| 释义 |
portfire|ˈpɔətfaɪə(r)|
[After F. porte-feu, in same sense: see porte-.]
A device used formerly for firing artillery, and now for firing rockets and other fireworks, and for igniting an explosive in mining, etc.; = fuse, match n.2 2.
1647Nye Gunnery ix. 77 For the priming thereof, make a Potfire [sic], or Fuse. 1669Sturmy Mariner's Mag. v. xiii. 90 Leaving a small hole or a Port-Fire. 1710J. Harris Lex. Techn. II, Portfire, is a Composition of Meal, Powder, Sulphur and Salt-Peter drove into a Case of Paper, but not very hard; 'tis about 9 or 10 Inches long, and is used to fire Guns and Mortars instead of Match. 1798E. Berry in Nicolas Disp. Nelson (1845) III. 52 A port fire from L'Orient fell into the main royal of the Alexander. 1859F. A. Griffiths Artil. Man. (1862) 95 Portfires are of four different natures—viz., Common portfires, Percussion portfires, Miners' portfires, and Slow portfires. 1875Knight Dict. Mech. s.v., The common port⁓fire is sixteen inches long, and is packed with a composition which burns at the rate of about one inch per minute. The slow port-fire consists of paper impregnated with saltpeter and rolled into a solid cylinder about sixteen inches long. It will burn three or four hours.
attrib.1814Lewis & Clark Exp. Missouri (1893) III. 922 Taking a port-fire match from his pocket. 1828J. M. Spearman Brit. Gunner (ed. 2) 331 Portfires... Papers for forming portfire cases. 1875Knight Dict. Mech., Port⁓fire Clipper, a nippers for cutting off the ends of port-fires. |