type metal

American  

noun

1. an alloy for making printing types, consisting chiefly of lead and antimony, and sometimes small quantities of tin, copper, etc.

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type metal British  

noun

1. printing an alloy of tin, lead, and antimony, from which type is cast

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Etymology

Origin of type metal

First recorded in 1790–1800

Example Sentences

As editor of a crusading weekly back in the 1930s, New Mexico Newsman Will Harrison made so many enemies that he took to carrying a hunk of type metal for self-defense.

From Time Magazine Archive

Orphaned at 14, he worked during his high-school years first as a houseboy, then as a "pig boy," moving type metal in the composing rooms of the Los Angeles Times.

From Time Magazine Archive

But all of them, good & bad, what with loss of manpower, type metal rationing, impending reduced newsprint and drastic losses in advertising revenue, have found themselves pinched tight.

From Time Magazine Archive

Tin is also a constituent of certain kinds of brass, bronze, and other alloys, such as white metal and type metal.

From The Economic Aspect of Geology by Leith, C. K. (Charles Kenneth)

It is easily fusible, forms alloys with other metals, and is an ingredient of solder and type metal.

From The Gutenberg Webster's Unabridged Dictionary Section I, J, K, and L by Project Gutenberg