big iron
In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.
Meaning · English
Large, expensive, powerful computers such as mainframes.
Register: dated, humorous, slang
Where it’s used:
Used
American English
Sources & notes
Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30 via kaikki.org).
Common questions
What does “big iron” mean?
Large, expensive, powerful computers such as mainframes.
Is “big iron” formal or informal?
big iron is generally dated, humorous, slang.