Jaws of Life

a pneumatic, pincerlike tool that is inserted into the body of a wrecked vehicle to pry sections of it apart: used esp. to free people trapped inside

Origin of Jaws of Life

so named from snatching accident victims from the “jaws of death”: see jaw (noun)

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"Jaws of Life." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 10 April 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/jaws-of-life>.

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Jaws of Life. (n.d.). Retrieved April 10th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/jaws-of-life

Jaws of Life

A trademark for a hydraulic tool consisting of a pincerlike metal device that is inserted into the body of a severely damaged vehicle and opened to provide access to people trapped inside.

THE AMERICAN HERITAGE® DICTIONARY OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE, FIFTH EDITION by the Editors of the American Heritage Dictionaries. Copyright © 2016, 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

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MLA Style

"Jaws of Life." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 10 April 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/jaws-of-life>.

APA Style

Jaws of Life. (n.d.). Retrieved April 10th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/jaws-of-life

Noun

(plural only)

(plural only) Emergency rescue equipment used to open a completely destroyed passenger vehicle, to quickly and somewhat safely extricate the trapped occupants.
For the most terrible of car accidents, jaws of life have to be used to extricate the injured.

Origin

jaws+of+life. By analogy with an actual jaw and the fact that this mechanical device allows the possibility of preserving the life of the victim being rescued.

English Wiktionary. Available under CC-BY-SA license.

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Link to this page

Cite this page

MLA Style

"Jaws of Life." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 10 April 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/jaws-of-life>.

APA Style

Jaws of Life. (n.d.). Retrieved April 10th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/jaws-of-life

Jaws of Life

Jaws of Life

Jaws of Life

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