babbitt
Friction-reducing alloy
Babbitt is a soft alloy of tin, copper, and antimony used to line bearings, reducing friction between moving metal parts.
The material conforms to slight irregularities and wears sacrificially to protect more expensive components: The engine's babbitt bearings needed replacing.
To babbitt is to line with this alloy. (Capitalized Babbitt is a surname, notably the title character of Sinclair Lewis's 1922 novel about a complacent American businessman.)
Element fifty, Sn
- antimonyBrittle metalloid, symbol Sb
- copperReddish-brown metallic element
- leadDense metal, symbol Pb
- white metalPale tin-based alloy
solder · pewter · metallurgy · lubricity · conformability · softness · slipperiness · machinability
- Main StreetTown's central thoroughfare
- bourgeoisMiddle-class and conventional
- middle-classIntermediate socioeconomic group
- materialismPrioritizing goods over spirit
philistine · conventional · provincial · small-town · booster · status-seeking · complacency · respectability
Record of daily events
- sleeveGarment's arm portion
- shaftNarrow vertical passage
- liningInterior fabric layer
- bushingFriction-reducing sleeve insert
crankshaft · camshaft · connecting rod · engine · machinery · friction · lubrication · wear
tin
Element fifty, Sn
white metal · solder · pewter · metallurgy · lubricity · conformability · softness · slipperiness · machinability · melting point
Sinclair Lewis
- Main StreetTown's central thoroughfare
- bourgeoisMiddle-class and conventional
- middle-classIntermediate socioeconomic group
materialism · philistine · conventional · provincial · small-town · booster · status-seeking · complacency · respectability · shallow
journal
Record of daily events
bushing · crankshaft · camshaft · connecting rod · engine · machinery · friction · lubrication · wear · sliding
babbittsteel
Carbon-hardened iron alloy
hardened steel · tool steel · bronze · cast iron · tungsten carbide
babbittnonconformist
Rejects prevailing social standards
bohemian · free spirit · iconoclast · freethinker · individualist