A-frame Chiefly U.S.
(ˈeɪfreɪm)
[f. A + frame n.]
A frame having the shape of a capital letter A. Also attrib., and ellipt. for something having this shape, esp. an A-frame house.
| 1909 Cent. Dict. Suppl. X. 19/2 A-frame, the A-shaped support for the cylinder-beam and cross-head guides of a vertical engine; the housing. 1932 Amer. Speech VII. 407 A-frame, a framework of heavy timbers in the form of a wide-spreading A placed at the junction of the kitchen with the main portion of the tent. It supports the proscenium of the stage. 1955 Ibid. XXX. 225 A-frame, a large upright trailer used to transport flat pieces of metal from one production operation to the next. 1967 ‘T. Wells’ Dead by Light of Moon (1968) x. 94 There's this friend of mine whose folks own one of those crazy A-frame ski lodges. 1968 Listener 25 July 108/1 He was bent nearly double under a gigantic load on his A-frame and walked with a stick. 1976 P. Cave High Flying Birds iii. 37, I bent down and lifted up the A-frame, getting Sweet Sue perfectly balanced. |