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A hole in the wall of a pottery kiln, by which the state of the pieces within can be judged.

An implement for washing floors, or the like, made of a piece of cloth, or a collection of thrums, or coarse yarn, fastened to a handle.

A small quantity; a little piece; a fragment.

A short piece of ordnance, used for throwing bombs, carcasses, shells, etc., at high angles of elevation, as 45º, and even higher; - - so named from its resemblance in shape to the utensil above described. Mortar bed (Mil.), a framework of wood and iron, suitably hollowed out to receive the breech and trunnions of a mo…

A cavity cut into a piece of timber, or other material, to receive something (as the end of another piece) made to fit it, and called a tenon. Mortise and tenon (Carp.), made with a mortise and tenon; joined or united by means of a mortise and tenon; -- used adjectively. -- Mortise joint, a joint made by a mortise and…

A surface decoration made by inlaying in patterns small pieces of variously colored glass, stone, or other material; -- called also mosaic work.

ral species of very small lemurs of the genus Chirogaleus, found in Madagascar. -- Mouse piece (Cookery), the piece of beef cut from the part next below the round or from the lower part of the latter; -- called also mouse buttock.

The opening of a piece of ordnance, through which it is discharged.

An article of wares or goods; a commodity; a piece of property not fixed, or not a part of real estate; generally, in the plural, goods; wares; furniture. Furnished with the most rich and princely movables. Evelyn.

To transfer (a piece or man) from one space or position to another, according to the rules of the game; as, to move a king.

The rhythmical progression, pace, and tempo of a piece. "Any change of time is a change of movement." Busby.

Any mollusk which has a shell composed of more than two pieces.

l cannon, formerly used for clearing a ship's decks of boarders; -- called also murdering piece. [Obs.]

Exhibition or representation of the muscles. [R.] A good piece, the painters say, must have good muscling, as well as coloring and drapery. Shaftesbury.

A picture made up of several smaller pictures, drawn upon separate pieces in such a manner as to admit of combination in many different ways, thus producing a great variety of scenes or landscapes.

A slender, pointed piece of metal, usually with a head, used for fastening pieces of wood or other material together, by being driven into or through them.

part joining the knob to the base of the breech. -- Neck of a gun, the small part of the piece between the chase and the swell of the muzzle. -- Neck of a tooth (Anat.), the constriction between the root and the crown. -- Neck or nothing (Fig.), at all risks. -- Neck verse. (a) The verse formerly read to entitle a…

A piece of any fabric worn around the neck.

A piece of network; any fabric, made of cords, threads, wires, or the like, crossing one another with open spaces between.

A small coin made of or containing nickel; esp., a five-cent piece. [Colloq. U.S.] Nickel silver, an alloy of nickel, copper, and zinc; -- usually called german silver; called also argentan.