a plug in a socket.
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1888 Philos. Trans. 1887 (Royal Soc.) A. 178 217 A change in the plug contacts in the 10-ohm arm of the bridge.
1903 Rep. Brit. Assoc. 36 The contacts are an old form of the Cambridge Instrument Company's plug-contact.
2001 Canad. Electronics (Nexis) 1 Feb. 18 Drawer connector offers eight true hot plug contacts capable of power interruption under load.
plug door n. a type of door (esp. on a railway carriage or aeroplane) which provides a tight-fitting seal by plugging snugly into the doorway.
ΚΠ
1922 Gas Manuf., Distribution & Use (Brit. Commerc. Gas Assoc.) ii. 105/2 Fig. XXXV. shows a muffle furnace heated on the air-blast system... (h) is the plug door which provides access to the interior of the muffle.
1959 Tri-City Herald (Washington) 8 Mar. 20/3 Included in the order are 800 50-foot ‘plug door’ box cars.
1975 Aviation Week & Space Technol. (Nexis) 1 Dec. 42 The L-1011 has inward opening pressure plug doors on all upper and lower deck compartments.
2003 Railway Age (Nexis) 1 Sept. 67 The primary difference between these and the first 23 cars was elimination of previously standard facing seat pairs and the substitution of plug doors for folding doors.
ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > farming > cultivation or tillage > preparation of land or soil > ditching or drainage > [noun] > other types of drainage
gutteringc1420
strand1565
sewaging1610
thorough-draining1669
cuniculus1670
French drain1738
riggot?1746
bush-draining1748
surface drain1765
land-drain1767
pipe-draining1776
surface draining1777
fox1784
surface drainage1796
mole drain1804
soughing1808
acequia1811
well-draining1818
tile-draining1830
wedge-draining?1830
plug-draining1833
land-drainage1841
land-draining1841
mole-draining1842
trough gutter1856
mole-ditching1860
mole drainage1860
tile-drainagea1865
well point1867
karez1875
storm sewer1887
moling1943
tiling1943
storm drain1960
1833 Encycl. Brit. VIII. 139/2 Plug draining..is exclusively confined to the draining of tenacious clay, and chiefly practised on pasture land.
a1849 H. Colman European Agric. & Rural Econ. (1851) 79 In some places a mode of draining, which is called plug-draining, is still in use in stiff clay soils.
plug-drawer n. now historical a person who took part in the plug riots (see plug riots n.).
ΘΚΠ
society > authority > lack of subjection > rebelliousness > militancy > [noun] > militant person > protester or demonstrator > specific
hearts of oak1763
frame-breaker1811
blanketeers1823
Rockite1823
Rebeccaite1843
plug-drawer1888
Greenham woman1982
1888 F. Peel (title) The Risings of the Luddites, Chartists, and Plugdrawers.
1932 Times Lit. Suppl. 7 Apr. 246/1 Young Will died in resisting Chartist plug-drawers.
ΚΠ
a1884 E. H. Knight Pract. Dict. Mech. Suppl. 694/2 Plug Finisher,..a fine file for finishing the surfaces of tooth fillings.
1888 Dental Cosmos 30 273 Dr. Woodward exhibited the matrices in position on plaster models; also a set of plug-finishers.
plug flow n. Physics simple flow of material as a body, with no shearing between adjacent parts.
ΘΚΠ
the world > movement > progressive motion > specific manner of progressive motion > [noun] > continuously > of ice or viscous liquid
plug flow1929
1929 Jrnl. Physical Chem. 33 330 The movements are successively—plug flow, plug flow with stream line flow in an outer sheath, and entirely streamline flow.
1972 B. W. Sparks Geomorphol. (ed. 2) xiii. 382 Temperate glaciers in summer are likely to be the most effective agents of erosion especially if they are sliding over their beds and undergoing plug flow.
1998 Water & Waste Treatm. June 16/3 Main features include a special inlet section followed by a spiral-channel zone where plug flow predominates.
plug-frame n. now historical and rare a device attached to the beam of a steam engine, for opening and closing the valves of the cylinder.
ΘΚΠ
society > occupation and work > equipment > machine > machines which impart power > engine > steam engine > [noun] > parts of > valves > devices for opening or closing
scoggan1719
plug-frame1734
spanner1773
plug-tree1782
plug-rod1794
throttle lever1839
1734 S. Switzer Universal Syst. Water & Water-works II. 339 The Shanks..which are thrown backwards and forwards, by the Pins in the Working-timber, or Plug-frame.
1824 ‘R. Stuart’ Descr. Hist. Steam Engine 71 In the perpendicular working beam, called by Beighton [?c1720] the plug-frame, there is a slit which is contrived so that its pins work on the fore part, middle, and back part, to raise and depress the levers..that move the iron axle.
1903 Nature 19 Nov. 68/1 Barney's illustration of the Dudley Castle engine (erected in 1712) was made in 1719, and contains the plug-frame and tumbling-weight device.
plug fuse n. (a) a fuse that is screwed into an electrical socket; (b) the fuse of an electrical plug.
ΘΚΠ
the world > matter > physics > electromagnetic radiation > electricity > circuit > fuse > [noun]
cutout1874
safety catch1881
safety plug1882
fuse1884
tension-fuse1890
plug fuse1905
the world > matter > physics > electromagnetic radiation > electricity > electrical appliances or devices > [noun] > socket > fuse in
plug fuse1905
1905 Jrnl. Inst. Electr. Engineers 35 365 The earliest form of Edison plug fuse dates from 1880.
1971 W. N. Alerich Electr. Constr. Wiring xi. 283 (heading) Plug fuse designed to pass safely 15 amps.
1989 W. Frankel Basic Wiring (ed. 2) i. 16/2 Like the plug fuse, the time-delay fuse screws into the fuse panel.
1991 Which? Aug. 447/2 The Rapitest 13 Amp Socket Tester..can also be used to check your plug fuses.
plug gauge n. a gauge in the form of a plug which is inserted into a hole in order to measure its diameter.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > measurement > measuring instrument > [noun] > for determining or verifying dimensions > specific
size1763
limit gauge1841
plug gauge1850
scantle1850
string-gauge1876
snap gauge1918
burr-gauge-
1850 Ordnance Man. for Use of Officers (U.S. Army Ordnance Dept.) (ed. 2) 167 (table) Plug gauge for depth of screw hole in tumbler.
1991 Metalworking Production Sept. 4/1 Today, fixed-size plug and gap gauges are still common currency in metalworking.
plug hat n. North American and Australian (now rare) a tall silk hat; a top hat.
ΘΚΠ
the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > types or styles of clothing > headgear > [noun] > hat > made of specific material > felt > bowler hat
pot hat1580
hard hat1845
plug hat1860
bowler1861
billycock1862
boxer1863
bullycock1865
Christy1869
Christy stiff1882
hard hitter1883
pea-dodgera1914
blocker1934
dut1939
bun hat1941
the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > types or styles of clothing > headgear > [noun] > hat > tall > cylindrical > top hat > silk
silk hat1546
plug1848
chimney-pot hat1851
plug hat1860
box hat1864
shiner1867
1860 Davenport (Iowa) Daily Gaz. 4 Aug. The day before he came into the office with an old plug hat.
1883 G. E. Loyau Personal Adventures 78 Frank disguises himself in a ‘plug hat’ and great coat, and carries a banjo.
1899 W. C. Morrow Bohemian Paris 138 A dizzy whirl of skirts, feathers, plug hats, and silken stockings.
1908 Bulletin (Sydney) 4 June 14/2 I would not..risk a new chimney-pot or plug..hat that wombats never undermine a tail race.
1996 Amer. Speech 71 333 He dressed as a volunteer fireman in a red shirt, plug hat, and soap locks.
plug-hatted adj. wearing a plug hat.
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the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > wearing clothing > [adjective] > wearing headgear > wearing a hat > types of
flat-headed1667
straw-hattedc1730
beavered1742
cocked-hatted1821
slouch-hatted1826
high-hatted1858
plug-hatted1869
sun-helmeted1886
pot-hatted1888
sou'-westered1891
cowboy-hatted1896
sombreroed1899
top hat1902
picture-hatted1906
bowler-hatted1909
sailor-hatted1909
tile-hatted1924
Stetsoned1935
trilbied1966
trilby-hatted1975
1869 Michigan Univ. Mag. 3 28 The ousted Junior has in turn ousted the..plug-hatted Senior.
1903 Truth (Sydney) 4 Jan. 7/3 Alexander is entitled to as much protection..as is the most bloated, plug-hatted plutocrat in the State.
1989 Toronto Star (Nexis) 22 Apr. M19 Berton's National Dream is, of course, peopled..with plug-hatted politicians 10 feet high.
plug hole n. a hole for a plug, esp. in the bottom of a sink or bath; also figurative.
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the world > space > relative position > condition of being open or not closed > an opening or aperture > [noun] > bung-, plug-, or tap-hole
bung?a1560
bung-hole?a1560
tap-hole1594
plug hole1743
the world > physical sensation > cleanness and dirtiness > sanitation > provision of sewers > [noun] > sewer > plug-hole
plug hole1968
gurgler1981
1743 W. Ellis Suppl. to London & Country Brewer (ed. 2) 277 In this Back is also a round Plug-hole..for letting out the Steam.
1898 Westm. Gaz. 10 Sept. 2/3 The County Council undertake to supply the necessary telephones and to make plug-holes in the alarm posts.
1968 Listener 22 Feb. 243/1 May I ask..whether the anonymity demanded by the ethics of the ‘profession’ is now to be regarded as having..gone down the plug-hole?
1991 Which? Oct. 562/2 Place the suction cup of the plunger over the plug hole and pump vigorously.
plug horse n. = sense 9b.
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the world > animals > mammals > group Ungulata (hoofed) > family Equidae (general equines) > equus caballus or horse > [noun] > inferior or old and worn-out
brockc1000
stota1100
jadec1386
yaud?a1513
roila1529
tit1548
hilding1590
tireling1590
dog horsec1600
baffle1639
Rosinante1641
aver1691
keffel1699
runt1725
hack horse1760
rip1775
kadisha1817
dunghill1833
pelter1854
crow-bait1857
caster1859
plug1860
knacker1864
plug horse1872
crock1879
skate1894
robbo1897
1872 ‘M. Twain’ Roughing It xlvi. 322 An old plug horse that ate up his market value in hay and barley in seventeen days by the watch.
1969 N. W. Parsons Upon Sagebrush Harp xviii. 97 Later, Papa bought another plug horse, giving a note due the following fall.
2002 State (Columbia, S. Carolina) (Nexis) 22 Mar. A10 It doesn't matter if you have to ride down the street on a plug horse imitating Lady Godiva.
ΚΠ
1791 J. Smeaton Narr. Edystone Lighthouse 194/2 The central plug joggle, fixed in place..ready for the reception of the center stone of the next Course.
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society > occupation and work > worker > workers according to type of work > manual or industrial worker > miner > [noun] > coal-miner > operating specific machinery
plugman1797
brakesman1849
beltman1880
prop man1888
1797 J. Curr Coal Viewer 66 A window at 5 feet above the plug floor, to give light to the plug man.
1862 S. Smiles Lives Engineers III. 27 George [Stephenson]'s duty as plugman was to watch the engine, to see that it kept well in work, and that the pumps were efficient.
1883 W. S. Gresley Gloss. Terms Coal Mining Plugman, an old term for engineman.
plug nozzle n. (in a rocket or jet engine) a nozzle containing a central plug that widens towards the exit and then narrows, so that gas is expelled in a converging annular stream.
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society > occupation and work > equipment > machine > machines which impart power > engine > internal-combustion engine > [adjective] > type of rocket engine
plug nozzle1954
society > occupation and work > equipment > machine > machines which impart power > engine > internal-combustion engine > [noun] > parts of > exhaust pipes or apertures
breather pipe1886
exhaust1896
port1913
downpipe1917
plug nozzle1954
1954 D. P. Hearth & G. C. Gorton Investigation of Thrust & Drag Characteristics Plug-type Exhaust Nozzle (NACA Res. Mem. No. E53L16) 1 Results of this investigation indicated that the plug nozzle had thrust-minus-drag performance over the entire pressure-ratio range comparable with equivalent conventional nozzles.
1970 A. V. Cleaver in N. H. Langton Rocket Propulsion II. iv. 136 There would be..appreciable savings in the length and weight of interstage vehicle structures if plug-nozzle engines were used in the upper stages; on the other hand,..the small performance gains would be associated more with the use of plug nozzles on bottom stages.
1998 Aerospace Amer. (Nexis) Dec. 23 The afterbody and shroud combine to form the rocket's thrust chamber and plug nozzle.
plug plant n. see sense 2l(b).
plug point n. (a) an electrical socket; (b) either of the metal pieces on a spark plug between which the spark jumps.
ΚΠ
1932 Times 20 Apr. 21 If the supply is of the right type any plug point can be used for running a clock.
1943 E. H. Lewitt Thermodynamics Applied to Heat Engines (ed. 3) xv. 368 It is sometimes due to red hot carbon deposits on the cylinder walls, or to overheated sparking plug points.
1966 Times 22 Aug. 9 The speculative builder can claim ‘central heating’ because he puts a plug point in every room.
1998 T. Clancy Rainbow Six xxviii. 494 Sergeant Nance was already there, pulling red-flagged safety pins from their plug points and holding them up for the pilot to confirm the count.
plug riots n. now historical a series of riots in 1842, when cotton mills in Lancashire were stopped by the removal of bolts or plugs from the boilers so that steam could not be raised.
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society > authority > lack of subjection > rebelliousness > militancy > [noun] > demonstration > specific demonstrations or protests
frame-breaking1811
plug riots1849
Aldermaston1960
Boston tea-party-
1849 R. Cobden Speeches 90 In 1842, when the country was disturbed by the great plug riots, not a thread was disturbed from a spindle.
1888 F. Peel Risings of Luddites xxxix. 338 Trade in 1842, the year of the plug riots, was worse than ever.
1999 D. Haslam Manchester, Eng. i. 21 In a sense, the Plug Riots marked the beginning of the decline in industrial and social unrest in Manchester.
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society > occupation and work > equipment > machine > machines which impart power > engine > steam engine > [noun] > parts of > valves > devices for opening or closing
scoggan1719
plug-frame1734
spanner1773
plug-tree1782
plug-rod1794
throttle lever1839
1794 Alter et Idem No. 1. 21 Which plug and floats would be kept in their places by means of fixed irons..with rings at their ends for the plug-rods to run through.
1875 E. H. Knight Pract. Dict. Mech. Plug-rod, (Steam-engine) a. A rod attached to the working~beam of a condensing-engine, for the purpose of driving the working-gear of the valves. Sometimes called the plug~tree. b. The air-pump rod.
1878 R. H. Thurston Hist. Steam-engine 121 A similar pair of tappets on the opposite side of the plug-rod move the valves.
plug-switch n. a switch in which a circuit is completed by inserting a metal plug into a socket.
ΚΠ
1858 C. V. de Sauty & J. C. Laws in C. F. Briggs & A. Maverick Story Telegraph & Hist. Great Atlantic Cable 164 Professor Thomson's marine galvanometer and four plug-switches.
1991 Jrnl. Commerce (Nexis) 19 July 4 b BCA mobile,..with cord equipped with miniature plug-switch for connecting telephone line.
plug tap n. Engineering a tap (tap n.1 4) with a flat end and an untapered shank, used for finishing the cutting of an internal thread in a blind hole (also called bottoming tap); (also, chiefly U.S.) a tap with a fairly steep taper for starting a thread.
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society > occupation and work > equipment > machine tool > other specific machine tools > [noun] > machine for cutting screw-threads > taps
screw tap1678
tap1678
plug tap1815
tap-tool1874
bottoming tap1875
taper tapa1877
second tap1888
1815 J. Smith Panorama Sci. & Art I. 39 When it is cylindrical,..it is called a plug tap.
1943 Sci. & Mech. Spring 119/1 The most commonly used one is the plug tap and the least used is the bottoming tap.
1964 S. Crawford Basic Engin. Processes (1969) i. 24 The latter [sc. a bottoming tap] is often referred to as a Plug tap, and this causes confusion with American terms.
2001 Tooling & Production (Nexis) 1 Nov. 32 With the proper geometry of the cutting edge and a good lubricant, a plug tap will do most of the work needed.
plug tobacco n. = sense 6.
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the world > physical sensation > use of drugs and poison > tobacco > [noun] > tobacco in a roll, cake, or stick
cane-tobacco1600
pudding tobacco1601
roll1602
tobacco roll1602
canea1612
pudding-packa1618
prick1666
pigtail1681
nova1688
prick tobacco1688
plug1729
plug tobacco1788
twist1791
carrot1808
cavendish1839
nail-rod1848
hard1865
twist tobacco1894
1788 Times 3 Sept. 4 A roll of plug tobacco.
1899 New Cent. Rev. 5 133 Passable cigars are obtainable, and the plug tobacco is bad.
1991 Independent 5 Jan. (Mag.) 41 Keene..was a sociable bachelor, playing several musical instruments..smoking the foulest cut plug tobacco and given to almost noiseless fits of giggling.
ΘΚΠ
society > occupation and work > equipment > machine > machines which impart power > engine > steam engine > [noun] > parts of > valves > devices for opening or closing
scoggan1719
plug-frame1734
spanner1773
plug-tree1782
plug-rod1794
throttle lever1839
1782 J. Watt Let. 12 Dec. in J. P. Muirhead Origin & Progress Mech. Inventions J. Watt (1854) II. 170 An iron rack which comes down the plug-tree to a man's hand.
1825 ‘J. Nicholson’ Operative Mechanic 169 Mr. Henry Beighton, of Newcastle,..invented the part called the plug-tree, for opening and shutting the valves.
1875 E. H. Knight Pract. Dict. Mech. Plug-rod, (Steam-engine)..A rod attached to the working~beam of a condensing-engine, for the purpose of driving the working-gear of the valves. Sometimes called the plug tree.
plug valve n. a valve containing a pierced or perforated plug which is rotated in order to control flow through the valve; cf. plug cock n. (a).
ΚΠ
1804 Trans. Amer. Philos. Soc. 6 i. 98 Two methods were proposed to remedy this inconvenience... 1st, to place a large plug-valve..in the rising pipe close to the pump.
1881 N. P. Burgh Mod. Marine Engin. v. 238/1 In the event of instantaneous relief, plug valves are often introduced at the lower ends of the cylinders.
1991 Offshore Engineer Sept. 14/2 Unlike most plug valves Super-H cannot taper lock.
Derivatives
ˈplug-like adj. chiefly Science
ΚΠ
1867 R. H. Gross Comparativa Materia Medica 322/1 Hard, plug-like masses (blinkers) causing pain when removed.
1897 W. N. Parker tr. R. Wiedersheim Elements Compar. Anat. (ed. 2) 118 A..ligament, continuous anteriorly with the plug-like epipubic cartilage and posteriorly with the hypoischium.
1938 W. H. Feldman Avian Tuberculosis Infections vi. 164 Many of the ulcers become filled with a caseous plug-like structure.
1998 L. Margulis & K. V. Schwartz Five Kingdoms (ed. 3) ii. 194/1 Pseudosepta are rather more pluglike than platelike and, typically, are not complete partitions.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2006; most recently modified version published online June 2022).
plugv.
/plʌɡ/, U.S. /pləɡ/ I. Senses relating to a physical plug or stopper.
1.
a. transitive. To stop or fill (a hole, aperture, etc.) with or as with a plug; to drive a plug into. Chiefly with up. Also figurative.
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the world > space > relative position > closed or shut condition > close or shut [verb (transitive)] > close an aperture or orifice > with a plug or stopper
to make a stoupaille of1426
bung1600
plug1630
cork1659
spile1691
stopple?1795
stopper1827
stopper1869
1630 tr. G. Botero Relations Famous Kingdomes World (rev. ed.) i. 6 Neere unto the North pole men thinking to draw in their breaths, are in danger to have their throats pluggd up with an Isicle.
1665 T. Manley tr. H. Grotius De Rebus Belgicis 213 Divers of their Ships being shot through with great Bullets, for that they could neither plug up the Holes or Breaches, nor free them from Water by their Pumps, were swallow'd up in the devouring and merciless Waves.
1680 W. Charleton Enq. Human Nature ii. 46 A Dutch Stiver she had swallow'd, which..was found so firmly to have plugg'd up the Pylorus, that nothing could pass out by that door.
1732 T. Short Hist. Mineral Waters Derbysh., Lincs., & Yorksh. Introd. 4 Harrogate Sulphur Water operates powerfully and quickly both by Stool and Urine, and so where the Passages are not plugged up, goes off easily and soon.
1776 G. Semple Treat. Building in Water 42 We found it advisable to plug up the Pipe.
1833 J. Holland Treat. Manuf. Metal II. 183 In some instances, the holes admit of being plugged with bits of metal.
1849 R. T. Claridge Cold-water Cure 147 Sometimes when a tooth is plugged, the pressure on the nerve renders it insupportable.
1878 M. L. Holbrook Hygiene Brain 39 When a clot of blood plugs up an artery.
1933 H. Allen Anthony Adverse I. ii. xvii. 221 The bullet of Toussaint passed through the haunches of Signore Baldasseroni. McNab plugged him up with his handkerchief, for he threatened to bleed to death.
1958 Visct. Montgomery Mem. (1961) 266 It was only successful by a continuous expenditure of reserves to plug holes in his defence.
1989 Plumbing (Time-Life Bks.) (new ed.) iii. 71/1 (caption) The branch of a Y can also be plugged for use as a cleanout.
2005 Duluth (Minnesota) News-Tribune (Nexis) 11 Jan. 1 He turned on five or six faucets and plugged up the sinks.
b. transitive. To drive a small wedge or cylinder of wood or plastic into (a wall, etc.) as a fixing for a nail, screw, etc. Also: to fix (something) to a wall in this way.
ΘΚΠ
society > occupation and work > industry > working with tools or equipment > fastening > fasten [verb (transitive)] > with nails > insert peg as hold for nail, etc.
plug1881
1802 in C. R. Lounsbury Illustr. Gloss. Early Southern Archit. & Landscape (1994) 283 Torus skirting, plugg'd to walls.
1881 F. Young Every Man his own Mechanic §743 When fixed to a brick wall, the wall must be plugged to take the nails.
1927 T. Corkhill in R. Greenhalgh Building Educator II. 817/2 The vertical grounds, or soldiers.., are plugged to the wall about every 3 ft. apart.
1995 Pract. Householder Mar. 42/1 Your new basin can be wallhung, set on a pedestal or into a vanity unit where it is self-supporting and can be fitted without drilling and plugging the wall.
c. transitive. U.S. To cut a cylindrical core from; spec. to test the ripeness of (a watermelon) by doing this. Also intransitive.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > place > removal or displacement > extraction > extract [verb (transitive)] > extract the core or pith of
uncore1611
pith1852
plug1874
the world > food and drink > food > food manufacture and preparation > preparation for table or cooking > preparing fruit and vegetables > prepare fruit and vegetables [verb (transitive)] > remove core
core1736
plug1874
the world > space > place > removal or displacement > extraction > extract [verb (intransitive)] > extract cylindrical core
plug1969
1874 ‘Uncle Bob’ Lett. to Children 19 I used to be a great hand to go into the patch, plug 'em before they were ripe, and then turn the cut side down.
a1910 ‘M. Twain’ Autobiography (1924) I. 111 I know how to tell when it [sc. a watermelon] is ripe without ‘plugging’ it.
1948 Chicago Tribune 25 June ii. 3/3 The safest and best way to tell quality is to ‘plug’ the melon.
1969 Times 22 July (Moon Suppl.) p. i/1 It's a very soft surface, but here and there where I plug with the contingency sample collector, I run into a very hard surface.
1998 Orange County (Calif.) Register (Nexis) 24 Dec. 3 She fired back stories of the two wandering through Grandfather's watermelon patch and plugging all the melons to find a ripe one.
d. transitive. to plug off (also back): to seal off (an oil well or a water-bearing rock formation) by inserting a plug. Also intransitive.
ΘΚΠ
society > occupation and work > industry > drilling for oil or gas > drill for oil or gas [verb (transitive)] > seal (well, etc.)
mud1916
to plug off (also back)1924
society > occupation and work > industry > drilling for oil or gas > drill for oil or gas [verb (intransitive)] > seal off well
to plug off (also back)1976
1919 Summary of Operations Calif. Oil Fields (Calif. State Mining Bureau) V. i. 9 Plugged off. Describes the condition existing when fluid encountered in a lower part of a well has been excluded from a higher part of the well by placing an effective plug between the two places.]
1924 L. C. Uren Textbk. Petroleum Production Engin. ix. 276 It will be important..to estimate carefully the volume of that part of the well which it is desired to plug off.
1938 C. P. Parsons in A. E. Dunstan et al. Sci. of Petroleum I. ix. 472/2 The amount of cement left in the bottom of the tubing depends upon the amount of hole to be plugged back.
1976 L. St. Clair Fortune in Death i. 8 We've wasted enough time fishing drill pipe out of this hole. Let's plug back and slant-drill.
1991 Offshore Engineer Sept. 116/1 It is no longer necessary to..risk formation damage from kill fluids to treat or plug back a well.
e. transitive. To insert as a plug; to drive in. Also figurative.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > relative position > closed or shut condition > close or shut [verb (transitive)] > close an aperture or orifice > with a plug or stopper > insert as a plug
tampion1897
plug1952
1952 D. Thomas Let. 21 July in Sel. Lett. (1966) 375 Now it's up to me & him to plug in lots more expenses.
1976 National Observer (U.S.) 17 Jan. 14/1 (advt.) There's no need to rip out your old grass. Plug in Amazoy Zoysia Grass and let it spread into beautiful turf that never needs replacement.
1992 Watertown (N.Y.) Daily Times 20 Apr. 17/6 Leyland plugged Varsho into the no. 4 spot in the batting order.
2.
a. intransitive. To stick or jam; to become obstructed.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > relative position > closed or shut condition > become closed or shut [verb (intransitive)] > make a closure or obstruction > be or become stopped up
stop1575
choke1616
to foul up1874
plug1902
gunge1976
1902 S. E. White Blazed Trail xlviii. 338 Several times the jam started, but always ‘plugged’ before the motion had become irresistible.
1964 M. Gowing Brit. & Atomic Energy 1939–45 viii. 222 The membranes must not ‘plug’, that is, get blocked.
1992 D. M. Muir Dust & Fume Control (rev. ed.) viii. 50 A small purge of about 5 to 10% is often used to stop backflow in the event of some of the tubes plugging.
b. transitive (in passive) and intransitive. Golf. Of a golf ball: to become stuck or embedded in the ground where it lands, esp. in a bunker. Hence used metonymically of a player or shot.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > ball game > golf > play golf [verb (intransitive)] > of ball: stuck or embedded
plug1927
society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > ball game > golf > play golf [verb (intransitive)] > of player: stuck through position of golf ball
plug1959
1927 [implied in: Times 11 Apr. 4/4 The fairways..were very swampy and a ‘plugged’ ball was by no means a rare occurrence. (at plugged adj. 3)].
1937 P. Lawless Golfer's Compan. 373 Plugged!.. My ball disappeared in the mud and could not be found.
1959 Times 29 May 5/1 Sewell got a brave half..after being plugged in the bunker.
1987 Golf World Aug. 42/2 After a hooked drive on the fifth hole, which apparently plugged in the rough, Stadler..awarded himself a free drop.
2003 Washington Post (Nexis) 5 June d1 Many golf balls will simply plug into the ground or pick up mud when they land and roll a few feet.
3.
a. intransitive. With in. To complete a circuit or make an electrical connection by inserting a plug or key. Also figurative with into: to establish a beneficial connection with.
ΘΚΠ
the world > matter > physics > electromagnetic radiation > electricity > circuit > complete circuit [verb (intransitive)]
plug1903
the world > matter > physics > electromagnetic radiation > electricity > electrical appliances or devices > reach working temperature [verb (intransitive)] > be inserted
plug1903
the mind > mental capacity > understanding > understand [verb (intransitive)] > reach understanding of
reach1582
tumble1846
to catch on1882
waken1899
to wise up1905
to tune in1926
to cotton on1929
plug1948
latch1954
1903 Westm. Gaz. 20 Jan. 9/2 Directly the sub-stations shut down, the Battery-room attendant ‘plugs in’ and takes the load for lighting purposes, for driving fans for ventilation purposes.
1923 T. E. Herbert Telephony xiii. 347 The operator plugs in with the service plug, restores the indicator, and ascertains the number required.
1948 F. Thompson Still glides Stream i. 10 One here and there of her pupils had shown the sudden gleam of comprehension..which..she had referred to..as ‘plugging in’, or ‘taking the bait’.
1972 National Observer (U.S.) 27 May 22/3 They tell us that to be entirely into the new literary life, one must in some way be plugged into films.
1987 C. Phillips European Tribe 5 I started to travel to London to try..to ‘plug into’ black life.
1991 Independent 1 Nov. 17/1 The construction of a new-generation business park at Chiswick, west London, designed to plug into the capital's transport network.
2002 Sound & Vision May 45/3 You select what type of component you want to connect to the TV..and then the guide directs you where to plug in.
b. transitive. To connect (an appliance, wire, etc.) electrically by inserting a plug in or into a socket. Also in extended use.
ΘΚΠ
the world > matter > physics > electromagnetic radiation > electricity > electrical appliances or devices > insert plug [verb (transitive)]
plug1908
1908 Sunday Rev. (Illinois) 12 Jan. 16/4 On the front of that belt was a rosette, and to this was attached a lamp... To the rear of the belt was hung a long cord. This was plugged into a light socket.
1925 Scribner's Mag. July 54/2 He wandered in to his radio, lighted the tubes and plugged in the ear phones.
1934 Archit. Rev. 75 108/3 (caption) A portable fire that can be ‘plugged in’ to a gas point in bedroom or bathroom.
1965 Daily Tel. 1 June 15/8 Extract this Danish machine and plug it into an AC power point.
1970 Atlantic July 88 Five children were plugged into a tape recorder, listening to a story and following it in the books in front of them.
1977 Sci. Amer. Aug. 80/3 The placental embryo..is plugged into the maternal blood supply for nourishment.
1991 Hair's How No. 34. 814/2 Plug in your heated bendy rollers.
2002 R. Williams Sing yer Heart out for Lads i. 4 Do me a favour, check that the cable for the dish is plugged in.
c. transitive. To insert (data) in or into a computer, calculator, equation, calculation, etc.
ΚΠ
1951 A. May Math. Finance p. v College courses in the mathematics of finance too often have been reduced to a mechanical process of plugging numbers into memorized formulas.
1963 M. L. Burstein Money xv. 827 Interesting things can be learned by plugging in various combinations of parameters.
1972 Sci. Amer. July 105/1 All 10 digits are plugged into the expression ABC × DE = FGH × IJ.
1994 S. Pinker Lang. Instinct iv. 111 Just plug in noun, verb, adjective, or preposition for X, Y, and Z, and you have the actual phrase structure rules.
2000 U.S. News & World Rep. 8 May 60/2 Once you plug in your fund holdings, the site will analyze how much of your money is in technology stocks versus financials.
d. intransitive. To be capable of being plugged into; to be designed to be plugged into. Also figurative.
ΚΠ
1956 T. E. Ivall Electronic Computers iv. 45 When the unit is put into the patch panel it also plugs into a d.c. amplifier at the rear.
1974 Physics Bull. Sept. 401/1 This assembly plugs into a choice of sockets dependent upon the position in which the instrument is to be used.
1999 Independent 27 Dec. ii. 8/3 Speakers plug into connectors in your sound card, which you'll find at the back of your PC.
2002 Electronic Design (Nexis) 5 Aug. 65 Cabled patchboards plug into these connectors.
II. Extended uses.† 6. transitive. U.S. To prevent (a person) from doing something as planned; to block a plan or action. Obsolete.
4.
a. transitive. slang. To shoot (a person); (also) to fire (a bullet) into. Also figurative.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > place > placing or fact of being placed in (a) position > insertion or putting in > insert or put in [verb (transitive)] > insert as a plug, spigot, panel, etc.
panel1832
plug1833
impanel1861
tampion1897
spigot1910
society > armed hostility > military equipment > operation and use of weapons > action of propelling missile > discharge of firearms > fire (a gun) [verb (transitive)] > shoot (a person or thing)
shoot1617
to bird off1688
to knock downa1744
to pick off1745
pop1762
drill1808
plug1833
perforate1838
slap1842
stop1845
pot1860
spot1882
plunk1888
pip1900
souvenir1915
poop1917
spray1922
smoke1926
zap1942
crack1943
pot-shoot1969
society > armed hostility > military equipment > operation and use of weapons > action of propelling missile > discharge of firearms > fire (a gun) [verb (transitive)] > fire (a missile) from gun > fire (a bullet) into
plug1833
1833 J. K. Paulding Lion of West ii. 60 Come back, or I'll plug you.
1857 J. G. Holland Bay-path xxiv. 281 It goes by wind..and it'll plug a bullet right into a man.
1870 J. C. Duval Adventures Big-Foot Wallace xix. 99 Just at that instant Jeff plugged him with a half-ounce bullet.
1888 ‘R. Boldrewood’ Robbery under Arms xxxi If that old horse they put you on had bobbed forward..you'd have got plugged instead.
1891 ‘M. Twain’ in ‘Twain’ & Howells Mark Twain–Howells Lett. (1960) II. 635 I will plug into you at short range the first chapter of my new book.
1900 Westm. Gaz. 10 Jan. 8/2 I got plugged a few yards in front of the line, and two of my fellows pulled me back, as I could not walk.
1969 C. F. Burke God is Beautiful, Man (1970) 28 They told their old man..if they didn't bring Ben back Simon would get plugged.
1995 Empire May 139/3 Plugging anybody who tries to stop you with your trusty pistol.
b. transitive. slang (originally and chiefly U.S.). To strike (a person) with the fist or an object.
ΘΚΠ
the world > movement > impact > striking > striking with specific thing > strike with specific thing [verb (transitive)] > with the hand > with the fist
boxc1390
punch1530
nevela1572
fist1600
transfisticate1600
fisticuff1653
nubble1673
befist1718
plug1847
to put a head on (also upon)1866
to stick one on1910
the world > movement > impact > striking > striking with specific thing > strike with specific thing [verb (transitive)] > strike with an object > with something thrown
pelt1570
pebble1605
plug1971
1847 in F. Oehlschlaeger Reveille 186 Jim [was] pluggin' away rite in my face, and the back part of my head takin' revenge out uf the floor.
1891 Athenæum 28 Nov. 713/2 ‘To plug a man in the eye’ is a common enough piece of slang.
1918 Stars & Stripes 1 Mar. 1/7 He ran fast and the sergeant, dropping his gun, simply plugged him in the jaw with his fist.
1971 P. G. Wodehouse Much Obliged, Jeeves xvi. 169 Sidcup got a black eye. Somebody plugged him with a potato.
1992 D. Weale Them Times 67 If you were struck or ‘plugged’ by the thrown ball, you suffered the disgrace of having to join the other team.
c. transitive. slang (chiefly North American). Esp. of a man: to copulate with.
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > sexual relations > sexual activity > engage in sexual activity with [verb (transitive)] > have sexual intercourse with
mingeOE
haveOE
knowc1175
ofliec1275
to lie with (or by)a1300
knowledgec1300
meetc1330
beliea1350
yknowc1350
touchc1384
deala1387
dightc1386
usea1387
takec1390
commona1400
to meet witha1400
servea1400
occupy?a1475
engender1483
jangle1488
to be busy with1525
to come in1530
visitc1540
niggle1567
mow1568
to mix one's thigh with1593
do1594
grind1598
pepper1600
yark1600
tumble1603
to taste of1607
compressc1611
jumble1611
mix?1614
consort?1615
tastea1616
bumfiddle1630
ingressa1631
sheet1637
carnal1643
night-work1654
bump1669
bumble1680
frig?c1680
fuck1707
stick1707
screw1719
soil1722
to do over1730
shag1770
hump1785
subagitatec1830
diddle1879
to give (someone) onec1882
charver1889
fuckeec1890
plugc1890
dick1892
to make a baby1911
to know (a person) in the biblical sense1912
jazz1920
rock1922
yentz1924
roll1926
to make love1927
shtupa1934
to give (or get) a tumble1934
shack1935
bang1937
to have it off1937
rump1937
tom1949
to hop into bed (with)1951
ball1955
to make it1957
plank1958
score1960
naughty1961
pull1965
pleasurea1967
to have away1968
to have off1968
dork1970
shaft1970
bonk1975
knob1984
boink1985
fand-
c1890 Stag Party With one hand he grasped his rifle, With the other grasped his c——k... How with one he plugged the white man, With the other he plugged the squaw.
c1890 My Secret Life II. iii. 19 I..did not even like the girl, though I liked plugging her.
1977 Amer. Speech 1975 50 64 ‘I plugged her last night.’ (male use).
1978 A. Maupin Tales of City 140 I spent four fucking hours..trying to plug a chick I wouldn't have sneezed at in college.
5. intransitive. To work steadily away at something; to persevere doggedly; to plod, to move steadily. Frequently with away, along, etc.
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the world > action or operation > continuing > continue doing or keep going in a course of action [verb (intransitive)] > with endurance or persistence
to stand up1656
peg1805
to bang away1820
plug1867
plough1891
pitch1929
the mind > will > decision > perseverance or persistence > persevere or persist [verb (intransitive)] > slowly and laboriously
worry1702
to worry one's way1727
peg1805
plug1867
worry1871
bore1875
pedgill1913
the world > movement > progressive motion > specific manner of progressive motion > move progressively in specific manner [verb (intransitive)] > with piston-like strokes
plug1898
1867 W. H. Jackson Diary 1 Apr. (1959) 144 Started from the city ab[ou]t 10 & plugged out right manfully.
1897 Outing 30 476/1 The crews have rowed in wretched form,..their ability to plug has enabled them to hang on to the leaders in bulldog fashion.
1898 G. W. Steevens Egypt xix. 216 We are plugging past a twenty-foot river bank, semaphored with miles of water hoists.
1900 G. Ade More Fables 146 You take a Man who is Plugging along on a Salary.
1902 G. H. Lorimer Lett. Self-made Merchant iii. 37 Jim hadn't been in the office plugging away at the letters for a month before he had the writer's cramp.
1906 W. E. Sherwood Let. (O.E.D. Archive) [c1865] ‘Plug, you fellows, plug!’ ‘We plugged for all we were worth.’
1929 J. Buchan Courts of Morning ii. xiv. 303 He was terrified half out of his senses, but he doggedly plugged along.
1954 A. Huxley Let. 16 Sept. (1969) 711 Lacking the ability to write a text book, I have to plug on at these other, more precarious forms of literature.
1973 Philadelphia Inquirer 7 Oct. 19 Ronnie's not a quitter. He really plugs.
1994 Richmond (Va.) Times-Dispatch 29 Oct. a1/2 Coleman..keeps plugging away in a political career marked more by setbacks than successes.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > difficulty > hindrance > hindering completely or preventing > hinder completely or prevent [verb (transitive)]
forbidc1000
forrunc1275
forbar1303
before-comec1384
withstanda1400
withholdc1400
prevenec1485
supprime1490
interrupt1497
resist?a1513
prevent1522
discourage1528
prohibit1531
stop1534
forleta1555
bar1559
to bar by and main1567
disbar1567
to cut off1576
embar1577
forestall1579
obvent1588
cancel1594
waylay1625
suppress1651
antevene1655
arceate1657
exarceate1657
interpel1722
stump1858
estop1876
plug1887
pre-empt1957
deter1961
1887 Scribner's Mag. 1 492/2 One fisherman ‘plugs’ another when he puts out from shore and casts in ahead of him.
1896 G. Ade Artie xii. 110 I wouldn't like to start in and plug his game.
7. colloquial.
a. intransitive. U.S. To act in support of; to promote, recommend. With for.
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the mind > attention and judgement > esteem > approval or sanction > commendation or praise > commend or praise [verb (transitive)] > for ulterior purpose
puffa1500
bepuff1843
to whoop up1856
boom1879
plug1900
1900 G. Ade More Fables 44 at Plug for To persist in the promotion and advancement of.
1927 Amer. Speech 2 256/1 ‘Pluggers’ or ‘rooters’, ‘plug’ or ‘root’ for their side or for their favorite players.
1929 D. Runyon in Cosmopolitan July 58/1 Miss Missouri Martin keeps plugging for Dave the Dude with Miss Billy Perry.
1943 Amer. Speech 18 249 Judge James A. Chase, a Cashmere citizen, who had visited the Vale of Kashmir, plugged for the new name and won.
1992 New Republic 11 May 5/2 Rather than plugging for a promotion for David Richards..why doesn't Brustein use his pulpit to mention the real competition and give them a toehold on the throne?
b. transitive originally U.S. To popularize (a song, idea, product, etc.) by repeated presentation or recommendation; to give (esp. free) publicity to; to draw attention to.
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society > communication > information > publishing or spreading abroad > advertising > types or methods of advertising > [verb (transitive)] > plug
plug1906
1906 H. Green At Actors' Boarding House 68 I ain't got any music, so you kin plug any publisher's stuff an' play what you wanter.
1930 I. Goldberg Tin Pan Alley 210 For plugging certain numbers these leaders collect—‘cut in’—on payments and royalties.
1940 Brit. Jrnl. Psychol. Oct. 118 The technique of ‘plugging’ trivial news about important personages.
1967 Wall St. Jrnl. 12 Jan. 1/4 Mrs. Glick..now plugs Excedrin on television.
1970 G. F. Newman Sir, You Bastard i. 21 I'm obliged to listen to clients plugging their virility as relevant facts.
1995 Richmond (Va.) Times-Dispatch 28 May c1/4 The magazine has plugged other bits and pieces of Southside in the past, including Danville, South Boston..and Red Hill.
Phrases
intransitive. to plug and play: (of computers and other electronic goods) to be installed and operated easily; (also transitive) to install and make operational easily.
ΚΠ
1970 Daily Rep. (Ontario-Upland, Calif.) 5 Mar. 21 (advt.) 21/2 Record changer module... Ready to plug-and-play.
1984 Computer Decisions Aug. 166/3 The Mercurion can ‘plug and play’ with 95 percent of the processors as an addon, online emulator.
1990 Fortune (Nexis) 3 Dec. 45 Leery of lengthy [VCR] instructions, Americans prefer to ‘plug and play’.
1992 MacUser Nov. 218/2 (advt.) The biggest breakthrough is PathFinder's amazing ease of use. For small networks, PathFinder is ready to plug and play right out of the box.
2001 National Def. (Nexis) Sept. 18 That means you can plug and play radars with various launchers as you move throughout the battlefield.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2006; most recently modified version published online June 2022).
> as lemmas
-plug
d. Physics. (See quot. 1858.) Also effusion-aperture, -plug.
ΚΠ
1858 T. Graham Elem. Chem. (ed. 2) II. 78 Effusion of gases..by which I express their passage into a vacuum by a small aperture in a thin plate.
1901 M. W. Travers Exper. Study Gases 281 The effusion-plug, or partition containing the effusion-aperture, was placed at or near the lower extremity of the glass tube.
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n.1618v.1630as lemmas