terne-plate
(ˈtɜːnpleɪt)
Also tern-.
[prob. f. terne a.1, dull, lacking brilliancy, in reference to the dullness of terne-plate, in comparison with tin-plate.]
Thin sheet-iron coated with an alloy of lead and tin; an inferior kind of tin-plate; a sheet or plate of this. Also attrib.
| 1858 Simmonds Dict. Trade, Terne-plates, thin sheet-iron coated with an amalgam of tin and lead. 1880 Echo 15 Oct. 2/4 Some unscrupulous packers are using terne plates instead of tin plates. 1892 Pall Mall G. 10 Dec. 7/1 Inferior plates, known as tern-plates and mostly used for roofing, contain a great deal of lead. 1894 [see tagger1 4]. 1907 G. E. Duckering Parl. Rep. Tinning Metals 8 No evidence of lead absorption is to be found among terne-plate workers. |