lead²

[led] /lɛd/

noun

Chemistry. a heavy, comparatively soft, malleable, bluish-gray metal, sometimes found in its natural state but usually combined as a sulfide, especially in galena. Symbol: Pb; atomic weight: 207.19; atomic number: 82; specific gravity: 11.34 at 20°C.

something made of this metal or of one of its alloys.

a plummet or mass of lead suspended by a line, as for taking soundings.

bullets collectively; shot.

black lead or graphite.

a small stick of graphite, as used in pencils.

Also, leading. Printing. a thin strip of type metal or brass less than type-high, used for increasing the space between lines of type.

a grooved bar of lead or came in which sections of glass are set, as in stained-glass windows.

leads, British. a roof, especially one that is shallow or flat, covered with lead.

10.

white lead.

verb (used with object)

11.

to cover, line, weight, treat, or impregnate with lead or one of its compounds.

12.

Printing. to insert leads between the lines of.

13.

to fix (window glass) in position with leads.

adjective

14.

made of or containing lead:

a lead pipe; a lead compound.

Idioms

15.

get the lead out, Slang. to move or work faster; hurry up.

16.

heave the lead, Nautical. to take a sounding with a lead.

17.

go over like a lead balloon, Slang. to fail to arouse interest, enthusiasm, or support.

Origin

before 900; Middle English lede, Old English lēad; cognate with Dutch lood, Old Frisian lād lead, German Lot plummet

Related forms

leadless, adjective

Synonyms

3. weight, plumb.

British Dictionary definitions for get the lead out

lead¹

/liːd/

verb leads, leading, led (lɛd)

to show the way to (an individual or a group) by going with or ahead: lead the party into the garden

to guide or be guided by holding, pulling, etc: he led the horse by its reins

(transitive) to cause to act, feel, think, or behave in a certain way; induce; influence: he led me to believe that he would go

(transitive) to phrase a question to (a witness) that tends to suggest the desired answer

when intr, foll by to. (of a road, route, etc) to serve as the means of reaching a place

(transitive) to go ahead so as to indicate (esp in the phrase lead the way)

to guide, control, or direct: to lead an army

(transitive) to direct the course of or conduct (water, a rope or wire, etc) along or as if along a channel

to initiate the action of (something); have the principal part in (something): to lead a discussion

10.

to go at the head of or have the top position in (something): he leads his class in geography

11.

(intransitive) foll by with. to have as the first or principal item: the newspaper led with the royal birth

12.

(music)

(Brit) to play first violin in (an orchestra)
(intransitive) (of an instrument or voice) to be assigned an important entry in a piece of music

13.

to direct and guide (one's partner) in a dance

14.

(transitive)

to pass or spend: I lead a miserable life
to cause to pass a life of a particular kind: to lead a person a dog's life

15.

(intransitive) foll by to. to tend (to) or result (in): this will only lead to misery

16.

to initiate a round of cards by putting down (the first card) or to have the right to do this: she led a diamond

17.

(transitive) to aim at a point in front of (a moving target) in shooting, etc, in order to allow for the time of flight

18.

(intransitive) (boxing) to make an offensive blow, esp as one's habitual attacking punch: southpaws lead with their right

19.

lead astray, to mislead so as to cause error or wrongdoing

20.

lead by the nose, See nose (sense 12)

noun

21.

the first, foremost, or most prominent place
(as modifier): lead singer

22.

example, precedence, or leadership: the class followed the teacher's lead

23.

an advance or advantage held over others: the runner had a lead of twenty yards

24.

anything that guides or directs; indication; clue

25.

another name for leash

26.

the act or prerogative of playing the first card in a round of cards or the card so played

27.

the principal role in a play, film, etc, or the person playing such a role

28.

the principal news story in a newspaper: the scandal was the lead in the papers
the opening paragraph of a news story
(as modifier): lead story

29.

(music) an important entry assigned to one part usually at the beginning of a movement or section

30.

a wire, cable, or other conductor for making an electrical connection

31.

(boxing)

one's habitual attacking punch
a blow made with this

32.

(nautical) the direction in which a rope runs

33.

a deposit of metal or ore; lode

34.

the firing of a gun, missile, etc, ahead of a moving target to correct for the time of flight of the projectile

lead²

/lɛd/

noun

a heavy toxic bluish-white metallic element that is highly malleable: occurs principally as galena and used in alloys, accumulators, cable sheaths, paints, and as a radiation shield. Symbol: Pb; atomic no: 82; atomic wt: 207.2; valency: 2 or 4; relative density: 11.35; melting pt: 327.502°C; boiling pt: 1750°C related adjectives plumbic plumbeous plumbous

a lead weight suspended on a line used to take soundings of the depth of water

swing the lead, to malinger or make up excuses

lead weights or shot, as used in cartridges, fishing lines, etc

a thin grooved strip of lead for holding small panes of glass or pieces of stained glass

(pl)

thin sheets or strips of lead used as a roof covering
a flat or low-pitched roof covered with such sheets

(printing) a thin strip of type metal used for spacing between lines of hot-metal type Compare reglet (sense 2)

graphite or a mixture containing graphite, clay, etc, used for drawing
a thin stick of this material, esp the core of a pencil

(modifier) of, consisting of, relating to, or containing lead

10.

go down like a lead balloon, See balloon (sense 9)

verb (transitive)

11.

to fill or treat with lead

12.

to surround, cover, or secure with lead or leads

13.

(printing) to space (type) by use of leads

Derived Forms

leadless, adjective
leady, adjective

Word Origin

Old English; related to Dutch lood, German Lot

Word Origin and History for get the lead out

lead

"to guide," Old English lædan "cause to go with one, lead, guide, conduct, carry; sprout forth; bring forth, pass (one's life)," causative of liðan "to travel," from West Germanic *laidjan (cf. Old Saxon lithan, Old Norse liða "to go," Old High German ga-lidan "to travel," Gothic ga-leiþan "to go"), from PIE *leit- "to go forth."

Meaning "to be in first place" is from late 14c. Sense in card playing is from 1670s. Related: Led; leading. Lead-off "commencement, beginning" attested from 1879; lead-in "introduction, opening" is from 1928.

early 15c., "to make of lead," from lead (n.1). Meaning "to cover with lead" is from mid-15c. Related: Leaded (early 13c.); leading.

heavy metal, Old English lead, from West Germanic *loudhom (cf. Old Frisian lad, Middle Dutch loot, Dutch lood "lead," German Lot "weight, plummet"). The name and the skill in using the metal seem to have been borrowed from the Celts (cf. Old Irish luaide), probably from PIE root *plou(d)- "to flow."

Figurative of heaviness since at least early 14c. Black lead was an old name for "graphite," hence lead pencil (1680s) and the colloquial figurative phrase to have lead in one's pencil "be possessed of (especially male sexual) vigor," attested by 1902. Lead balloon "a failure," American English slang, attested by 1957 (as a type of something heavy that can be kept up only with effort, from 1904). Lead-footed "slow" is from 1896; opposite sense of "fast" emerged 1940s in trucker's jargon, from notion of a foot heavy on the gas pedal.

c.1300, "action of leading," from lead (v.1). Meaning "the front or leading place" is from 1560s. Johnson stigmatized it as "a low, despicable word." Sense in card-playing is from 1742; in theater, from 1831; in journalism, from 1912; in jazz bands, from 1934.

get the lead out in Medicine

lead ¹ (lēd)
n.

Any of the conductors designed to detect changes in electrical potential when situated in or on the body and connected to an instrument that registers and records these changes, such as an electrocardiograph.
A record made from the current supplied by one of these conductors.

lead ² (lěd)
n.
Symbol Pb
A soft ductile dense metallic element. Atomic number 82; atomic weight 207.19; melting point 327.5°C; boiling point 1,749deg;C; specific gravity 11.35; valence 2, 4.

get the lead out in Science

lead

(lěd)
Symbol Pb
A soft, ductile, heavy, bluish-gray metallic element that is extracted chiefly from galena. It is very durable and resistant to corrosion and is a poor conductor of electricity. Lead is used to make radiation shielding and containers for corrosive substances. It was once commonly used in pipes, solder, roofing, paint, and antiknock compounds in gasoline, but its use in these products has been curtailed because of its toxicity. Atomic number 82; atomic weight 207.2; melting point 327.5°C; boiling point 1,744°C; specific gravity 11.35; valence 2, 4. See Periodic Table. See Note at element.

Slang definitions & phrases for get the lead out

get the lead out

verb phrase

(Variations: of one's ass or of one's pants or of one's feet may be added) To stop loafing; GET one's ASS IN GEAR, hustle •Often an irritated command: Get the lead out and start writing (1920s+)

lead

noun

Bullets; gunfire (1809+)

Idioms and Phrases with get the lead out

get the lead out

Also, get the lead out of one's feet or pants. Hurry up, move faster. For example, Get the lead out of your pants, kids, or we'll be late, or, even more figuratively, Arthur is the slowest talker—he can't seem to get the lead out and make his point. This expression implies that lead, the heaviest of the base metals, is preventing one from moving. [ ; first half of 1900s ]

lead

also see:

Encyclopedia Article for get the lead out

Lead

city, Lawrence county, western South Dakota, U.S. It lies in the northern Black Hills, about 40 miles (65 km) northwest of Rapid City, at an elevation of 5,280 feet (1,609 metres). Situated just southwest of Deadwood, it is built on the steep inclines of the hills. It was established in 1876 following the discovery of gold by Fred and Moses Manuel, and its name was inspired by the lode mines in the area, an outcrop of ore being termed a "lead." Lead was South Dakota's largest city at the time of statehood in 1889. The city lost a major aspect of its economy with the closing of the Homestake Gold Mine (opened 1876), which was the world's oldest continuously operating gold mine until it closed in 2001; chemist Raymond Davis received the 2002 Nobel Prize for Physics for his work in detecting neutrinos in a laboratory in the mine. Tourism, based primarily on the more than 80 gambling halls in Deadwood (where gambling was legalized in 1989), is now an economic mainstay. Some ranching and lumbering also take place in the area. Lead is surrounded by Black Hills National Forest and has many outdoor recreational opportunities, including two ski areas. The Black Hills Mining Museum has a simulation of an underground gold mine. Inc. 1890. Pop. (1990) 3,632; (2000) 3,027.

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