The Collaborative International Dictionary
Boiler \Boil"er\, n.
One who boils.
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A vessel in which any thing is boiled.
Note: The word boiler is a generic term covering a great variety of kettles, saucepans, clothes boilers, evaporators, coppers, retorts, etc.
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(Mech.) A strong metallic vessel, usually of wrought iron plates riveted together, or a composite structure variously formed, in which steam is generated for driving engines, or for heating, cooking, or other purposes.
Note: The earliest steam boilers were usually spheres or sections of spheres, heated wholly from the outside. Watt used the wagon boiler (shaped like the top of a covered wagon) which is still used with low pressures. Most of the boilers in present use may be classified as plain cylinder boilers, flue boilers, sectional and tubular boilers.
Barrel of a boiler, the cylindrical part containing the flues.
Boiler plate, Boiler iron, plate or rolled iron of about a quarter to a half inch in thickness, used for making boilers and tanks, for covering ships, etc.
Cylinder boiler, one which consists of a single iron cylinder.
Flue boilers are usually single shells containing a small number of large flues, through which the heat either passes from the fire or returns to the chimney, and sometimes containing a fire box inclosed by water.
Locomotive boiler, a boiler which contains an inclosed fire box and a large number of small flues leading to the chimney.
Multiflue boiler. Same as Tubular boiler, below.
Sectional boiler, a boiler composed of a number of sections, which are usually of small capacity and similar to, and connected with, each other. By multiplication of the sections a boiler of any desired capacity can be built up.
Tubular boiler, a boiler containing tubes which form flues, and are surrounded by the water contained in the boiler. See Illust. of Steam boiler, under Steam.
Tubulous boiler. See under Tubulous. See Tube, n., 6, and 1st Flue.
Usage examples of "boiler plate".
His head turned right, and his helmet clanked on the boiler plate around the slit as he scrambled to see.
Crouching there, his back against the boiler plate, he held his AKR submachine gun tight against his side and watched, with rising anger, as Private Maximich was hurled from the window and the other Americans fired to send his men, the rightful owners of the train, rushing behind trees and rocks for cover.
Those braces hold a piece of boiler plate against the opening, with the supplies behind it and the manhole cover holding it all down.
They come in that door hard as boiler plate but they don't go out that way.
I should interject that the Lyle County Leader was a four page single sheet, printed on what was then called `boiler plate' - newsprint printed on one side with international and national and state news, and shipped that way to small country papers, who would then fill the inside pages with local news and local advertising.
The Lyle County Leader bought 'boiler plate' from the Kansas City Star with the Leader's own masthead printed on it.
His immense yellow beak would tear open a boiler plate as easily as an aluminum beer can.
I filled in a boiler plate contract and slipped it in an Express Mail envelope that I addressed to Fiona in care of Melanie's home in San Francisco.