HYDRAULIC a.
the weight or pressure of water. -- Hydraulic jack. See under Jack. -- Hydraulic lime, quicklime obtained from hydraulic limestone, and used for cementing under water, etc. -- Hydraulic limestone, a limestone which contains some clay, and which yields a quicklime that will set, or form a firm, strong mass, under wa…
JAPAN a.
pan (Chimonanthus fragrans), related to the Carolina allspice. -- Japan black (Chem.), a quickly drying black lacquer or varnish, consisting essentially of asphaltum dissolved in naphtha or turpentine, and used for coating ironwork; -- called also Brunswick black, Japan lacquer, or simply Japan. -- Japan camphor, ord…
LASSO n.
r, often barbed, hollow thread coiled up within it. When the cell contracts the thread is quickly ejected, being at the same time turned inside out. The thread is able to penetrate the flesh of various small, soft-bodied animals, and carries a subtle poison by which they are speedily paralyzed and killed. The threads,…
LIGHTNING n.
us beetle. See Firefly. -- Lightning conductor, a lightning rod. -- Lightning glance, a quick, penetrating glance of a brilliant eye. -- Lightning rod, a metallic rod set up on a building, or on the mast of a vessel, and connected with the earth or water below, for the purpose of protecting the building or vessel fr…