GLOSSARY OF TERMS USED

Abutment, or Springing.—The pier or structure which receives the thrust of an arch or series of arches.

Aggregate.-Broken brick, ballast, or stone chippings, etc. : used in the preparation of concrete.

Air-brick.-A brick perforated with holes, and used for ventilating hollow walls, air-drains, etc.

Air-drain.-Usually a 24′′ cavity in the external wall of a building, constructed below ground line as a protection from damp.

Air-flue. A flue for admitting air to or from a room for the purpose of ventilation.

Alumina.—The principal constituent of a good brick earth, imparting the plastic

qualities, though an excess causes the bricks to shrink and crack in burning. Architrave. The moulding round a window or door opening.

Arris.-The edge or external angle formed by the meeting of any two sides of a brick.

Asphalte. A bituminous cement, solid at ordinary temperatures, but made liquid (of a viscous nature) by heating used for road-making, and is an excellent damp-resisting material.

Axed Arch.-A brick arch in which the bricks are roughly cut or axed to the template.

Back Hearth. That part of the hearth that is recessed for the stove.
Barge Course.-A course of bricks on edge on tile creasing.

Bastard Tuck.-Tuck pointing with mortar only, not finished with a white line. Bat.-Half a brick cut so as to measure roughly 4" x 4" x 23". A threequarter bat is 63" long, or three-quarters of a stretcher.

Batter.-Walls built out of the perpendicular, and with the top falling in to resist earth pressure, water, etc.

Bed.-Setting work in mortar or cement. The under side of a brick is also known as the bed.

Bed Joint.-The horizontal joint between two courses.

Bevel.—(1) A tool (sometimes called a shift-stock) similar to a try square, but having a blade that can be set to any angle. (2) The splay cut on a brick to give the curve or sweep of an arch.

Bird'smouth.-An interior acute angle.

Bonding Brick.—A purpose made brick to tie the two parts of a hollow wall together.

Bow Saw.-A saw having twisted annealed wire instead of a blade, stretched by means of a bow.

Breeze.-Ashes, or fine cinders.

Burr.-Bricks vitrified or run together in burning.

Camber Arch. An arch having a very slight rise.

Camber Slip.-A slip of wood for giving the rise to a camber arch.

Centre. A temporary wooden structure used to support an arch while it is being constructed.

Chimney Bar.-An iron bar built over a fireplace opening upon which to turn the arch.

Chimney Breast.—The projecting wall, in which the flues and fireplaces are formed.

Chuffs.-Bricks that have cracked and split through sudden cooling, owing to rain falling on them while still hot.

Clamp Bricks.-Bricks burnt in a clamp or stack, distinct from kiln-burnt bricks.

Closer.-King closer; queen closer. A king closer is a brick cut to measure
21′′ × 23′′ on one face, and 41′′ × 23" on the other face; a queen closer is
a brick cut down the centre, having both ends 21" x 23".
Concrete. A mixture of ballast, broken brick, etc., and mortar.
Copperas.-The trade name for sulphate of iron.

Corbel.—A sailing over or projection from a wall to form a ledge or support.
Core.-(1) The brickwork filling in the space between the lintel and relieving
arch. (2) Coring a flue is the process of cleaning it out after being built.
Cornice. An overhanging moulding at or near the top of a wall.
Course.-A horizontal layer of bricks between two bed joints.

Creasing.-Either one or more courses of tiles or slates, built near the top of a wall and projecting slightly on both sides so as to protect the wall from rain, etc.

Crown. The top of the extrados of an arch.

Cutter or Rubber.—A brick having a soft and even grain that can be cut or rubbed to any shape.

Damp-proof Course.-A course of asphalte, slates, lead, etc., placed just above ground line in order to prevent damp rising up the work.

Dentil.-One of the courses of a cornice, in which a block and sinking alternate. Diagonal Bond.-Bricks laid at 45° with the face in the interior of a wall. Discharging or Relieving Arch.—An arch built to discharge or distribute the weight of the superincumbent work over window and door openings. Dry Area.—An area or hollow space left in the external wall of a building, the bottom of which is below the floor line, in order to keep the interior of the wall dry.

Dutch Arch.-An arch in which the bricks are laid in parallel courses, consequently forming an angle in the centre of the arch. This arch is sometimes called a French arch.

Dwarf Wall.-A low wall, usually between 2' and 3'.

Eaves Course.-A projecting course directly under the eaves of a roof.

Egg and Dart Moulding.-A moulding consisting of an egg and dart alternately. Egg-shaped Sewer.-A sewer the section of which is similar in form to the curve of an egg, with the narrow end downwards.

English Bond.-Brickwork built in alternate courses of headers and stretchers. Extrados.-The upper curved side of an arch.

Face. The front or exposed surface of the work.

Fat Lime.-A lime burnt from a limestone composed of nearly pure carbonate of lime.

Fender.-A wall built round a basement fireplace opening for the purpose of carrying the hearth.

Fillet.—A small continuous moulding square in section. Also a screed of cement mortar used in inferior work instead of lead flashing.

Fire-brick.-A brick that will stand high temperatures: used in furnace work, lining coppers, etc.

Flat Joint.—A mortar joint finished flush with the face of the wall.

Flat Joint Jointed.-A similar joint to the above, but having an indentation marked on the edge with a tool called a jointer, similar to a letter S in shape, and having rounded edges.

Flaunching.-Weathering off the tops of chimney stacks with cement mortar. Flemish Bond.-Double: a bond of brickwork having alternately a header and a stretcher in the same course, both faces of the wall being alike. Single: a similar bond to the above, but having Flemish bond on the face and English bond backing.

Flue.-A conduit for conveying smoke from a fire or furnace.

Footings. The bottom courses of a wall, widened out so as to distribute the weight of the wall above over a large area, each course setting off 21" each side of the wall.

French Arch.-See Dutch arch.

Frog.-An indentation given to a hand-made brick so as to form a key for the

mortar.

Front Hearth. That part of a hearth in front of the chimney breast.

Gathering. The contraction of an opening (e.g. the flue over a fireplace opening) by corbelling over the bricks.

Gauged Work.-Brickwork built with bricks that have been rubbed to the exact shape and size required, and having a joint of ". 32"

Grout.-Mortar made liquid, and used to fill up the joints in the interior of a wall.

Hack.-A hack is a long parallel bank in a brick field, raised about 6" above the surrounding land, upon which the bricks are stacked to dry.

Header. The end view of a brick, 41′′ × 23".

Heading Bond.-Bond appearing as all headers upon face.
Heading Course.-A course of headers.

Herring-bone Bond.-A method of laying bricks in the interior of a wall, in which the cross joints run diagonally and converge towards the centre. Hollow Wall.-A wall in which the interior is separated from the exterior by a hollow space. For walls in exposed positions, etc.

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Hoop-iron Bond.—A wall in which hoop-iron, 2" wide by 1" thick, is laid between the bed joints in order to bind the wall together.

Impost.-A course of moulded bricks similar to the springing stone of an arch when it projects from the face of the wall or pier.

Intrados.-The under side or soffit of an arch.

Jumb.-The side of an opening in a wall.