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

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

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

Molten type metal, when poured into a mold, becomes hard, solid type when it cools.

From Common Science by Ritchie, John W. (John Woodside)

There is a furnace in it, and a great caldron of melted type metal.

From Illustrated Science for Boys and Girls by Anonymous