irons

1. 1
   noun

   Plural of iron.

   The blacksmith laid the heated irons across the anvil.

   Golfers usually carry a set of irons numbered by loft.

   Note

   The plural belongs to the countable senses of iron: pressing appliances, and the many tools once forged from wrought iron and now usually made of steel. The metal itself is uncountable, so a heap of it is simply iron, never irons. The plural also carries the word for shackles, which normally appears in this form, and a slang word for firearms.

2. 2
   verb

   Third-person singular simple present of iron.

   The tailor irons each seam flat before stitching the panels together.

   She irons the linen until not a single wrinkle remains.

   Note

   One -s form serves every sense of the verb. She irons a shirt, he irons in the evening, a builder irons a door by cladding it with metal, and in archaic use a jailer irons a prisoner. That last meaning is the verb partner of the dated word for shackles. The noun plural has the same spelling, so only the sentence shows which one is meant.

3. 3
   noundatedcountableplural

   Restraints of metal, such as chains or fetters, fastened to a prisoner's wrists or ankles.

   The mutineers were led ashore in irons and marched to the jail.

   She watched her brother dragged away in irons by the king's men.

   Similarchains, shackles, fetters, manacles

   Note

   A dated word that survives best in set phrases: a prisoner is clapped in irons, or led away in irons. In this meaning it is always plural, with no singular to match. Take care with in irons, because at sea the same phrase describes a stalled sailing boat, and only the context tells a shackled prisoner from a boat going nowhere.

4. 4
   nouncountableplural

   The stirrups of a saddle, into which a rider places the feet.

   The instructor told her to lengthen the irons before mounting.

   He lost both irons when the horse bolted across the field.

   Similarstirrups

   Note

   Named for the metal they are made of, the irons hang from leathers on each side of the saddle. Riders and instructors use the word routinely: you lengthen or shorten the irons before mounting, and you can lose your irons when a horse bolts. In this sense the word stays plural.

5. 5
   nounplural

   The condition of a sailing vessel that has lost forward motion, especially when caught pointing directly into the wind.

   The yacht sat in irons while the crew scrambled to trim the sails.

   Caught in irons, the sloop refused to answer the helm.

   Note

   The usual way into irons is to steer straight into the wind, where the sails can no longer drive the boat and the helm stops answering. The word is always plural and almost always follows in: stuck in irons, caught in irons. A sailor gets out by letting the bow fall away from the wind until the sails fill again.

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