Part 4322

<cs><mcol><col>Blue fire</col>, <col>Red fire</col>, <col>Green fire</col></mcol> <fld>(Pyrotech.)</fld>, <cd>compositions of various combustible substances, as sulphur, niter, lampblack, etc., the flames of which are colored by various metallic salts, as those of antimony, strontium, barium, etc.</cd> -- <col>Fire alarm</col> <sd>(a)</sd> <cd>A signal given on the breaking out of a fire.</cd> <sd>(b)</sd> <cd>An apparatus for giving such an alarm.</cd> -- <col>Fire annihilator</col>, <cd>a machine, device, or preparation to be kept at hand for extinguishing fire by smothering it with some incombustible vapor or gas, as carbonic acid.</cd> -- <col>Fire balloon</col>. <sd>(a)</sd> <cd>A balloon raised in the air by the buoyancy of air heated by a fire placed in the lower part<-- = hot-air balloon --></cd>. <sd>(b)</sd> <cd>A balloon sent up at night with fireworks which ignite at a regulated height.</cd> <i>Simmonds.</i> -- <col>Fire bar</col>, <cd>a grate bar.</cd> -- <col>Fire basket</col>, <cd>a portable grate; a cresset.</cd> <i>Knight.</i> -- <col>Fire beetle</col>. <fld>(Zo\'94l.)</fld> <cd>See in the Vocabulary.</cd> -- <col>Fire blast</col>, <cd>a disease of plants which causes them to appear as if burnt by fire.</cd> -- <col>Fire box</col>, <cd>the chamber of a furnace, steam boiler, etc., for the fire.</cd> -- <col>Fire brick</col>, <cd>a refractory brick, capable of sustaining intense heat without fusion, usually made of fire clay or of siliceous material, with some cementing substance, and used for lining fire boxes, etc.</cd> -- <col>Fire brigade</col>, <cd>an organized body of men for extinguished fires.</cd> -- <col>Fire bucket</col>. <cd>See under <er>Bucket</er>.</cd> -- <col>Fire bug</col>, <cd>an incendiary; one who, from malice or through mania, persistently sets fire to property; a pyromaniac.</cd> <mark>[U.S.]</mark> -- <col>Fire clay</col>. <cd>See under <er>Clay</er>.</cd> -- <col>Fire company</col>, <cd>a company of men managing an engine in extinguishing fires.</cd> -- <col>Fire cross</col>. <cd>See <er>Fiery cross</er>. <mark>[Obs.]</mark></cd> <i>Milton.</i> -- <col>Fire damp</col>. <cd>See under <er>Damp</er>.</cd> -- <col>Fire dog</col>. <cd>See <er>Firedog</er>, in the Vocabulary.</cd> -- <col>Fire drill</col>. <sd>(a)</sd> <cd>A series of evolutions performed by fireman for practice</cd>. <sd>(b)</sd> <cd>An apparatus for producing fire by friction, by rapidly twirling a wooden pin in a wooden socket; -- used by the Hindoos during all historic time, and by many savage peoples.</cd> -- <col>Fire eater</col>. <sd>(a)</sd> <cd>A juggler who pretends to eat fire.</cd> <sd>(b)</sd> <cd>A quarrelsome person who seeks affrays; a hotspur.</cd> <mark>[Colloq.]</mark> -- <col>Fire engine</col></mcol>, <cd>a portable forcing pump, usually on wheels, for throwing water to extinguish fire.</cd> -- <col>Fire escape</col>, <cd>a contrivance for facilitating escape from burning buildings.</cd> -- <col>Fire gilding</col> <fld>(Fine Arts)</fld>, <cd>a mode of gilding with an amalgam of gold and quicksilver, the latter metal being driven off afterward by heat.</cd> -- <col>Fire gilt</col> <fld>(Fine Arts)</fld>, <cd>gold laid on by the process of fire gilding.</cd> -- <col>Fire insurance</col>, <cd>the act or system of insuring against fire; also, a contract by which an insurance company undertakes, in consideration of the payment of a premium or small percentage -- usually made periodically -- to indemnify an owner of property from loss by fire during a specified period.</cd> -- <col>Fire irons</col>, <cd>utensils for a fireplace or grate, as tongs, poker, and shovel.</cd> -- <col>Fire main</col>, <cd>a pipe for water, to be used in putting out fire.</cd> -- <col>Fire master</col> <sd>(Mil)</sd>, <cd>an artillery officer who formerly supervised the composition of fireworks.</cd> -- <col>Fire office</col>, <cd>an office at which to effect insurance against fire.</cd> -- <col>Fire opal</col>, <cd>a variety of opal giving firelike reflections.</cd> -- <col>Fire ordeal</col>, <cd>an ancient mode of trial, in which the test was the ability of the accused to handle or tread upon red-hot irons.</cd> <i>Abbot.</i> -- <col>Fire pan</col>, <cd>a pan for holding or conveying fire, especially the receptacle for the priming of a gun.</cd> -- <col>Fire plug</col>, <cd>a plug or hydrant for drawing water from the main pipes in a street, building, etc., for extinguishing fires.</cd> -- <col>Fire policy</col>, <cd>the writing or instrument expressing the contract of insurance against loss by fire.</cd> -- <col>Fire pot</col>. <sd>(a)</sd> <fld>(Mil.)</fld> <cd>A small earthen pot filled with combustibles, formerly used as a missile in war.</cd> <sd>(b)</sd> <cd>The cast iron vessel which holds the fuel or fire in a furnace.</cd> <sd>(c)</sd> <cd>A crucible.</cd> <sd>(d)</sd> <cd>A solderer's furnace.</cd> -- <col>Fire raft</col>, <cd>a raft laden with combustibles, used for setting fire to an enemy's ships.</cd> -- <col>Fire roll</col>, <cd>a peculiar beat of the drum to summon men to their quarters in case of fire.</cd> -- <col>Fire setting</col> <fld>(Mining)</fld>, <cd>the process of softening or cracking the working face of a lode, to facilitate excavation, by exposing it to the action of fire; -- now generally superseded by the use of explosives.</cd> <i>Raymond.</i> -- <col>Fire ship</col>, <cd>a vessel filled with combustibles, for setting fire to an enemy's ships.</cd> -- <col>Fire shovel</col>, <cd>a shovel for taking up coals of fire.</cd> -- <col>Fire stink</col>, <cd>the stench from decomposing iron pyrites, caused by the formation of sulphureted hydrogen.</cd> <i>Raymond.</i> -- <col>Fire surface</col>, <cd>the surfaces of a steam boiler which are exposed to the direct heat of the fuel and the products of combustion; heating surface.</cd> -- <col>Fire swab</col>, <cd>a swab saturated with water, for cooling a gun in action and clearing away particles of powder, etc.</cd> <i>Farrow.</i> -- <col>Fire teaser</col>, <cd>in England, the fireman of a steam emgine.</cd> -- <col>Fire water</col>, <cd>ardent spirits; -- so called by the American Indians.</cd> -- <col>Fire worship</col>, <cd>the worship of fire, which prevails chiefly in Persia, among the followers of Zoroaster, called <i>Chebers<i>, or <i>Guebers<i>, and among the Parsees of India.</cd> -- <col>Greek fire</col>. <cd>See under <er>Greek</er>.</cd> -- <col>On fire</col>, <cd>burning; hence, ardent; passionate; eager; zealous.</cd> -- <col>Running fire</col>, <cd>the rapid discharge of firearms in succession by a line of troops.</cd> -- <col>St. Anthony's fire</col>, <cd>erysipelas; -- an eruptive fever which St. Anthony was supposed to cure miraculously.</cd> <i>Hoblyn.</i> -- <col>St. Elmo's fire</col>. <cd>See under <er>Saint Elmo</er>.</cd> -- <col>To set on fire</col>, <cd>to inflame; to kindle.</cd> -- <col>To take fire</col>, <cd>to begin to burn; to fly into a passion.</cd></cs>

<h1>Fire</h1> <Xpage=562>

<hw>Fire</hw> <tt>(?)</tt>, <tt>v. t.</tt> <wordforms>[<tt>imp. & p. p.</tt> <er>Fired</er> <tt>(?)</tt>; <tt>p. pr. & vb. n.</tt> <er>Fring</er>.]</wordforms> <p><b>1.</b> <def>To set on fire; to kindle; <as>as, to <ex>fire</ex> a house or chimney; to <ex>fire</ex> a pile.</as></def>

<p><b>2.</b> <def>To subject to intense heat; to bake; to burn in a kiln; <as>as, to <ex>fire</ex> pottery</as>.</def>

<p><b>3.</b> <def>To inflame; to irritate, as the passions; <as>as, to <ex>fire</ex> the soul with anger, pride, or revenge</as>.</def>

<blockquote>Love had <b>fired</b> my mind. <i>Dryden.</i></blockquote>

<p><b>4.</b> <def>To animate; to give life or spirit to; <as>as, to <ex>fire</ex> the genius of a young man</as>.</def>

<p><b>5.</b> <def>To feed or serve the fire of; <as>as, to <ex>fire</ex> a boiler</as>.</def>

<p><b>6.</b> <def>To light up as if by fire; to illuminate.</def>

<blockquote>[The sun] <b>fires</b> the proud tops of the eastern pines. <i>Shak.</i></blockquote>

<p><b>7.</b> <def>To cause to explode; <as>as, to <ex>fire</ex> a torpedo; to disharge; <as>as, to <ex>fire</ex> a musket or cannon</as>; to <ex>fire</ex> cannon balls, rockets, etc.</as></def>

<p><b>8.</b> <def>To drive by fire.</def> <mark>[Obs.]</mark>

<blockquote>Till my bad angel <b>fire</b> my good one out. <i>Shak.</i></blockquote>

<p><b>9.</b> <fld>(Far.)</fld> <def>To cauterize.</def>

<cs><col>To fire up</col>, <cd>to light up the fires of, as of an engine.</cd></cs><-- figuratively, to start up any machine -->

<h1>Fire</h1> <Xpage=562>

<hw>Fire</hw>, <tt>v. i.</tt> <p><b>1.</b> <def>To take fire; to be kindled; to kindle.</def>

<p><b>2.</b> <def>To be irritated or inflamed with passion.</def>

<p><b>3.</b> <def>To discharge artillery or firearms; <as>as, they <ex>fired</ex> on the town</as>.</def>

<cs><col>To fire up</col>, <cd>to grow irritated or angry. "He . . . <i>fired up<i>, and stood vigorously on his defense."</cd></cs>

<i>Macaulay.</i>

<h1>Firearm</h1> <Xpage=562>

<hw>Fire"arm`</hw> <tt>(?)</tt>, <tt>n.</tt> <def>A gun, pistol, or any weapon from a shot is discharged by the force of an explosive substance, as gunpowder.</def>

<h1>Fireback</h1> <Xpage=562>

<hw>Fire"back`</hw> <tt>(?)</tt>, <tt>n.</tt> <fld>(Zo\'94l.)</fld> <def>One of several species of pheasants of the genus <spn>Euplocamus</spn>, having the lower back a bright, fiery red. They inhabit Southern Asia and the East Indies.</def>

<h1>Fireball</h1> <Xpage=562>

<hw>Fire"ball`</hw> <tt>(?)</tt>, <tt>n.</tt> <sd>(a)</sd> <fld>(Mil.)</fld> <def>A ball filled with powder or other combustibles, intended to be thrown among enemies, and to injure by explosion; also, to set fire to their works and light them up, so that movements may be seen.</def> <sd>(b)</sd> <def>A luminous meteor, resembling a ball of fire passing rapidly through the air, and sometimes exploding.</def><-- large mass of fire caused by a large explosion, as of inflammable liquids or a nuclear explosion -->

<h1>Firebare</h1> <Xpage=562>