How do you use oakum in a sentence?

How do you use oakum in a sentence?

Hard labour included rock breaking and oakum picking. The cause of her sinking was likely the loosening of oakum in her seams. In prison, Wilde picked oakum and dedicated himself to the task of learning humility. The gaps in these joints were sealed with oakum to prevents the water leaking out.

What does the word oakum mean?

: loosely twisted hemp or jute fiber impregnated with tar or a tar derivative and used in caulking seams and packing joints.

What is oakum made from?

Traditional Oakum Caulking is made from twisted jute fibre and is used for caulking, sealing, and packing different types of joints, and voids in the traditional building, log home, marine, equestrian, plumbing, and modern construction industries. Before modern chemical sealants, oakum was the original caulking.

What is a sentence for surly?

Surly sentence example. “I won’t,” answered the kitten, in a surly voice. “You have queer friends, seems to me,” replied the kitten, in a surly tone. But his surly guest said scarcely a word.

What does run like smoke and oakum mean?

It runs like smoke and oakum; a familiar way of saying, that a story, piece of news, a fire, &c. has spread about with the utmost rapidity, or, as we say, has run like wild fire.

What is the definition caulk?

: to stop up and make tight against leakage (something, such as a boat or its seams, the cracks in a window frame, or the joints of a pipe) caulk.

Is oakum still used?

The use of oakum in sailing ships and the Oscar Wilde story is fascinating. Now consider a more pedestrian and much less romantic use. Oakum is still used in traditional cast iron pipe / bell joint connections.

What is oakum in Oliver Twist?

The preparation of oakum – a fibrous material used in shipbuilding, picked out strand-by-strand from old rope – was a common form of labour in the Victorian workhouse, as well as in Britain’s prisons. Full title: Women picking oakum in the workhouse.

Where is oakum used?

Oakum is a preparation of tarred fibre used to seal gaps. Its main traditional applications were in shipbuilding, for caulking or packing the joints of timbers in wooden vessels and the deck planking of iron and steel ships; in plumbing, for sealing joints in cast iron pipe; and in log cabins for chinking.

What is the sentence of gruel?

Gruel sentence example I made a meal gruel and gave it to her after sweetening it with sugar. I feel sorry for the students at Irvine having to eat the gruel of Islamic ignorance fed to them by LeVine. My dear Emma, suppose we all have a little gruel .

How do you use surely in a sentence?

Surely sentence example

  1. Surely she would understand.
  2. You surely did not expect to see that Asiatic capital.
  3. Surely he should have known she would get suspicious.
  4. My dear Mr.
  5. Surely he must have noticed.
  6. Surely he must know that spending so much time with her might prove uncomfortable later.

What is oakum used in plumbing?

Where does the word oakum come from in English?

In ship caulking, it was forced into the seams using a hammer and a caulking iron, then sealed into place with hot pitch. The word oakum derives from Middle English okome, from Old English ācumba, from ā- ( separative and perfective prefix) + -cumba (akin to Old English camb, ‘comb’)—literally ‘off-combings’.

What do they use oakum for in prison?

Prisoners picking oakum at Coldbath Fields Prison in London. Oakum is a preparation of tarred fibre used to seal gaps.

What was the punishment for unpicking oakum?

Sailors undergoing naval punishment were also frequently sentenced to unpick oakum, with each man made to unpick 1 pound (450 g) of oakum a day. The work was tedious, slow and taxing on the worker’s thumbs and fingers.

What can oakum be used for in plumbing?

Plumbing. Oakum can be used to seal cast iron pipe drains. After setting the pipes together, workers pack oakum into the joints, then pour molten lead into the joint to create a permanent seal. The oakum swells and seals the joint, the “tar” in the oakum prevents rot, and the lead keeps the joint physically tight.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rAyxN70c4xY