save-all

English

Alternative forms

• saveall

Noun

save-all (plural save-alls)

1. (now rare) Something that prevents waste or loss.
   • 1891, George Washington Cullum, Edward Singleton Holden, Charles Braden, Biographical Register of the Officers and Graduates of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y., page 617:

     Casting my fortunes at Mrs. Thompson's, I soon became initiated into the etiquette and usage of that polite caravansary; and I now write of that era of two-pronged forks, and when “saveall” was the choicest dish, and the observances at the table not altogether Chesterfieldian.

   • 1896, Engineering Record, Building Record, Sanitary Engineer, American Plumbing Practice, page 107:

     All of the fixtures are set on full-size marble slabs, having a ½-inch countersink for a save-all, with a 3-inch brass rose, screw-top strainer, connected to a 1¼-inch galvanized-iron waste pipe with a good incline and entering its 2-inch sectional save-all waste pipes R, Fig. 18, by a 45-degree connection.

2. (now chiefly historical) A device in a candlestick to hold the ends of candles, so they can be burned all the way down.
   • 1828, JT Smith, Nollekens and His Times, Century Hutchinson, published 1986, page 232:

     The remainder of the furniture consisted of a flat-candlestick, with a saveall; but, for snuffers, Bronze used her scissors, or indeed, upon most occasions, her fingers.

   • 1848, Repertory of patent inventions and other discoveries and improvements in arts, manufactures and agriculture, page 178:

     Fourthly, an ornamental candle-fastener. This invention is intended to combine a metallic or other ornament for the candle, acting as a fastener for the candle, with a save-all, by which the objectionable necessity of fastening the candle with paper is done away with.

   • 1873, Arthur Charles Henderson, “No. 2253”, in Chronological and Descriptive Index of Patents Applied for and Patents Granted, Containing the Abridgements of Provisional and Complete Specifications, page 499:

     An improved “save-all suitable to all kinds of candlesticks, candle or reading lamps, or chandeliers burning wax, composition, or other candles.

3. A trough to prevent waste in a paper-making machine.
   • 1901, Frank O. Butler, The Story of Paper-making:

     At the end of the "save-all", where the fibers are to leave the "wire" for the next stage of their journey, suction-boxes are placed, provided with an air-pump to take up the surplus water that has not yet found its way through the meshes.

   • 1907 April 5, John Hunt, “Reclaiming Waste Material”, in The World's Paper Trade Review, volume 47, number 14, page 8:

     In designing any save all system one of the cardinal principles is to send no material to the save-all which can be reclaimed in any other waya, and this applies particularly to the gravity variety.

   • 1907 April 15, Paper Makers Monthly Journal, volume 45, number 4, page 128:

     A large amount of backwater passing to the save-all will have the effect of keeping its contents in constant motion, and the currents thus set up will seriously impede its action.

4. (nautical, now historical) A small sail sometimes set under the foot of another sail, to catch the wind that would pass under it.
   • 1835, John Jeremie, Recent events at Mauritius, page 83:

     Save-all sails I believe are commonly laced on to the foot of other sails, in light weather—she had something of this description under her lower studding sails.

   • 1843, The Art of Sail-Making as practised in the Royal Navy, page 12:

     Sloops, cutters, smacks, hoys &c. have a main-sail abaft the mast, as the brigs; upon and before the mast they have a square sail, or cross-jack; and, above the cross-jack, a small sail, called a save-all top-sail; above that is a top-sail, called a swallow-tailed top-sail, and the next is the top-gallant-sail.

   • 1863, Stephen Bleecker Luce, Seamanship, page 463:

     There are a few other sails, such as a gaff-topsail, which sets over the spanker; a ring-tail, which sets abaft the spanker; a save-all, under the lower studding-sail boom, and a jib-topsail, which sets flying over the job. These are never met with now in the service.

Anagrams

• Aleslav, Allevas, Avellas