ˈland-line
Also landline and as two words.
1. The outline of the land against sky and sea.
| 1875 W. M{supc}Ilwraith Guide Wigtownshire 50 Ross Isle terminates the land-line of the view. |
2. A telegraphic line running overland, as opposed to a cable. Also, an overland (or underground) line for telecommunication by other means.
| 1865 Phil. Mag. XXIX. 409 (heading) On the retardation of electrical signals on land lines. 1869 Bradshaw's Railway Manual XXI. 454 Telegraph to India... A provisional agreement entered into for leasing the land line in Egypt to the proposed British-Indian Submarine. 1884 S. E. Dawson Handbk. Canada 21 The [telegraphic] cables and the land-lines in British Columbia. 1887 Pall Mall G. 9 Dec. 8/1 The Western Union now controls the land-line system of the United States. 1927 Observer 12 June 20 Last Sunday I had the curiosity to listen to the Eastbourne programme... There were obvious defects in the landline, which made the general effect thin and poor. 1930 Bell Syst. Techn. Jrnl. IX. 408 The linking of ships at sea with the land line telephone network. 1962 B.B.C. Handbook 109 A separate receiving station where broadcasts are intercepted and fed to the monitors by land line. 1970 ‘J. Earl’ Tuners & Amplifiers iv. 77 It sometimes ‘filters’ the signal so as to rid it of certain shortcomings that could have been picked up during its transmission through the ether (radio waves) and studio landlines. |
3. Fishing. Line passing from the end of the seine to the shore (Knight Dict. Mech. Suppl. 1884).
Hence ˈlandline v. trans., to transmit over a land-line.
| 1966 Times Lit. Suppl. 24 Mar. 248 This Crusade is going to be landlined to most major cities in the United Kingdom. 1969 J. Bennett Dragon iii. 43 That at least means no radio pictures to Peking... They'll probably take us ashore tomorrow and landline our pictures to Canton. 1974 J. Drummond Boon Companions xxxi. 98 That first story's been land-lined and it's going to hit nine o'clock television all over the country. |