scrap iron
2
2.5
- noun
- /skræp ˈaɪərn/
:
chatarra
- After the storm, we found heaps of scrap iron in the abandoned lot, ready to be repurposed.
- selling scrap iron
He comes into the administration and the the steel members that we had bought to secure the border, he sold them for scrap iron.
- He comes into the administration and the the steel members that we had bought to secure the border, he sold them for scrap iron.
Examples
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The only thing left is scrap iron stills and tenant farming.
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At the time, UNICEF was subsidizing hand pumps, and they were getting lost and sold as scrap iron.
Blog text (6) -
So we we just buy old scrap iron, we buy trace elements of steel.
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Any of you know how to load scrap iron?
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Twelve miles of scrap iron, and all we gotta do is pop it loose.
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We are collecting scrap iron to recast small mortars more suitable for my plan.
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There was nothing left of the fire, but its reek filled the shed, and the pile of scrap iron had warmed up by a few degrees.
Fiction book (2000) -
That's Junk Yard Sal's motto and she's backed it up with spectacular success in the scrap iron industry.
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We collected scrap iron from old cars to sell for recycling.
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The factory specializes in melting down scrap iron to create new metal products.
Synonyms
18
2.8
Pieces of old metal that people throw away to be melted and reused
How Useful
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'iron discarded as waste or for recycling' is directly and compositionally derived from combining 'scrap' (discarded/leftover pieces) with 'iron' (the metal). This noun–noun compound follows a straightforward, cross-linguistically common pattern (metal + scrap) so an average B1 learner who knows both words should understand it.
Etymology
The noun scrap iron comes from the simple picture of old, broken pieces of iron called scrap piled up to be melted. People collected that scrap to make new metal, so today scrap iron means 'iron thrown away to be melted and reused'.