Fireback

[Grogie]

I saw this word while using m-w.com yesterday. It,s the rear wall of a fireplace. It also refers to species of Asian pheasant.

[Stargzer]

I saw this word while using m-w.com yesterday. It,s the rear wall of a fireplace.

Actually, a bit more than that. It protects the back wall.

fire·back
Function: noun
: an often decorated cast-iron plate lining the back wall of a fireplace

Ordinary brick, even though the clay is fired (heated) to make it, will break down under constant exposure to intense heat. A fireback was used in the days before firebrick (a brick that resists the constant, intense heat of a fire) to protect the part of a fireplace that gets hottest. It's thermal mass also allowed it to absorb heat and re-radiate it back into the room as a fire died down.

Here's some examples of firebacks. The page has a link to an article about the making of firebacks.

It also refers to species of Asian pheasant.

Are those the ones that shoot back using an AK-47?

[Grogie]

Thanks Stargzer.