balloon frame
- a wooden building frame composed of machine-sawed scantlings fastened with nails, having studs rising the full height of the frame with the joists nailed to the studs and supported by sills or by ribbons let into the studs.
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Origin of balloon frame
An Americanism dating back to 1850–55
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for balloon frame
Historical Examples
The balloon-frame buildings were coming apart section by section.
An Autobiography of Buffalo Bill (Colonel W. F. Cody)Buffalo Bill (William Frederick Cody)
The balloon-frame house is a typical form of framed construction, Fig. 300.
Handwork in WoodWilliam Noyes