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Glite Dictionary
cold chisel

cold chisel

7.0
A metal tool for cutting and breaking stone or brick without heating
  • noun
  • /koʊld ˈtʃɪzəl/
translation icon : cincel frío
  • I think I'm going to have to get a cold chisel and just hammer it round.
  • cold chisel and hammer

Examples

  • She reached for her cold chisel to remove the excess mortar from the brick wall.

  • With a cold chisel and a steady hand, he carefully cut through the thick metal plate.

  • A rock hammer and cold chisel could come in handy for looking inside rocks (and should always be used with safety goggles).

    Academic text (1995)

  • The bottom compartment held a two-pound hammer, a cold chisel, two files, a hacksaw, a short pry bar, a pair of work gloves, and a can of glazier's putty.

    Fiction book (1994)

  • To carve the stone statue, the sculptor used a cold chisel along with a hammer.

Synonyms

chisel
vscold chisel
21 3.7

A hand tool with a flat metal blade for shaping wood, stone or metal

is narrower and hardened for cutting stone bricks and metal without applying heat
set chisel
vscold chisel
  • Specialized
8.1

A narrow steel tool for cutting stone and bricks

also cuts metal and is hardened for use without heat

Surface Forms

cold chisel singular
cold chisels plural

Morphology

cold + chisel

The meaning is directly and literally built from 'cold' (not heated) + 'chisel' (a carving/cutting tool): it denotes a type of chisel used without heating or designed for cutting cold metal/stone. This adjective+noun composition is a standard, transparent naming pattern, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents would readily infer the MWE's meaning.

Etymology

The name cold chisel comes from the simple idea of a chisel used on cold metal or stone, meaning the material is not heated first. That's why it means a hard steel tool for cutting brick, stone, or metal without using heat.