pig iron

plural pig irons

1. uncountableusuallyengineeringA brittle, impure form of iron produced by smelting iron ore which is often shaped into blocks; it is unsuitable for working but suitable for casting, and so is commonly used as an industrial raw material; (countable) a sample of such iron.

   We spent a lot of time up on the staging of the great furnaces, trying to pick up the tricks of the trade from the taciturn furnacemen who sat around placidly smoking, or chewing twist, and occasionally throwing in more pig iron to the molten white-hot metal.

   1945 January and February, a former pupil [pseudonym], “Some Memories of Crewe Works—III”, in The Railway Magazine, London: Tothill Press, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 14

   Synonyms: crude iron

2. countableobsoleteusuallycookingAn iron plate which is hung between a piece of meat and the fire used to cook it to prevent the meat from burning if the fire is too hot.

   Synonyms: pig plate