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Fireback

Posted: Wed Nov 23, 2005 5:39 am
by 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.

Re: Fireback

Posted: Wed Nov 23, 2005 11:57 am
by 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.
fireĀ·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? :lol:

Posted: Wed Nov 23, 2005 5:07 pm
by Grogie
Thanks Stargzer.