ball-chain
Ads
Ball Chain Made in USA www.ballchain.com/ Ball Chain Spools, Cut Lengths Many Styles, Lowest Prices
Ball Chain www.blankdogtag.com/BallChain High Quality Blank Dog Tag Call Now Toll Free 877-Dog-Tag9
ball and chain
noun
1.
a heavy iron ball fastened by a chain to a prisoner's leg.
2.
burdensome restraint: The steady accumulation of small debts was a ball and chain to his progress.
3.
Slang: Disparaging and Offensive. a man's wife (often used facetiously).
Origin:
1825–35, Americanism
1825–35, Americanism
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source
|
Link To ball-chain
Collins
World English Dictionary
| ball and chain | |
| —n | |
| 1. | (formerly) a heavy iron ball attached to a chain and fastened to a prisoner |
| 2. | a heavy restraint |
| 3. | slang a wife |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
00:10
Ball-chain
is always a great word to know.
So is quincunx. Does it mean:
| an arrangement of five objects, as trees, in a square or rectangle, one at each corner and one in the middle. |
| a screen or mat covered with a dark material for shielding a camera lens from excess light or glare. |
Nearby Words
Copyright © 2013 Dictionary.com, LLC. All rights reserved.
