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fire hook

fire hook

7.7
A metal rod with a handle used to move burning logs or stir hot embers
  • noun
translation icon : garra de fuego
  • The old cabin still had a fire hook hanging above the hearth for stoking the flames.

Examples

  • She used a fire hook to push the burning logs into place.

  • He always keeps a fire hook by the fireplace.

  • After the fire died down, he reached for the fire hook to stir the embers.

  • The firefighter used a fire hook to adjust the burning logs.

  • After the fire died down, he reached for the fire hook to stir the embers.

  • She used a fire hook to push the burning logs into place.

  • The old cabin still had a fire hook hanging above the hearth for stoking the flames.

Synonyms

hook
vsfire hook
192 1.0

A curved piece used to catch or hang things

is a straight rod used mainly to stir or move burning material
poker
vsfire hook
42 4.2

A metal rod with a handle for moving logs in a fire

is broader, also used to manipulate burning materials, not only stirring
salamander
vsfire hook
  • Archaic
1 9.9

A long metal rod with a handle used to move and tend a fire

is similar but emphasizes general manipulation, not length or size
fire iron
vsfire hook
1 6.0

A metal tool like a poker or tongs that you use to tend a fire in a fireplace

is a specific rod used to stir or directly manipulate burning materials
stove poker
vsfire hook
6.7

A metal rod with a handle for moving burning wood in a stove or fireplace

is more general, used with various fires and for manipulating burning items

Surface Forms

fire hook singular
fire hooks plural

Morphology

fire + hook

The meaning 'a metal rod used for stirring a fire' is directly and transparently derived from combining 'fire' (the burning process) with 'hook' (a curved implement), so a learner who knows both words can infer it is a hook used with fires. This noun-noun composition is a common, literal compounding pattern in English (and parallels exist in other languages), making it immediately comprehensible to B1-level learners.

Etymology

Fire hook is a simple name for a metal rod with a hooked end that people used to pull or move burning logs and embers. Because it is a hook used on the fire, the name came to mean 'a rod for stirring or moving burning material'.