sandpipe

English

Etymology

From sand +‎ pipe.

Noun

sandpipe (plural sandpipes)

  1. A pipe conveying sand, as in a steam locomotive, where it deposits sand directly in front of the driving wheels to aid traction.
    • 1956 April, “"Merchant Navy" Class Pacific Modified”, in Railway Magazine, page 212:
      In the modified locomotive, the leading sanding gear is restored and the sandpipes which formerly led to the trailing coupled wheels are reversed to provide sanding behind the driving wheels for rearward running.
  2. A perpendicular cylindrical hollow, tapering to a point, occurring in chalk deposits, and usually filled with sand, gravel, or clay.
    • 1840, Philosophical Magazine, page 365:
      Some of the enormous fragments of chalk which are interstratified with drift have not only layers of undisturbed flints, but also sandpipes in the middle of them, or cylindrical cavities filled with sand and gravel […]

Alternative forms

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