piston slap

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noun

the characteristic sound of a seriously worn piston in a cylinder (usually of the engine of a motor car)

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Words nearby piston slap

piston, piston engine, piston pin, piston ring, piston rod, piston slap, pistou, pit, pita, pit against, pitahaya

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

How to use piston slap in a sentence

Up and down the plane I heard the slap of blinders yanked down over the windows while the rest of us eagerly took in the view.
The Life and Hard Times Of The Family A Cuban Defector Left Behind|Brin-Jonathan Butler|December 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
“Now get on your knees and crawl,” he demanded with the slap of a leather horse crop against the palm of his hand.
Whip It: Secrets of a Dominatrix|Justin Jones|November 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST
While that might just seem like a slap on the wrist compared to the cost of insurance, the penalty increases every year.
Think You’re Invincible? Here’s Why Open Enrollment Matters|DailyBurn|November 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Queen Raina of Jordan also spoke, calling the refugee crisis in Syria “a slap in the face of humanity.”
Ebola and America’s Childish Narcissism|Michael Tomasky|October 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Sometimes a great movie line has the impact of a slap in the face.
What Was Bogey Thinking When He Said ‘Here’s Looking At You, Kid’?|Lewis Beale|September 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It is a very simple plan, and will be perfectly tight; it is by restoring an equilibrium on both sides of the piston.
Life of Richard Trevithick, Volume II (of 2)|Francis Trevithick
The water-piston is 10 inches in diameter, drawing and forcing 35 feet perpendicular, equal beam.
Life of Richard Trevithick, Volume II (of 2)|Francis Trevithick
When she had finished her up-stroke the steam passed from under the pole on to the top of the piston in the cylinder.
Life of Richard Trevithick, Volume II (of 2)|Francis Trevithick
Then he came down from London and found that the piston of his engine was half an inch smaller in diameter than the cylinder.
Life of Richard Trevithick, Volume II (of 2)|Francis Trevithick
"Slap your saddles on them fresh hosses," he grated harshly from the back of a deep-chested, lean-flanked gray.
Raw Gold|Bertrand W. Sinclair