knob-and-tube

adjective

Of or pertaining to a type of electrical wiring consisting of insulated conductive copper wire affixed by porcelain hardware and protected in vulnerable areas by insulated cloth sleeving. Widely used in North America during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Ask AI about this wordChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

Meanings

adjectiveknob-and-tube (not comparable)

alternative knob and tube

  1. not comparableOf or pertaining to a type of electrical wiring consisting of insulated conductive copper wire affixed by porcelain hardware and protected in vulnerable areas by insulated cloth sleeving. Widely used in North America during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

    If living in a house with antiquated knob-and-tube wiring—individual wires, not cables, passing through porcelain insulators—live wiring can be detected with a magnetic compass whose needle deflects

    1993 September 5, John Warde, “Home Clinic: Tips From Professionals To Handle Pesky Tasks”, in New York Times, retrieved 29 Jul 2013
Cite this entry
APA

knob-and-tube. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/knob-and-tube

MLA

“knob-and-tube.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/knob-and-tube. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “knob-and-tube,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/knob-and-tube.

Source: knob-and-tube on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.