14 November 2018

andiron

[and-ahy-ern]

noun

1. one of a pair of metal stands, usually of iron or brass, for holding logs in a fireplace.

Origin of andiron

Middle English, Anglo-French, Old French, Gaulish

1250-1300; Middle English aundyr(n)e, Anglo-French aundyre, with the 2nd syllable taken as Middle English ire, iren iron < Old French andier, allegedly < Gaulish *anderos young animal (through known use of animals’ heads as decorations on andirons), though supposed relation between this word and Middle Welsh anneir, Breton annoer heifer, Old Irish ainder young woman, poses serious phonetic problems

Regional variation note

See dog iron, firedog.

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for andiron

Historical Examples

He hit it against the andiron to knock the ashes off, and plunged it into the mixture.
Ben Comee
M. J. (Michael Joseph) Canavan

He was looking at the elevated portions of the andiron which were invisible to me.
The Sleuth of St. James’s Square
Melville Davisson Post

An andiron, a wash-tub, is the result of an idea that did not exist before.
Mark Twain’s Speeches
Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens)

Today’s quote

History in its broadest aspect is a record of man’s migrations from one environment to another.

– Ellsworth Huntington

On this day

14 November 1868 – birth of Steele Rudd, Australian author, (pen-name for Arthur Hoey Davis). Wrote ‘On Our Selection‘, which introduced Australia to ‘Dad and Dave’. Died 11 October 1935.

14 November 1942 – birth of Robert G. Barrett, Australian author of books such as ‘Davo’s Little Something’ and the Les Norton series which included, ‘High Noon in Nimbin’, ‘The Tesla Legacy’, ‘Crime Scene Cessnock’, ‘Rosa-Marie’s Baby’, ‘Guns n Rosé’. Barrett sold over 1,000,000 books in Australia. Died 20 September 2012.

14 November 2012 – Total solar eclipse visible from Cairns, North Queensland, Australia. Other areas saw a partial eclipse. The last total eclipse for Cairns was in 710AD, with the next one not expected for another 225 years.