English · Idiom Historical

lightning conductor

Preserved but no longer current.

Meaning · English

A metal rod raised above a building with one end "in the earth, to carry off the lightning and prevent its injurins the building.

Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)

Sources & notes

Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.

Topics: Rain & storms Historical slang (1800s)

Common questions

What does “lightning conductor” mean?

A metal rod raised above a building with one end "in the earth, to carry off the lightning and prevent its injurins the building.

Is “lightning conductor” formal or informal?

No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.

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