drag-staffn.
/ˈdraɡstɑːf//ˈdraɡstaf/ A trailing pole hinged to the rear of a vehicle to check its backward movement when it stops in a steep ascent.
ΘΚΠ
society > travel > means of travel > a conveyance > vehicle > vehicles according to means of motion > vehicle moving on wheels > [noun] > parts of vehicle moving on wheels > devices to retard or stop motion > device to stop backward movement
drag-staff1748
cow1834
scote1839
sprag1902
1748 Defoe's Tour Great Brit. (ed. 4) II. 297 The Coach wanting a Dragstaff, it ran back, in spite of all the Coachman's Skill.
1794 W. Felton Treat. Carriages I. xviii. 229 The drag-staff..is made of strong ash, with iron-ferrels on the ends.
1806 M. R. Mitford in A. G. L'Estrange Life M. R. Mitford (1870) I. 53 The horses ran back on a very steep hill, and nothing but the drag~staff could have saved our lives.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1897; most recently modified version published online September 2018).
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