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Webster's New World College Dictionary » boatswain's pipe
boatswain's pipe
Variant of pipe
pipe
definition
pipe (pīp)
noun
- a hollow cylinder or cone, as of reed, straw, wood, or metal, in which air vibrates to produce a musical sound, as in an organ or wind instrument
- any wind instrument; specif.,
- bagpipe
- a small medieval fipple flute played with the left hand while the right hand beats a tabor
- a small, shrill whistle, used by a boatswain as in conveying orders to a ship's crewin full boatswain's pipe
- a high, shrill sound, as of a voice, birdcall, etc.
- the vocal organs, esp. as used in singing
- a long tube of clay, concrete, metal, plastic, etc., for conveying water, gas, oil, etc. or for use in construction
- a tubular organ or canal of the body
- the respiratory organs
- a somewhat cylindrical deposit of ore
- an opening into a volcano's crater
- anything tubular in form
- a tube with a small bowl at one end, in which tobacco, etc. is smoked
- enough tobacco, etc. to fill such a bowl
- a large cask for wine, oil, etc., having a capacity of about two hogsheads, or 126 gallons
- this volume as a unit of measure
- ☆ Slang something regarded as easy to accomplish
Etymology: ME < OE < WGmc *pipa < VL *pipa < L pipare, to cheep, chirp, peep, of echoic orig.
intransitive verb piped, piping pip′·ing
- to play on a pipe
- to utter shrill, reedy sounds or tones
- Metallurgy to develop longitudinal cavities, as steel sometimes does in ingots and castings during solidification
- Naut. to signal a ship's crew by sounding a boatswain's pipe
transitive verb
- to play (a tune, etc.) on a pipe
- to utter in a shrill, reedy voice or tone
- to affect or bring to some condition or place by or as by playing pipes to pipe the clan to battle
- ☆ to convey (water, gas, oil, etc.) by means of pipes
- ☆ to provide with pipes
- to trim (a dress, etc.) with piping
- to squeeze (icing, dough, or other soft or puréed food) from a pastry bag
- Slang to look at or notice
- Naut. to call together or alert (the crew), make (a specified call), or signal the arrival aboard or the departure of (someone) by sounding a boatswain's pipe
pipe Idioms
pipe down
☆ Slang to become quiet or quieter; stop shouting, talking, etc.
pipe in
to convey (esp. transcribed or remote music or speech) by an electric or electronic system
pipe up
- to begin to play or sing (music)
- to speak up or say, esp. in a piping voice
Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2009 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
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