cold chisel

Meanings

nouncold chisel (plural cold chisels)

A narrow chisel, made of hardened, tempered steel, used for cutting stone etc.
Meanwhile, Macpherson stood just outside the door, holding a cold chisel which he had taken from a dungaree pocket […] and there Mr. Willison found him.
1928, Lawrence R. Bourne, chapter 2, in Well Tackled!

nounnarrow chisel made of steel; used to cut stone or bricks

Similar

Broader

Also see

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

So called because it was used for cutting cold metal, as distinguished from a blacksmith's chisel for cutting hot iron.

Catalan tallaferro

German Beizeisen

Greek καλέμι

Polish przecinak ślusarski

Spanish cincel

Cite this entry

APA

cold chisel. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cold%20chisel

MLA

“cold chisel.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cold%20chisel. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “cold chisel,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cold%20chisel.