tongsn.
/tɒŋz/ 1. An implement consisting of two limbs or ‘legs’ connected by a hinge, pivot, or spring, by means of which their lower ends are brought together so as to grasp and take up objects which it is impossible or inconvenient to lift with the hand. Examples of different forms are seen in a smith's tongs, domestic fire-tongs, and sugar-tongs.A particular use or shape is often indicated by a prefixed word, as blacksmith's tongs, curling-tongs, gas-fitter's tongs, pipe tongs, sugar-tongs. When not otherwise particularized usually applied to fire-tongs. In early quots. often not distinguishable in sense from pincers or forceps.† a. in singular form tong. Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
society > occupation and work > equipment > clutching or gripping equipment > [noun] > tongs or pincers
tongsc725
tongsc890
pinsons1356
turkis1390
pincersa1400
twitches?a1425
pinching iron1519
pincette?1533
spinsers1539
pincher1573
twitcher1573
tenailles1597
quitch1600
tenalia1603
forceps1634
vellicle1676
snapdragon1833
c725 Corpus Gloss. (O.E.T.) 905 Forceps, tong.
a1000 in T. Wright & R. P. Wülcker Anglo-Saxon & Old Eng. Vocab. (1884) I. 218/37 Delebra, tang.
a1000 in T. Wright & R. P. Wülcker Anglo-Saxon & Old Eng. Vocab. (1884) I. 272/34 Forceps, tang.
c1050 Byrhtferth's Handboc in Anglia (1885) 8 325 Mid his gyldenan tange.
a1250 Owl & Nightingale 156 Þu twengest þar mid so doþ a tonge.
c1305 St. Dunstan 77 in Early Eng. Poems & Lives Saints (1862) 36 He droȝ forþ his tonge And leide in þe hote fur.
c1380 Sir Ferumbras (1879) l. 1308 & het to brynge with him anon anuylt, tange & slegge.
a1382 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Douce 369(1)) (1850) Isa. vi. 6 A cole, that with the toenge [a1425 L.V. a tonge] he toc fro the auter.
c1440 Promptorium Parvulorum 496/2 Tongge, fyyr instrument.
1480 Table Prouffytable Lernynge (Caxton) (1964) 7 Ung estenelle ung greyl. A tonge a gredyron.
b. in plural form with plural construction: the usual current use. pair of tongs is used when qualification by a numeral or an indefinite article is wanted.
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society > occupation and work > equipment > clutching or gripping equipment > [noun] > tongs or pincers
tongsc725
tongsc890
pinsons1356
turkis1390
pincersa1400
twitches?a1425
pinching iron1519
pincette?1533
spinsers1539
pincher1573
twitcher1573
tenailles1597
quitch1600
tenalia1603
forceps1634
vellicle1676
snapdragon1833
α.
β. c1290 St. Brendan 480 in S. Eng. Leg. I. 233 With tongen [Harl. MS. 2277 (c 1300) tangen] and with hameres brenninde mani on.1352–3 in F. R. Chapman Sacrist Rolls Ely (1907) II. 155 In j pari de Tongys pro plumbario.1392–3 Earl Derby's Exp. (Camden) 158 Pro tunges et aliis necessariis.1426 J. Lydgate tr. G. de Guileville Pilgrimage Life Man 16144 And with thy Toonges pynche hem so.1483 Act 1 Rich. III c. 12 §2 Andyrons, Cobbardes, Tongges, Fireforkes.1495 in M. Oppenheim Naval Accts. & Inventories Henry VII (1896) 205 Tongges of yron..j payre.1530 J. Palsgrave Lesclarcissement 251/1 Payre of tonges, tenailles.1530 J. Palsgrave Lesclarcissement 251/1 Payre of smythes tonges, gresses.1531 in H. Littlehales Medieval Rec. London City Church (1905) 37 A payre of andi[r]onis and a payre of tonkes with a fyer Raike.1582 Rates Custome House (new ed.) sig. Eviij v Tongs for fire the dosen vj.s.1599 Acct.-bk. W. Wray in Antiquary (1896) 32 243 One pair of thounges.1605 S. Rowlands Hell's broke Loose 47 Their flesh torne from the bones with fiery tongs.1614 in Liber Deposit. infra Archidiacon. Colcestrensem (MS) lf. 71 To saye he would laye her on the pate with the tungs.1663 S. Pepys Diary 7 Sept. (1971) IV. 301 Dogs, tongs, and Shovells for my wife's closet.1697 J. Dryden tr. Virgil Georgics iv, in tr. Virgil Wks. 130 With Tongs they turn the Steel. View more context for this quotation1721 J. Kelly Compl. Coll. Scotish Prov. 383 You found it where the Highland Man found the Tongs.1815 J. Smith Panorama Sci. & Art II. 171 Grasping the tongs with the right hand a little below the middle.1845 G. P. R. James Arrah Neil I. ii. 19 He was as thin and spare, too, as a pair of tongs.c890 tr. Bede Eccl. Hist. (1890) v. xiii. [xii.] 428 Hæfdon heo fyrene eagan..ond fyrene tangan him on handa hæfdon.
c1000 Ælfric Homilies II. 352 Woldon me gelæccan mid heora byrnendum tangum.
c1290Tangen [see β. ]. 1384–5 in J. T. Fowler Extracts Acct. Rolls Abbey of Durham (1898) I. 265 j par de tangs.
1412–13 in J. T. Fowler Extracts Acct. Rolls Abbey of Durham (1901) III. 610 1 pare belowys et tangys empt.
c1425 in T. Wright & R. P. Wülcker Anglo-Saxon & Old Eng. Vocab. (1884) I. 657/11 Hec forceps, tangges.
1483 Cath. Angl. 378/1 A paire of Tanges, jn plurali numero, tenalia.
a1513 W. Dunbar Poems (1998) I. 237 The wyff..That with the taingis wald braek his schinnis.
1547 Reg. Mag. Sig. Scot. 20 (note) Tua pair of tayngis.
1595 A. Duncan Appendix Etymologiae: Index in Latinae Grammaticae Forceps, tayngs.
1718 A. Ramsay Christ's-kirk on Green iii. 24 Her Aunt a Pair of Tangs fush in.
1816 J. Boswell Justiciary Opera 5 To seize on anither man's geer (As the tangs ance a Highlandman fand).
1825 J. Jamieson Etymol. Dict. Sc. Lang. Suppl. at Tangs ‘You fand that whar the Highlandman fand the tangs’.
c. In plural form tongs construed as singular; with rare plural tongisis, tongses, pairs of tongs. Chiefly Scottish.
ΚΠ
1489 Act. Dom. Conc. (1839) 132/1 Twa axis, a wowmill..a tangis, price xl d.
1542 in W. Cramond Rec. Elgin (1903) I. 71 The masterfull streking of Ellene Murray with ane tanggis.
1576 Reg. Mag. Sig. Scot. 691 (note) 2 pair of tangisis, 3s. apiece.
1596 J. Dalrymple tr. J. Leslie Hist. Scotl. (1895) II. 46 The rest of his body..the pynouris raue with an yrne tangs.
1708 in W. Mure Select. Family Papers Caldwell (1854) I. 216 I must also have a tongs and shovel.
a1796 R. Burns Poems & Songs (1968) II. 810 Like a sheep-head on a tangs.
1849 W. Irving Crayon Misc. 254 A relic..which, if I recollect right, he pronounced to have been a tongs.
d. in singular form tong: One leg of a pair of tongs. humorous.
ΚΠ
1862 W. M. Thackeray Adventures of Philip xxxii, in Cornhill Mag. Mar. 275 He keeps a tong to the present day, and speaks very satirically regarding that relic.
1864 Daily Tel. 26 Aug. With the half of a pair of tongs, or perhaps I should say with a tong, in his tiny fist.
1897 in Westm. Gaz. 7 Dec. 4/1 The beetle trotted down the kitchen tong.
2.
a. figurative and in phrases: e.g. not to touch with a pair of tongs, expressing repugnance to have anything to do with.
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the mind > emotion > hatred > dislike > disgust > expressing extreme disgust or violent resentment [phrase] > have repugnance to have anything to do with
not to touch with a pair of tongsc1386
c1386 G. Chaucer Parson's Tale ⁋481 Thanne stant Enuye and holdeth the hoote Iren vpon the herte of man with a peire of longe toonges of long rancour.
1579 W. Fulke Refut. Rastels Confut. in D. Heskins Ouerthrowne 714 [It] maketh M. Rastel..to gnaw the tonges for anger.
1643 J. Caryl Expos. 3 First Chaps. Iob (ii. 8) 263 A man would scarce touch such an one with a paire of Tongs.
1688 J. Bunyan Good News for Vilest of Men 143 We are scarce for touching of the poor ones.., no not with a pair of Tongs.
1828 W. Carr Dial. Craven (ed. 2) at Tangs ‘He brades of a pair o' tangs’, this is applied to a person with long limbs.
1882 M. E. Braddon Mt. Royal III. vii. 136 I wouldn't touch it with a pair of tongs.
b. As used in burlesque music.
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society > leisure > the arts > music > musical instrument > percussion instrument > [noun] > other
tongs1600
riqq1836
morache1896
ratchet1933
reco-reco1942
dhantal1947
spoons1972
ferrinho1988
1600 W. Shakespeare Midsummer Night's Dream iv. i. 29 Clo. I haue a reasonable good eare in musique. Lets haue the tongs, and the bones. View more context for this quotation
1678 T. Rymer Trag. Last Age 139 The tintamar and twang of the Tongs and Jewstrumps.
1885 A. Dobson At Sign of Lyre 123 Well, our immortal Shakespear owns The Oaf preferred the ‘Tongs and Bones’!
c. snapping tongs, a game: see quot.
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society > leisure > entertainment > pastimes > game > parlour and party games > [noun] > forfeit games
follow the (also my) leader1776
Jack's alive1822
turn-trencher1838
snapping tongs1844
family coach1851
ken1890
1844 W. Barnes Poems Rural Life in Dorset Dial. Gloss. Snappen tongs, a game of forfeits..[played] in a room in which are seats for all but one,..when the tongs are snapped all run to sit down, and the one that fails to get a seat pays a forfeit.
1847 in J. O. Halliwell Dict. Archaic & Provinc. Words
d. Short for sugar-tongs n. at sugar n. Compounds 3a, curling-tongs n. at curling n.1 Compounds 1, oyster tongs n. at oyster n. and adj. Compounds 3: see these words; also lazy-tongs n.
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the world > food and drink > food > setting table > table utensils > [noun] > sugar-tongs
sugar-tongs1708
tongs1713
tea-tongs1738
sugar nippers1790
the mind > attention and judgement > beautification > beautification of the person > beautification of the hair > implements used in styling the hair > [noun] > curling implement
crisping-iron?a1400
bodkin1580
curling-bodkin1610
curling-iron1632
curling-tongs1763
crisping-tongs1773
pinching iron1789
tongs1843
crumpling-irons1854
roulette1860
curler1887
waver1895
permanent waver1916
wand1962
the world > food and drink > hunting > fishing > fishing-tackle > other fishing equipment > [noun] > oyster-tongs
oyster tongs1716
tongs1870
1713 London Gaz. No. 5086/3 6 gilded Tea Spoons with Forks and Tongs.
1843 W. M. Thackeray Ravenswing i, in Fraser's Mag. Apr. 471/2 He was twiddling the [curling-] tongs with which he had just operated on Walker.
1870 Standard 19 Oct. A party of Maryland oystermen were caught sinking their tongs into the Virginia beds.
3. In various transferred and technical applications.† a. Name for an ancient surgical forceps: see quot. Obsolete.† b. A weeding-tool: see quot. Obsolete.
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the world > health and disease > healing > medical appliances or equipment > surgical instruments > [noun] > forceps
tenaclesc1400
tongsc1425
raven's bill1446
parrotbill1598
duck's bill1601
swan's bill1631
forceps1634
beaks1656
volsella1684
tenaculum1693
rostrum1722
crane's-bill1753
porte-aiguille1830
volsellum1851
vulsellum1863
iris-forceps1874
speculum forceps1875
bulldog forceps1880
c1425 tr. Arderne's Treat. Fistula 35 Whiche y-do, be þe lure y-opned wiþ tonges so y-shape þat when þe vtward endes bene streyned togidre þe inner endes be opned & agaynward.
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the world > food and drink > farming > tools and implements > [noun] > weeding tools
weed hookeOE
weeding hook1378
weedera1425
brier-crook1483
tongs?1523
weeding knife1598
broom-hook1660
weeder knifea1796
shovel-plough1801
extirpator1807
shovel-cultivator1869
thistle-digger1877
thistle-spud1896
thistle-cutter1901
flamethrower1915
flame gun1931
weed cutter2000
?1523 J. Fitzherbert Bk. Husbandry f. xiii The chefe instrument to wede with is a payre of tonges made of wode and in ye farther ende it is nycked to holde the wede faster.
c. The pincer-like organs of a scorpion.
ΘΚΠ
the world > animals > invertebrates > phylum Arthropoda > class Arachnida > [noun] > order Scorpiones > member of (scorpion) > parts of > claw(s)
taker1608
tongs1608
chelicer1835
the world > animals > invertebrates > phylum Arthropoda > class Crustacea > [noun] > subclass Malacostraca > division Thoracostraca > order Decapoda > suborder Brachyura (crab) > parts of crab
partan toea1568
tongs1608
apron1855
cart1860
1608 E. Topsell Hist. Serpents 223 The sixt is like a Crabbe, & this is called by Elianus a flamant Scorpion, it is of a great body, and hath tonges and takers very solide and strong, like the Gramuell or Creuish.
d. In a pile-engine, the forceps which grips the staple in the head of the ram.
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society > occupation and work > equipment > driving or beating tools > [noun] > pile-drivers > parts of
tongs1776
1776 G. Semple Treat. Building in Water 36 The Tongs are opened by the two inclined Planes.
1776 G. Semple Treat. Building in Water 37 The Ram..with the Staple, that the Tongs take hold of.
1825 ‘J. Nicholson’ Operative Mechanic 310 Forceps or tongs are lowered down speedily, and instantly of themselves again lay hold of the ram and lift it up.
Categories »
e. In diamond-cutting, a stand having at its upper end a vice-like device for holding the dop in which the diamond is imbedded for cutting.
Categories »
f. Railway. A pincer-like device for grasping the rail on which a vehicle is standing, thus holding it still (Forney Car-builder's Dict. 1884).
g. ‘A name for pantaloons and roundabouts [short jackets] formerly in use in New England’ (Bartlett Dict. Americanisms 1848); a skeleton suit.
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the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > types or styles of clothing > set or suit of clothes > [noun] > other
shiftc1570
under-suita1586
doublet and hose1603
siropa1671
frock-clothes1769
costume1797
poncho dress1811
tongs1845
Eton suit1859
sailor's suit1869
Prince Albert1873
Norfolk suit1880
sailor suit1880
ready-made1882
Etons1888
buster suit1903
Mallaby-Deeley1920
tiddly suit1943
utility1945
shell suit1973
Mao suit1993
gansey2009
1845 S. Judd Margaret i. vi. 34 The boys dressed in ‘tongs’, a name for pantaloons or over-alls, that had come into use.
h. Oil Industry. A large pipe wrench used for making up or breaking out lengths of pipe or casing.
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society > occupation and work > equipment > screwdrivers, wrenches, spanners > [noun] > spanner or wrench > other spanners or wrenches
tap wrench1815
doghook1847
stock1862
stud box1867
socket wrench1905
Allen key1910
wheel brace1920
tongs1922
nut driver1939
spud wrench1939
torque wrench1948
nut runner1958
Mole1959
skate key1962
1922 F. M. Towl in D. T. Day Handbk. Petroleum Industry I. 411 When the friction becomes so great that this method cannot be used, the tongs are placed on the line.
1972 L. M. Harris Introd. Deepwater Floating Drilling Operations v. 46 The normal rig-floor tools, such as, tongs, slips, and small hand tools.
Compounds
tongs-carriage n. a carriage which supports the tongs used in glass-making, foundry-work, and the like.
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society > occupation and work > equipment > furnace or kiln > furnace > parts of furnace > [noun] > other parts of furnaces
sump1673
stoking-hole1683
stoking-place1744
mid-feather1748
bottoming hole1815
trunnel-head1819
keystone1821
vault1825
well1825
nose-hole1832
fore-stone1839
nose1839
tongs-carriage1839
tunnel-head1843
glory-hole1849
1839 A. Ure Dict. Arts 590 Glass-making... Two powerful branches of iron united by a bolt, like two scissar blades,..form the tongs-carriage, which is mounted upon two wheels like a truck.
ˈtongsman n. (a) = tongman n.; (b) Oil Industry one who handles the large pipe wrench used for making up or breaking out lengths of pipe.
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society > occupation and work > worker > workers according to type of work > manual or industrial worker > worker in oil industry > [noun] > types of
scout1883
roustabout1886
pipeliner1887
tongsman1891
tool-dresser1896
fisherman1903
roughneck1913
stabber1922
toolie1932
tool-pusher1932
doodlebug1933
rigger1974
1891 Cent. Dict. (citing Davidson) Tongsman.
1974 China Reconstructs July 47/1 Before long he became a skilled tongsman.
ˈtongman n. one who uses the tongs in oyster-fishing (U.S.).
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the world > food and drink > hunting > fishing > fisher > [noun] > for oysters
oysterman1305
dredger?a1513
oyster dredger?a1513
waterman1549
oysterera1618
dredger-man1696
tonger1887
tongman1887
1887 G. B. Goode Fisheries U.S.: Hist. & Methods II. 525 In midwinter, when the heavy planters are busy marketing their crops, the tongmen are idle, or are attending to their own little cove-beds.
1891 W. K. Brooks Amer. Oyster 140 They are exposed to the depredations of both tongmen and dredgers.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1913; most recently modified version published online December 2021).
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