toaster

English

Etymology

toast +‎ -er

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈtəʊstə/

  • Audio (Southern England)

    (file)

• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈtoʊstɚ/
• Rhymes: -əʊstə(ɹ)
• Homophone: Towcester

Noun

toaster (plural toasters)

1. An electrical device for toasting bread, English muffins, crumpets, etc.
2. A toasting fork.
3. (archaic) A fish ready for toasting.
   • 1851, Henry Mayhew, “The London Street Markets on a Saturday Night”, in London Labour and the London Poor; , volume I (The London Street-folk. Book the First.), London: [George Woodfall], →OCLC, page 9, column 2:

     [T]he tumult of the thousand different cries of the eager dealers, all shouting at the top of their voices, at one and the same time, is almost bewildering. […] "Come and look at 'em! here's toasters!" bellows one with a Yarmouth bloater stuck on a toasting-fork.

4. One who toasts (cooks lightly by browning).
5. One who toasts (engages in salute while drinking alcohol).
6. (US, slang) A firearm, especially a pistol.
   • 2001, “Renegade”, in The Blueprint, performed by Jay-Z ft. Eminem:

     The renegade, you been afraid I penetrate pop culture / Bring 'em a lot closer to the block where they pop toasters

7. (humorous, now rare) A rapier or similar weapon.
   • 1751, [Tobias] Smollett, chapter 27, in The Adventures of Peregrine Pickle , volume I, London: Harrison and Co., , →OCLC:

     This attitude, and the sight of the blade which glistened by moonlight in his face, checked in some sort, the ardour of his assailant, who desired he would lay aside his toaster, and take a bout with him at equal arms.

8. (automotive, informal, derogatory) Any of several small, box-like automobiles exemplified by the Scion xB and Honda Element.
9. (music, informal, derogatory) An electronic organ, especially a crude one that uses analog technology.
10. (computing, humorous) A low-end or outdated personal computer.
    • 2000, Jennifer Fulton, The Complete Idiot's Guide to Upgrading and Repairing PCs, Alpha Books, →ISBN, page 15:

      For most older computers (pre-486 and even some 486s), it's simply easier to throw them away and start over (and cheaper, too). I know; this probably goes against the grain; after all, you hung onto that old toaster for three years, and now it makes a darn good doorstop.

    • 2005, Clark N. Quinn, Engaging Learning: Designing e-Learning Simulation Games, John Wiley & Sons, →ISBN, page 65:

      On the technical side, we had only the old “toaster” Macintosh computers as our environment (only black and white and 512 by 480 screen resolution) and a variety of IBM PCs or equivalents.

11. (computing slang, uncommon) A self-contained software package distributable over the Internet or by burning onto CDs.
    • 2008, Michael Jang, Ubuntu Certified Professional Study Guide, McGraw Hill Professional, →ISBN, page 9:

      The Freedom Toaster was developed with backing from Mark Shuttleworth as a vending-machine-style dispenser of free digital products, including Ubuntu Linux.

12. (music) a DJ who accompanies reggae with improvised rhythmic speech.

Derived terms

Related terms

• toast
• toasted

Descendants

• → French: toasteur
• → German: Toaster
• → Japanese: トースター (tōsutā)
• → Korean: 토스터 (toseuteo)
• → Polish: toster
• → Russian: то́стер (tóstɛr)

Translations

See also

Further reading

• toaster on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

Anagrams

• Rosetta, reostat, rosetta, rotates, stoater

French

Etymology

From toast +‎ -er.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /tɔs.te/

• Audio

  (file)

Verb

toaster

1. to toast (grill bread to make toast)
2. to toast (drink to something)

Conjugation

Further reading

• “toaster”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé , 2012.

Anagrams

• rotâtes