ˈsand-glass
[f. sand n.2 + glass n.1]
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 hour-glass, a minute-glass, an egg-boiler, or the like. Also fig.
| 1556 Withals Dict. (1562) 65 b/2 A sande glasse, or houre⁓glasse, vitreum horologium. 1570 Dee Math. Pref. d iv, Houre, halfe houre, and three houre Sandglasses. 1687 A. Lovell tr. Thevenot's Trav. i. 268 They turn a half minute Sand-Glass,..and then drop the Log from the Stern. 1779 Boswell Let. 22 Oct. in Life Johnson, But my sand-glass was now beginning to run low, as I could not trespass too long on the colonel's kindness. 1824 Scott St. Ronan's xxiii, My span must be a brief one, but let not your hand 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. |
† 2. = sand-box 1. Obs.
| 1806–7 J. Beresford Miseries Hum. Life viii. xxiv, Emptying the ink-glass, (by mistake for the sand-glass) on a paper which you have just written out fairly. |