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punk

punk

1 9.9
A dry, spongy material used to start a fire
  • noun
  • /pʌŋk/
  • Specialized
: yesca
  • Frightened, I shrugged off my pack, switching Skava from one wrist to the other, and fumbled about for flint, iron, punk, and a candle.

I'd, I'd have like a punk, which is this thing that burns.

Examples

  • It was called a punk.

  • When I got there, Gutless Wonder was touching a long piece of smoking punk to a firecracker Sid Glotter held.

    Fiction book (1995)
  • I'd, I'd have like a punk, which is this thing that burns.

  • The campers used punk to help start their fire quickly in the damp conditions.

  • To light the fireworks, he carefully placed a piece of punk under the fuse.

  • She always kept some punk in her emergency kit for starting fires when camping.

Synonyms

kindling
vspunk
16 2.2

Small dry sticks used to start a fire

is spongy and slow burning rather than fast flaming sticks
tinder
vspunk
6 4.5

Dry material that lights easily to start a fire

is more spongy and slow burning rather than just spark catching
spunk
vspunk
  • Archaic
1 9.9

A dry material used to start a fire

is specifically spongy and slow burning rather than general fire material
touchwood
vspunk
  • Archaic
1 9.9

Dry wood used to start a fire

is spongy and slow burning rather than decayed wood pieces

Compounds

38 2.9

Rock music that is loud and fast with short angry songs often about politics

13 3.4

A group that plays fast loud rock music with angry singing

9 4.2

A young person who plays or likes loud, fast guitar music and dresses in leather with spiked hair

Surface Forms

punk singular
punks plural

Etymology

Punk for dry tinder comes from an old word for soft, dry wood that burns slowly, like a spongy 'tinder' used to start fires. So punk is the dry material people used to light a campfire.