red-lead putty
- noun
- Archaic
:
masilla de plomo rojo
- Plumbers often use red-lead putty to ensure a watertight seal on metal pipes.
Examples
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The old joints were sealed with red-lead putty to prevent leakage.
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Because of its composition, red-lead putty is particularly effective on threaded pipe connections.
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The plumber used red-lead putty to seal the pipes.
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He prefers red-lead putty over other sealing compounds.
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Plumbers often use red-lead putty to ensure a watertight seal on metal pipes.
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Because of its composition, red-lead putty is particularly effective on threaded pipe connections.
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The old joints were sealed with red-lead putty to prevent leakage.
Synonyms
47
4.5
A soft paste used to fill gaps in wood or to hold window glass
A thick paste of iron powder and oil used to fill and seal metal parts and resist acids
Surface Forms
Morphology
red-lead + putty
This is a straightforward material+object compound: 'red-lead' (a type of lead) combined with 'putty' (a malleable sealing compound). A B1 learner who knows 'red', 'lead' and 'putty' can infer it denotes putty made with red lead for sealing, so the meaning is directly compositional and transparent.
Etymology
Red-lead putty comes from the old workshop practice of mixing bright red-lead powder with boiled linseed oil to make a soft putty plumbers used to pack around pipe threads. Because this red paste was used to 'seal' joints and stop leaks, the name simply describes the sealing compound.