ball-peen hammer
3
6.3
- noun
- /bɔl-pin ˈhæmər/
- Specialized
:
martillo de bola
- She was pounding on a sheet of copper with a ball peen hammer, making closely spaced little dents over the surface of the metal.
Examples
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The officer opens the bag and pulls out a ball peen hammer, crowbar, glass cutter, a bolt cutter, and a couple of other things I did not recognize. Classic burglar tools.
Blog text (31) -
Is the ball-peen hammer included?
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Go get a ball-peen hammer.
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I wanted to find my ball peen hammer.
Fiction book (1993) -
Sounded a little like somebody hitting a milk bottle with a... ball peen hammer, from here.
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"Sounded like somebody hitting a milk bottle with a ball peen hammer," said George.
Fiction book (1998) -
The blacksmith used a ball-peen hammer to shape the glowing metal.
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You need a ball-peen hammer for this metalworking project to ensure the proper finish.
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For repairing the car body, a ball-peen hammer is the best tool to smooth out the dents.
How Specialized
Surface Forms
Morphology
ball-peen + hammer
The compound is directly compositional: 'ball-peen' describes a ball-shaped peen (the hammer's rounded end) and 'hammer' names the tool, so the overall meaning — a hammer with a rounded peen used for shaping metal — is derivable from the parts. However, 'peen' is specialized technical vocabulary that many B1 learners will not know, so comprehension in practice depends on knowing that constituent.
Etymology
Ball-peen hammer is named for its round striking end: the ball or peen, which workers use to push, shape, or finish metal. So the name simply describes a hammer with a rounded end used for metalwork.