tin plague
- noun
- Specialized
:
plaga del estaño
- At low temperatures, antique tinware may suffer from tin plague, causing it to crumble.
Examples
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Scientists studied the effects of tin plague on electronics stored in extreme cold environments.
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The brittle powder produced by tin plague poses problems for preserving old tin artifacts.
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The tin plague can occur when temperatures drop below freezing.
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Many researchers study tin plague to understand its effects on metal durability.
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At low temperatures, antique tinware may suffer from tin plague, causing it to crumble.
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The brittle powder resulting from tin plague can damage valuable tin artifacts.
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When exposed to freezing conditions, tin plague can transform functional tin items into unusable powder.
Synonyms
A change in tin that makes it break easily and turn into grey powder in very cold weather
White tin turns into grey powder at low temperatures and makes metal crumble
Surface Forms
Morphology
The compound pairs a concrete material 'tin' with the metaphorical noun 'plague', so a B1 learner knowing both words could infer that it denotes some harmful or widespread deterioration affecting tin. However, the precise metallurgical meaning (white tin turning into brittle grey powder at low temperatures) is technical and not predictable from the constituents, making the term only partially transparent.
Etymology
Tin plague is named after a real effect: when metal gets very cold, tin can change into a grey, powdery form that breaks easily and seems to 'spread' across objects like a disease. So the word plague helps you remember that the metal will 'crumble' and fall apart in the cold.
