sheerlegs

American

[sheer-legz] / ˈʃɪərˌlɛgz /

noun

(usually used with a plural verb)

shear.

sheerlegs British

/ ˈʃɪəˌlɛɡz /

noun

Also called: shears. (functioning as singular) a device for lifting heavy weights consisting of two or more spars lashed together at the upper ends from which a lifting tackle is suspended

"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

Etymology

Origin of sheerlegs

sheer, spelling variant of shear + leg + -s ³

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

While the artificers were busily engaged in cutting away the after portion of the damaged girder, and rounding off the broken part that terminated nearly abaft the after quick-firing gun, others of the crew rigged up a pair of sheerlegs and proceeded to unship the injured rudder, the engines being stopped and the submarine trimmed by its head to enable this to be done.

From Project Gutenberg

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023