The Collaborative International Dictionary
Tongs \Tongs\, n. pl. [OE. tonge, tange, AS. tange; akin to D. tang, G. zanga, OHG. zanga, Don. tang, Sw. t[*a]ng, Icel. t["o]ng, Gr. da`knein to bite, Skr. da[~n]i[,c], da[,c]. An instrument, usually of metal, consisting of two parts, or long shafts, jointed together at or near one end, or united by an elastic bow, used for handling things, especially hot coals or metals; -- often called a pair of tongs.
WordNet
n. any of various devices for taking hold of objects; usually have two hinged legs with handles above and pointed hooks below [syn: tongs]
Usage examples of "pair of tongs".
The smith took a small pair of tongs and swung the blade blank into the forge fire.
Let us suppose the case of a pair of tongs that falls upon a man's foot, causing a cruel hurt.
Any fool could take a scalpel to the host's skin, make an incision above the fidgeting almond-size mass of the parasite, swiftly grip the body sac with a pair of tongs, and tug it out.
He held a blackened pair of tongs in the flames as he shouted instructions to Royden, who was out of sight, manning the bellows behind the hearth.
Gendry lit a candle and set it on the anvil while he took down a pair of tongs.
A tabac pouch, a short-stemmed pipe, and a pair of tongs sat beside a covered brass bowl atop a small brass-bound chest, while a slightly larger chest, strapped with iron, held an ivory carving of a gawky animal Rand doubted really existed.
Each diner was served, with a flourish and a pair of tongs, accompanied by a loud declaration of his title and honor, whereupon he stood up and afterward sat down again.
Then, with a pair of tongs, he extracted a final grain from the small square tin.
Beside the counter was a large wooden barrel with the top slid partway aside and a pair of tongs hanging on a nail nearby.
Aviendha was squatting sweatily beside the big black kettle of hot, sooty rocks in the middle of the tent, carefully using a pair of tongs to move a last stone from a smaller kettle to the larger.