sand-glassn.
1. A contrivance for measuring time, consisting of two glass vessels of approximately conical shape, connected at the apex by a narrow neck, and containing so much sand as will take a given time to flow from the receptacle placed uppermost into that placed below; an hourglass, a minute glass, an egg-boiler, or the like. Also figurative.
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the world > time > instruments for measuring time > [noun] > hourglass
running glass1480
night-glass1504
hourglass?1518
sand-glass1553
glass1557
minute glass1626
watch-glass1637
time-glass1712
sand-clock1865
hand glass1875
pulpit glass1907
1553 J. Withals Shorte Dict. f. 66/2 A sande glasse, or houreglasse, vitreum horologium.
1570 J. Dee in H. Billingsley tr. Euclid Elements Geom. Math. Præf. sig. diiijv Houre, halfe houre, and three houre Sandglasses.
1687 A. Lovell tr. J. de Thévenot Trav. into Levant i. 268 They turn a half minute Sand-Glass,..and then drop the Log from the Stern.
1779 J. Boswell Let. 22 Oct. in Life Johnson (1791) II. 306 But my sand-glass was now beginning to run low, as I could not trespass too long on the Colonel's kindness.
1823 W. Scott St. Ronan's Well II. x. 254 My span must be a brief one, but do not you shake the sand-glass!
1902 Westm. Gaz. 30 Oct. 1/1 The two-minute sandglass on the table of the House of Commons..has to be turned, and whilst the sand is running down the division bells are set in motion.
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society > communication > writing > writing materials > other writing equipment > [noun] > materials for blotting > box containing
sandbox1572
sand-glass1806
pounce pot1925
1806 J. Beresford Miseries Human Life I. viii. 190 Emptying the ink-glass, (which you mistook for the sand-glass,) upon a paper which you have just written out fairly.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1909; most recently modified version published online June 2021).
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