Pipe-opener

Pronunciation varies by accent · noun

Meaning

A device for putting a hole in a pipe..

Definitions by Sense

1. A device for putting a hole in a pipe.
2. A device or mechanism for clearing obstructions in a pipe.
3. (sports) A practice event; a warm-up.
4. (figuratively) A brisk walk or other aerobic exercise; a constitutional.
5. (figuratively) An example that serves as an introduction.

Example Sentences

They will note the doings of the favourite for some particular race, scanning him keenly and critically ; they will see how he takes his pipe-opener, or if he breaks down, or if he turns lame, or is absent from exercise.

I would rather have the horse fit by the week-end preceding the three-day event and then, apart from a good sharp two-furlong pipe-opener after the dressage test before cross-country day, only do slow but interesting work, if necessary for long periods if the horse has an excitable temperament.

That tale may have served as a pipe-opener, but one could not see its wood for its trees, so I threw it away.

There is just no way to experience these pieces by looking from the outside, or in photos or on video: the initial view of them from the balcony above the Arcelor gallery is impressively dramatic, yet it's the merest pipe-opener to what unfolds close up and at floor level.

Synonyms for pipe-opener

Antonyms for pipe-opener

Related Words

Word Forms

• pipe-openers

Usage Notes

Choose a synonym only when it preserves the intended meaning, tone, and grammar of the full sentence.

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