make bricks without straw

make bricks without straw (third-person singular simple present makes bricks without straw, present participle making bricks without straw, simple past and past participle made bricks without straw)

makes bricks without straw (present singular third-person)
making bricks without straw (participle present)
made bricks without straw (participle past)
made bricks without straw (past)

From Exodus 5:18: "Now get to work. You will not be given any straw, yet you must produce your full quota of bricks." (NIV).

The founders did more than "make bricks without straw; they dreamed of a great cathedral and laid the foundations for it.

1938, Jonas A. Jonasson, Bricks without straw: the story of Linfield College, page 168:

To call on the owners of little farms, the tradesmen, labourers and sailors to pay their proportion of a [£20,000] tax, when perhaps there is not half that sum in circulation is something harder than being forced to make bricks without straw,” he wrote; "it is to make them without clay."

2008, Woody Holton, Unruly Americans and the Origins of the Constitution, →ISBN, page 30:

The problems that we may find ourselves confronted with may be similar to a make bricks without straw condition, imposed by not only others but in large measure ourselves.

2014, Peter F. Serra, Snapshots of Inspiration, →ISBN, page 170:

(idiomatic) To accomplish a task without the proper materials or under unreasonable conditions; to do the impossible.

you can't make an omelette without breaking eggs


stud finder

(construction, woodworking) A hand-held device used to determine the location of framing studs used in light-frame construction after the walling surface has been installed.


borrow pit

No borrow pit excavation was necessary, and 41,000 cu. yd. were removed from cuttings by excavating machines.

1944 November and December, “Increasing G.W.R. Line Capacity”, in Railway Magazine, page 367:

(construction, civil engineering) A pit dug to extract material (such as soil, gravel, or sand) for use at another location.


rebarred

(construction) Supported with steel reinforcing bars.


parging

en-noun

parging (countable and uncountable, plural pargings)

Although all of the mortar pargings were crazed, the effects of weathering were most apparent in the top pargings and in the top courses of the walls.

1941, Cyrus C. Fishburn, Douglas E. Parsons, Perry H. Petersen, Effect of Outdoor Exposure on the Water Permeability of Masonry Walls (Building Materials and Structures Report; BMS 76), Washington, D.C.: National Bureau of Standards, United States Department of Commerce; United States Government Printing Office, →OCLC, page 12:

Concrete to receive hot-applied dampproofing will not need a coat of parging unless the wall is honeycombed, pockmarked, or otherwise too rough for the dampproofing to properly cover.

1989, H. Leslie Simmons, Repairing And Extending Weather Barriers, New York, N.Y.: Van Nostrand Reinhold, →ISBN, page 3839:

Parging is a single layer of mortar applied directly to the wall with a trowel so that it covers the entire surface. Parges generally are rough and cover the whole masonry surface, but at times they are only applied to the joints or recessed portions of the stonework.

1991 July–August, Paul Briggs, “Mortars & Finishes”, in The Old-House Journal, volume XIX, number 4, page 37:

When more than one unit thick of brick or tile is used in the wall, the back of the face brick or tile may be covered with mortar. This parging will substantially increase the waterproofing of the wall. Basement walls usually are parged.

1998, Henry S. Harrison, Houses: The Illustrated Guide to Construction, Design and Systems, 3rd edition, Chicago, Ill.: Dearborn Real Estate Education, →ISBN, page 200:

Parging (a thin coat of cement plaster) may or may not be present on foundation walls. Below grade, it is typically applied to concrete block walls before a bituminous (asphalt-based) dampproofing coating is applied. The parging is necessary because the surface of the concrete block is too irregular to allow a continuous coating to be achieved with the bituminous material.

2003, Carson Dunlop, Principles of Home Inspection: Exteriors, Chicago, Ill.: Dearborn Real Estate Education, →ISBN, page 107:

Use of plastic roofing cements, acrylic coatings, latex coatings, mortars and pargings to seal ICF [insulating concrete form] walls is permitted.

2010, Thomas Hart, Residential Code of New York State, Washington, D.C., Albany, N.Y.: International Code Council, Inc.; Division of Code Enforcement and Administration, United States Department of State, →ISBN, page 76:

If you burn wood on its own, the flue gases are cooler than from a coal fire. This can result in tars condensing out within the parging and brickwork of the flue, sometimes causing brown or yellow staining on upstairs chimney breasts.

2015 April 7, Jeff Howell, “The secret of longer lasting tiles [print version: How to avoid cracking up, 4 April 2015, page P7]”, in The Daily Telegraph (Property), archived from the original on 2015-04-22:

(construction) A coat of cement mortar on the face of rough masonry, the earth side of foundation and basement walls; a parge.


aluminosis

When many of these structures were proved to be substandard by the discovery of aluminosis (a disease caused by humidity which affects cement, and exacerbated by the cheap building methods), it would be Nou Barris that would be among […]

2005, Donald McNeill, Urban Change and the European Left:

After this, overall inspections detected aluminosis in thousands of apartments in peripheral neighborhoods.

2007, Edgar Illas Arau, The Euphoric Politics of Postmodern Barcelona, →ISBN, page 208:

(construction) A structural defect resulting from the degradation of poor quality concrete.


shutterer

That year four men looked like good material for the expedition: a surveyor, an engineer, a shutterer (concrete moldmaker) and a scaffolding erector.

1983, Ranulph Fiennes, To the Ends of the Earth:

(construction) A worker who constructs shuttering/formwork.


jobsite

A physical location where work is done, especially construction work.


half-bat

To avoid excessive cutting, the bond is arranged as shown in the figure, i.e. two half-bats and a one-brick bonder placed alternately.

2006, J. C. Hodge, Malcolm Thorpe, Brickwork for Apprentices, page 97:

(construction) A bat (brick with one whole end) that is exactly half the length of the original brick.


cladder

At this stage of the construction process the only people on the site would normally be groundworkers and the steel erectors, followed by the roof cladders.

2014, Mike Riley, Alison Cotgrave, Construction Technology 2: Industrial and Commercial Building:

(construction) One who applies cladding, or insulation.


flatwork

(construction) Horizontal construction work using concrete, such as floors.


flaunch

en-verb

flaunch (third-person singular simple present flaunches, present participle flaunching, simple past and past participle flaunched)

flaunches (present singular third-person)
flaunching (participle present)
flaunched (participle past)
flaunched (past)

(transitive, construction) To provide with flaunching.


lap joint

There is, however, a most important and peculiar element of strength in the ordinary lap-joints for circular seams, as distinguished from straight seams, in the circumstance that the circular lap-joint cannot possibly be distorted like the straight lap-joint, under extreme tension

1858 November 27, “Recent Practice in the Locomotive Engine”, in Sholto Percy, editor, Mechanics' Magazine and Journal of Science, Arts, and Manufactures, volume 69, London: Knight and Lacey, page 512:

Using the lap joint in any of its applications provides strength in a cabinet where a butt joint would or could be used.

1990, Byron W. Maguire, Cabinetmaking: From Design to Finish, Carlsbad, CA: Craftsman, page 234:

(construction, woodworking) A joint made by securing together two overlapping pieces


yellow goods

(construction) Equipment for construction and earthmoving tasks.


set fair

set fair (third-person singular simple present sets fair, present participle setting fair, simple past and past participle set fair)

sets fair (present singular third-person)
setting fair (participle present)
set fair (participle past)
set fair (past)

The ceilings of the upper story to be lathed, plastered, and set fair; and the walls of the same, with those of the living rooms, to be rendered and set fair.

1849, Journal of the Royal Agricultural Society of England:

The cavities or cells run horizontally, and the blocks are dovetailed together at the joints, and united with strong-guaged plaster of Paris and lime putty, or air-slacked lime. They are set fair, and dressed with scrapers, forming a surface suitable either for paint or paper.

1855, The Practical Mechanic's Journal - Volumes 7-8, page 109:

The ceiling of basement to be lathed with strong laths securely nailed, plastered two coats, set fair, and twice whitened when dry.

1860, Robert Scott Burn, Handbook of the Mechanical Arts, page 48:

(masonry) To provide a smooth, finished surface on plaster after roughing in.


face brick

en-noun

face brick (countable and uncountable, plural face bricks)

I can recall all the small particulars of that disturbing summer night. The blue lamp in front of the face-brick building.

1978, André Brink, Rumours of Rain, Vintage, published 2000, page 314:

A type of high quality brick used for the fronts of buildings; also, in collective sense, as a type of building material.


sypher

en-verb

sypher (third-person singular simple present syphers, present participle syphering, simple past and past participle syphered)

syphers (present singular third-person)
syphering (participle present)
syphered (participle past)
syphered (past)

(carpentry) To lap the chamfered edges of planks to make a smooth surface, as for a bulkhead.


air hammer

Coordinate term: jackhammer

(engineering, construction) A hammer powered by compressed air.


heavy machinery

You shouldn't operate heavy machinery without a licence.

The heavy machinery industry of China, including the manufacture of iron and steel plant, rolling mill, heavy—duty forging and pressing machinery, large forgings and castings, etc., developed along a hard and tortuous road from small products to huge ones, from single machines to complete plants after the birth of New China.

1991, China Machinery Industries Yearbook, page 35:

Completion of the railroad allowed heavy machinery to be brought to the mine, including a 40-meter rotary kiln.

1998, Paul Garvin, Iowa's minerals: their occurrence, origins, industries, and lore:

(construction, machining) Industrial machinery specially designed to execute construction tasks, most frequently involving earthwork operations.

raskas koneisto

industrial machinery that is large and heavy


earthscraper

/ˈɝθˌskɹeɪp.ɚ/

(construction, mining) Synonym of bellyscraper (“a piece of heavy equipment”)


Bricktown

A neighborhood of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.


French navvy

(historical) An earth-digging machine; a kind of excavator.


downstrike

downstrike (third-person singular simple present downstrikes, present participle downstriking, simple past downstruck, past participle downstricken)

downstrikes (present singular third-person)
downstriking (participle present)
downstruck (past)
downstricken (participle past)

There was no trace of plaster inside the stair tower in the Barns: most of the interior was in brick, and the mortar pointing was downstruck and usually scored.

A struck joint is made by running the trowel along the joint before the mortar is hard, either pressing in at the top: upstruck (or weathered), which exposes the mortar to the weather, or pressing in at the bottom: downstruck (or struck).

2012, Sarah Gunn, Stone House Construction, →ISBN, page 112:

(masonry) To point (finish a joint) by pressing mortar in at the bottom.


post-tension

post-tension (third-person singular simple present post-tensions, present participle post-tensioning, simple past and past participle post-tensioned)

post-tensions (present singular third-person)
post-tensioning (participle present)
post-tensioned (participle past)
post-tensioned (past)

This minimum amount and location of post-tensioning force should be noted on the structural drawings.

1977, Post-Tensioning Institute, Design of Post-tensioned Slabs, page 37:

Slab post-tensioned and/or reinforced with active pre-stress: These slabs are designed following the Post-Tension Institute's procedures using active prestress, which permits thinner slabs. They are reinforced with post-tensioning tendons and mild steel reinforcement

2007, American Institute of Architects, edited by Andy Pressman, Architectural Graphic Standards, page 37:

(construction, engineering) To apply tension (to reinforcing tendons) after casting concrete.


blockout

en-noun

blockout (countable and uncountable, plural blockouts)

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-blockout.wav

(countable, construction) A void that is deliberately not filled with concrete, so that it can be used to insert something else such as pipework.


quincha

Borrowed from Spanish quincha, from Quechua [Term?].

A traditional Latin American construction system that uses wood and cane or giant reed to form an earthquake-proof framework that is covered in mud and plaster.


pony wall

(construction) A wall of low height, not extending all the way from floor to ceiling.


bifolding

(carpentry) Having a bifold design, with two equal panels hinged together so as to open by folding the panels against each other.


nail sickness

(roofing, nautical) The degradation of the roofing nails of a house or the nails of a boat, necessitating repair.


inbond

(construction) Of a brick or stone: laid with its length across the thickness of a wall.


outbond

(construction) Of a brick or stone: laid with its length parallel to the face of the wall.


free-hanging

Coordinate term: cantilevered

(construction) Hanging clear of other objects and without support from other objects.


scaff tag

(UK, construction) A label affixed to scaffolding to certify that it has been erected correctly and is safe to use.


hook pin

(construction) A pin with a hooked head, used to pin together the frame of a floor or roof.


coursing joint

(construction) A joint between two courses of masonry.


raising plate

(construction) A horizontal timber supporting the heels of rafters.


smell trap

(construction, plumbing) Synonym of stench trap


air drain

(construction) An ample space left at the foot of foundation walls for the sake of dryness.


sandstock

A kind of brick, originally made with sand


fur out

en-verb

fur out (third-person singular simple present furs out, present participle furring out, simple past and past participle furred out)

furs out (present singular third-person)
furring out (participle present)
furred out (participle past)
furred out (past)

Sometimes built-ins or plumbing fixtures make it impossible to fur out a wall or build a false one.

1980, Robert M. Jones, editor, Walls and Ceilings, Time-Life Books, →ISBN, page 11:

A 5⁄4cornerboard furred out 1⁄4 inch gives a matching shadowline to a 11⁄2-inch original cornerboard

2010, Aaron Lubeck, Green Restorations: Sustainable Building and Historic Homes:

(transitive, construction) Synonym of fur (“to level a surface by applying furring to it”)


underpoint

underpoint (third-person singular simple present underpoints, present participle underpointing, simple past and past participle underpointed)

underpoints (present singular third-person)
underpointing (participle present)
underpointed (participle past)
underpointed (past)

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-underpoint.wav

When the plates are firmly secured to the walls with the proper wall anchors all the interstices between the wedges should be underpointed with mortar.

1891, Carpentry and Building - Volume 13, page 37:

The most suitable material has proved to be the seconds or thirds types of Welsh slate laid on stout battens and well underpointed in haired mortar, gauged with cement.

Pantiles made from Bridgwater Clay must not be torched or underpointed, but the roof should be boarded and felted, battened and counterbattened.

1938, The Architect & Building News - Volume 153, page xlv:


concrete masonry unit

en-noun

concrete masonry unit (plural concrete masonry units)

(construction) A rectangular concrete block of a standard size used in construction.


raising piece

From earlier reason piece, from Middle English reson pece, rasewepece (“wall plate”), equivalent to reason + piece.

(construction) A piece of timber laid on a brick wall, or on a frame, to carry one or more beams.


culvertail

(carpentry, nautical, archaic) A dovetail joint.


culvertailed

(carpentry, nautical, archaic) dovetailed


roof-plate

(construction) A wall plate that receives the lower ends of the rafters of a roof.


sarooj

bor

Arabic صَارُوج (ṣārūj)

A traditional water-resistant mortar made of clay and limestone, used in Iranian architecture.


stretcher bond

(masonry) In bricklaying, an arrangement of bricks or stones laid lengthwise in successive courses, the joints of the one falling at the middle of that above and below.


stretching course

en-noun

stretching course (plural stretching courses)

(construction) A course of bricks or stones having all the faces outward.


facadism

(architecture, construction) a method where the facade is designed and/or constructed independently of the remainder of the rest of the building.


cut-and-cover

The greater part of the railway was built on the cut-and-cover principle, but some sections were tunnelled with a head shield.

1950 August, “Paris Metropolitan Railway Jubilee”, in Railway Magazine, page 505:

On London Underground, there are the cut-and-cover lines running just below the surface, and the Tubes properly so-called, which are on average about 40 feet down.

2012, Andrew Martin, Underground Overground: A passenger's history of the Tube, Profile Books, →ISBN, page unnumbered: A note on the title:

(construction) A method of building tunnels just below the surface by excavating a large trench, constructing the tunnel and then covering it with soil.


sideboarding

We were obliged to leave our horses in a stable, made up of a roof, in which was a loft for the storage of provender, set upon posts, without sideboarding, so that the norther met with no obstruction.

1857, Frederick Law Olmsted, A Journey Through Texas, page 103:

The new mill was 44 feet long, 30 feet wide and IVz stories high, made on the style of a New England barn with upright sideboarding over horizontal timber.

1968, Lewis S. Miner, Industrial Genius Samuel Slater, page 132:

By removing the sideboarding and roofing of the Bunker Hill Covered Bridge, the incredibly beautiful framing was revealed.

2009, David C. Fischetti, Structural Investigation of Historic Buildings, page 225:

(construction) Outer walls on a building or other structure; cladding; siding.


waterstop

A waterstop, which is installed before pouring the concrete, may be effective in sealing joints, but is not applicable for cracks.

2010, Center for Chemical Process Safety, Guidelines for Safe Warehousing of Chemicals, page 83:

(construction) A waterproof barrier that is used to prevent moisture from leaking through a joint.


tunnel boring machine

tunnel boring machine (plural tunnel boring machines)

Images of the first two Tunnel Boring Machines (TBMs) under construction for HS2 were released on May 26.
Each TBM is 170 metres long and weighs around 2,000 tonnes. Once in use, they will run non-stop for three and a half years, stopping only for Christmas and Bank Holidays.

2020 June 3, “Network News: Vote now to choose names of HS2 Tunnel Boring Machines”, in Rail, page 11:

(engineering) A large machine used to excavate tunnels with a circular cross section.

টানেল বোরিং মেশিন

a large machine used to excavate tunnels with a circular cross section

全断面トンネル掘進機

ぜんだんめんトンネルくっしんき


as-built

Maintaining as-builts on the Big Dig was a major undertaking, as it required keeping thousands of utility drawings up to date with the latest changes.

2013, Virginia A. Greiman, Megaproject Management, →ISBN:

(construction) A drawing showing how a project was actually built as opposed to how it was intended to be built.


sideform

sideform (countable and uncountable, plural sideforms)

Two basic methods of paving are in use in South Africa, namely, sideform and slipform. With the sideform method, metal sideforms are used to confine the concrete to the desired width.

1982, Charles G. Dyer, Road Construction Technology in South Africa, page 128:

(construction, uncountable) A process for setting concrete which uses forms to confine the concrete to the desired width.


toe-crushing

(construction) A failure of a brick wall in which the bricks at one lower end crack and crumble.


oversheeted

en-adj

oversheeted (comparative more oversheeted, superlative most oversheeted)

more oversheeted (comparative)
most oversheeted (superlative)


hot patch

(construction) A repair for cracks and potholes in a paved surface involving filling them with hot, molten asphalt concrete.


VCP

vitrified clay pipe
vitrified clay pipe#English

(construction) Initialism of vitrified clay pipe.


vitrified clay pipe

en-noun

vitrified clay pipe (plural vitrified clay pipes)

(construction) A type of corrosion-resistant pipe made by heating clay until it vitrifies.


sandwich theory

sandwich theory (countable and uncountable, plural sandwich theories)

(construction) A theory describing the behaviour of a beam, plate, or shell consisting of three layers: two facesheets and one core.


facesheet

(construction) A sheet of material serving as an outer face, like those surrounding the core of a sandwich panel.


restressable

en-adj

restressable (comparative more restressable, superlative most restressable)

more restressable (comparative)
most restressable (superlative)

(construction) Capable of being stressed again.


T-beam

The T-beam is designed to economize in this respect by concentrating the concrete, where it is most effective, near the compressive side of the beam.

1915 April, Jerome Cochran, “Design Methods in Concrete Construction – Analysis of Stresses in T-Beams and Design of Beams in General”, in Concrete-Cement Age:

Similar to doubly reinforced sections, the T-beam detailed in Figure 3.7(6)(a) may be ‘decomposed’ into a web-beam and a flange-beam […]

2010, Yew-Chaye Loo, Sanaul Huq Chowdhury, “Ultimate strength analysis and design for bending”, in Reinforced and Prestressed Concrete:

mechanical engineering
mechanical engineering

(construction, mechanical engineering) A structural member with a cross section shaped like the letter T.


garbage chute

A passage where garbage is carried to a receptacle at the bottom of a building.


crane operator

(construction) (This entry is a translation hub.)


sonotube

(construction) A tube of compressed fibre into which wet concrete is poured in order to make columns or pillars


BIPV

(electricity, construction) Initialism of building-integrated photovoltaic.


jack post

(construction) A telescoping steel post used for the temporary support of ceilings, walls, and trenches.


bluetop

(US, construction) A stake or other marker set into the subgrade to indicate the desired grade elevation.


talk to a brick wall

en-verb

talk to a brick wall (third-person singular simple present talks to a brick wall, present participle talking to a brick wall, simple past and past participle talked to a brick wall)

talks to a brick wall (present singular third-person)
talking to a brick wall (participle present)
talked to a brick wall (participle past)
talked to a brick wall (past)

(idiomatic, colloquial) To be completely ignored or disregarded by someone, as if speaking to an inanimate object.

對牛彈琴 /对牛弹琴 (duìniútánqín, literally “to play the guqin to a cow”)

kaikua kuuroille korville

subject is the thing that is ignored or disregarded


take to the bricks

take to the bricks (third-person singular simple present takes to the bricks, present participle taking to the bricks, simple past took to the bricks, past participle taken to the bricks)

takes to the bricks (present singular third-person)
taking to the bricks (participle present)
took to the bricks (past)
taken to the bricks (participle past)

Alternative form of hit the bricks (“participate in a strike”)


building permit

en-noun

building permit (plural building permits)

planning permission
planning permission#English


wheel wash

An installation for cleaning the tires and underbody of vehicles as they leave a construction site, so as to avoid leaving sediment on roads.


spatterdash

From spatter + dash (“to throw violently”), (cement-based slurry): from the technique used to apply spatterdash to a wall.

A spatterdash treatment consisting of a cement:sand slurry may be used over the surface of these bricks to provide a mechanical key for rendering.

1972, Leslie Albert Ragsdale, Ernest Albert Raynham, Building Materials Technology, page 126:

Spatterdash can be used to produce an attractive appearance, or it can be applied before plastering in order to make a good surface for the plaster or render. Spatterdash is a wet, rich mix of cement and sand, called a slurry. This sand and cement is mixed to a proportion of 1:1,5 or 1:3. This slurry is thrown hard, or spattered, against the smooth block or concrete surface, and then allowed to harden.

1986, John van Winden, Wolfram Pforte, Fritz Hoherlein, Rural Building: Basic Knowledge, volume 2, page 178:

A cement-based slurry applied to a wall in order to improve adhesion of the render.


pyramid hip roof

pyramid hip roof (plural pyramid hip roofs)

A hip roof without a central ridge, thus pyramidal in form.


mass haul diagram

mass haul diagram (plural mass haul diagrams)

(construction) A diagram illustrating the amounts of material that will be cut from the terrain and used to fill other areas, for example when building a railway.


megatall

(architecture, construction) A building approximately between 600 meters and 900 meters tall, (between 2000 feet and 3000 feet tall). A building taller than a supertall.


mitre box

A wood working appliance used to guide a handsaw or backsaw for making precise cuts, usually 45° and 90° mitre cuts. The mitre boxes are made of wood or plastic.


dry well

From dry + well (in both open compound and solid compound form).

lb

(civil engineering, construction) An underground structure (for example, a pit filled with gravel) that disposes of unwanted water (most commonly surface runoff and stormwater and in some cases greywater) by holding it and dissipating it into the groundwater.


hollow block

See hollow + block, due to the hollow centers or cores that may be built into the production of these blocks to reduce weight.

(Philippines) A lightweight building block made from cinders and concrete.


cold patch

(construction) A mass of semisolid asphalt concrete tamped into potholes in a paved surface to provide a temporary repair, typically used in cold winter conditions.


cold patch

en-verb

cold patch (third-person singular simple present cold patches, present participle cold patching, simple past and past participle cold patched)

cold patches (present singular third-person)
cold patching (participle present)
cold patched (participle past)
cold patched (past)

Cold patch the holes in the road so people can still drive on it until we can get something more permanent done.


posttension

posttension (third-person singular simple present posttensions, present participle posttensioning, simple past and past participle posttensioned)

posttensions (present singular third-person)
posttensioning (participle present)
posttensioned (participle past)
posttensioned (past)

Coordinate term: pretension

(construction) To pour concrete first and then stretch the reinforcing strands within it by means of jacks and anchorages.


polymeric sand

(construction) A mixture of fine-grained sand and binding additives, used to fill the space between pavers.


undercloak

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-undercloak.wav

(construction) A fixed underlayer of tile or fibre cement on a roof, to support the mortar above.


undercloak

undercloak (third-person singular simple present undercloaks, present participle undercloaking, simple past and past participle undercloaked)

undercloaks (present singular third-person)
undercloaking (participle present)
undercloaked (participle past)
undercloaked (past)

(construction, transitive) To apply such an underlayer to.


BCM

(construction, excavation) Initialism of bank cubic meter. A measure of the original volume of excavated material as it was in the ground, prior to removal


dumb as a brick

thick as a brick
thick as a brick#English


pretensional

The transmission length of prestressing tendons used in pretensional prestressed concrete members has been related to their diameter, similar to bond, anchorage and lap lengths of reinforcing bars in reinforced concrete.

1972, India. Central Board of Irrigation and Power, Abstracts (issues 344-349, page 67)


slab hut

(housing, construction) A kind of dwelling or shed made from slabs of split or sawn timber.


back-butter

back-butter (third-person singular simple present back-butters, present participle back-buttering, simple past and past participle back-buttered)

back-butters (present singular third-person)
back-buttering (participle present)
back-buttered (participle past)
back-buttered (past)

(transitive, construction) To apply adhesive to the back of (a tile) before placing it on the substrate.


bellyscraper

From belly + scraper.
* (earthmoving heavy equipment): From having a blade that scrapes the ground on the bottom "belly" of the vehicle.

(construction, mining) A piece of earthmoving equipment used to level land and build roads. A heavy equipment machinery with a blade on the bottom and a hopper on top, that can carry, scrape-up, and lay-down material.


running sand

During the construction of the viaduct, the sinking of the caissons in the river bed caused much difficulty to the engineer and contractors, as a bed of running sand was encountered; in consequence, the expenditure for these foundations proved almost prohibitive.

1946 January and February, “Notes and News: Demolition of Rhydyfelin Viaduct”, in Railway Magazine, page 53:

(construction) Saturated sand which flows into an excavation or void due to water pressure.


bondwork

(construction) Synonym of bond (“style of bricklaying”)


outlooker

(construction) Synonym of lookout (“type of joist”)


joistwork

(construction) An arrangement of joists.


wing wall

Such an abutment would typically have wing walls that have sloping tops, to match the profile of the embankment. The wing walls are usually angled back from the abutment wall.

2023 May 3, Philip Haigh, “The art and science of building bridges”, in RAIL, number 982, page 40:

(construction) In a bridge, a retaining wall on either side of an abutment.


piling rig

Contractor Balfour Beatty is working around the clock to repair the structure, with a piling rig brought from Inverness.

2023 May 31, Paul Clifton, “Network News: NR removes unsafe abutment from Nuneham viaduct”, in RAIL, number 984, page 26:

(construction) A large crawler track-mounted drill used in foundation projects which require drilling into sandy soil, clay, silty clay, and similar environments. Such rigs are similar in function to oil drilling rigs.


backerboard

A tile setter mounts colorful American-Olean ceramic tile on a new gypsum backerboard in a motel bathroom...

1962, “A building product for any need”, in National Gypsum Company Annual Report, page 4:

Ceramic tile has a well-deserved reputation as a durable material, but neither tile, nor cement backerboard, nor latex thinset or grout, can be relied upon to provide waterproofing protection.

2000 November 21, Michael Byrne, “Liability and Waterproofing in Ceramic Installations”, in Floor Covering Installer:

There are all sorts of different tile backer board products out there. Some are cement-based, some are gypsum-based, and others have a mix of ingredients.

2007 February 25, Tim Carter, “For backer board, cement worth effort”, in The Record, Bergen County, NJ, page R4:

Dear Tim: What you call backerboard might be something entirely different from what I call backerboard. I'm quite concerned that you don't really have a waterproof backerboard since you said it crumbled. Technically, you have a board that is backing up tile, so I guess you can call it backerboard.

2015 February 15, Tim Carter, “If it's gypsum, it's not good backerboard for tile”, in Telegraph-Herald, Dubuque, Iowa, page E8:

A board used behind or under other material, often as support.

(construction, masonry, carpentry) Boards used as underlayment for tile, plaster, or other materials.

(carpentry, woodworking) A sacrificial board placed behind or under a board being drilled or sawn, so as to prevent blowouts. (Usually scrap ends reused for such purpose.)


bulb tee

(construction, often attributively) A T-beam with a web (vertical section) thickened into a bulbous part at its lower edge.


cope and stick

(construction) A frame-and-panel joinery technique used to make doors, wainscoting, etc., involving a molded edge with a cut along the inside of the frame where it is to be joined to the panel. The panel piece that meets the molding at a right angle must be "coped", or given a cope cut, across the end grain of the wood to match the molding's profile.


jobsite saw

A table saw having a direct-drive blade small enough to set on a workbench.


architectural concrete

en-noun

architectural concrete (countable and uncountable, plural architectural concretes)

(construction) Concrete that is exposed to view because it forms part of a surface, and may therefore need special attention given to its appearance.


snowman hole

An elongated hole consisting of two overlapping round holes.


subtrade

(construction) The specific trade of a subcontractor on a construction project, such as roofing or electrical wiring.


subtrader

(construction) A subcontractor who carries on a subtrade.


gravel stop

(roofing) Flashing installed to prevent the gravel surfacing from being washed off a roof by heavy rain.


jumpform

jumpform (usually uncountable, plural jumpforms)

(construction) A kind of formwork; a temporary mold, made from planks, into which concrete is poured, in order to create vertical concrete structures that rise with the building process.


wellpoint

(construction) A small well consisting of a tube hammered into the ground, that can drain water from a construction site.


sand jack

After being rolled into position, the span had to be lowered about 4 in. on to its bearings. This was accomplished by means of sand-jacks—a simple arrangement of piston and cylinder—by which movements to very fine limits are obtained by the controlled release of sand from an opening in the base of the cylinder.

1950 October, “Completion of Flood-Damage Repairs, East Coast Main Line”, in Railway Magazine, page 708:

(construction) A type of jack from which sand can be released gradually in small quantities when lowering something into position.


builder's remedy

(law, construction) A legal mechanism in the United States where, if a municipality fails to comply with state laws regarding the development of new housing, a developer can bypass or ignore certain zoning laws and begin construction in an expedited manner, or can use other legal remedies.


final setting time

final setting time (countable and uncountable, plural final setting times)

Coordinate term: initial setting time

(construction) Of concrete, the time elapsed between the moment that water is added to the cement, and the moment when the paste has completely lost its plasticity.


dovetail joint

A method of joining pieces of wood using a dovetail


tearout

tearout (countable and uncountable, plural tearouts)

He's got a bunch of tearouts on the finished side. It's cheaper and easier to redo it than to patch it, but the job's unprofitable either way.

The heartwood gave consistently better results than the sapwood, in fact nearly all the tearouts and most of the rough cutting were found in the sapwood.

1949, E. M. Davis, “Shaping the End Grain of Redwood for Core Stock”, in United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service, editor, Reports, page 11:

Tearout can also occur below the final depth of cut.

2002, Gary Rogowski, The Complete Illustrated Guide to Joinery, page 21:

This slot is a hot zone for tearout because it creates an unsupported surface for the material being cut.

en:damage at exit side of drilled hole or sawn edge

(carpentry, woodworking) Synonym of blowout.


IPD

IPD (countable and uncountable, plural IPDs)

integrated project delivery
w:integrated project delivery

(construction) Initialism of integrated project delivery.


Z-bar

(construction) A steel bar consisting of a Z-shaped section.


initial setting time

initial setting time (countable and uncountable, plural initial setting times)

Coordinate term: final setting time

(construction) Of concrete, the moment in time that cement turns into paste after mixing with water and begins to lose its plasticity.


breast down

en-verb

breast down (third-person singular simple present breasts down, present participle breasting down, simple past and past participle breasted down)

breasts down (present singular third-person)
breasting down (participle present)
breasted down (participle past)
breasted down (past)

(transitive, construction, dated) To use a process of sequential drilling and blasting in building tunnels for mining, subways, etc.


torch down

torch down (third-person singular simple present torches down, present participle torching down, simple past and past participle torched down)

torches down (present singular third-person)
torching down (participle present)
torched down (participle past)
torched down (past)

(transitive, roofing) To use a propane torch to burn sheets of modified bitumen, a technique used on roofs to provide waterproofing and fire resistance.


up and down house

en-noun

up and down house (plural up and down houses)

(Philippines, construction) A two-storey house


nail sick

(roofing, nautical) Of a house, a roof, or a ship, exhibiting degraded or corroded nails, or otherwise unsound fastenings.


BIM

(construction) Abbreviation of Building Information Modeling.


try-miter square

try-miter square (plural try-miter squares)

(tools, carpentry) A joinery tool that can be used as a standard 90 degree try square and also as a 45 degree miter square.


miter square

(tools, carpentry, woodworking) A hand tool used in woodworking and metalworking for marking and checking angles other than 90°.


framing hammer

(carpentry) A form of a claw hammer used for heavy wood construction, particularly house framing and concrete formwork.


water popping

(carpentry) A technique used to open the grain of wood flooring by introducing clean water to its surface before staining and finishing it.


sandwich beam

(construction) A composite system that consists of two thin skin layers separated by a thick inner core.


heavy equipment

(construction, idiomatic) Any of a diverse class of large machines used in construction and mining for earthmoving tasks (e.g., digging, grading), logging, and other heavy-duty applications.


trackhoe

From track + hoe, with conscious echoing of backhoe, which came first.

Coordinate term: backhoe

(construction, mining) An excavator (machine) mounted on caterpillar tracks. (Most are large; some are miniature for small jobs.)


sandwich shell

In sandwich shells, because of their initial curvature, bending moments (stress couples) give rise to transverse normal stresses in the core.

2018, Jack R. Vinson, The Behavior of Sandwich Structures of Isotropic and Composite Materials, page 320:

(construction, engineering) A structure consisting of a core (which can be foam or solid, honeycomb, web, corrugated or truss) sandwiched between two thinner outer layers, often made of metal or composite.


workstone

(masonry) A stone with which a person works.


honeycomb sandwich

honeycomb sandwich (plural honeycomb sandwiches)

(construction) A composite structure made up of a honeycomb core sandwiched between two facesheets.


valley board

(construction) A timber board supporting a metal valley iron or undertile gutter where two sections of a pitched roof meet.


valley piece

(architecture, construction) A tile or shingle used in roofing to create a closed valley on a roof.


valley rafter

(architecture, construction) A diagonal support that runs from the wall plate to the ridge of a roof, providing structural stability where the two roof slopes meet.


undertile

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-undertile.wav

(engineering, construction) Of or pertaining to an area or surface beneath or below tile.


flush cast

No. 143 bungalow range has large fire box, duplex grates, deep flanged covers, flush cast front and recessed doors.

1933, David Williams Company (publisher), Hardware Age, volume 131, numbers 7-13, page 72:

Water, Gas, Steam, and Vacuum Taps are of special design with flush cast bodies, and unless otherwise specified, are finished with acid-resistant black bronze.

1939, Association for Science Education, Association of Women Science Teachers, Science Masters' Association (contributors), School Science Review, volume 20, number 81, page 627:

There are two types, one with a flush cast brass cover, another with a recessed cover for filling with wood to match the deck, and of the two the latter is the more attractive.

1950, Thomas Fleming Day (editor), Rudder, volume 66, page 59:

is a tame neoclassical design, of brick with almost flush cast stone details; water table, wall niches, pilasters, and entrance surrounds.

2002, Sara A. Butler, Buildings of Virginia, Tidewater and Piedmont, page 460:

(construction, metallurgy) Cast in such a way as to sit flush, fitting smoothly with the surroundings.


star plate

In 1925, to counteract an observed outward movement of the spandrel walls, star plates and tierods were fixed to each span.

1954 January, “Strengthening of Coquet Viaduct”, in Railway Magazine, page 18:

(construction) A star-shaped anchor plate used in conjunction with a tie rod.


base cap

(construction) A decorative molding that is applied on top of a baseboard molding to create a layered trim and finished look.


baseboard heating

baseboard heating (usually uncountable, plural baseboard heatings)

(carpentry) A type of zone heating that uses a series of heating elements along the bottom of a wall to gradually release heat into a room.