Definitions
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun Plural form of
bascule .
Etymologies
Sorry, no etymologies found.
Support
Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word bascules.
Examples
-
The two moveable sections of the bridge's central span are called "bascules", the French word for see-saw.
Telegraph.co.uk - Telegraph online, Daily Telegraph and Sunday Telegraph 2011
-
The two famous "bascules" - drawbridges, to you and me - are set to be painted for the first time since the early 90s, requiring them to remain lowered for six months.
The Guardian World News Patrick Kingsley 2010
-
The two famous "bascules" - drawbridges, to you and me - are set to be painted for the first time since the early 90s, requiring them to remain lowered for six months.
-
I then push a lever forwards and the bascules gradually rear up in front of the control room.
-
The last time this happened was June when the bridge suffered a power failure: not only were the bascules wedged open, but clients at an event in the walkways above the bridge were left groping around in complete darkness.
-
I think about how nervous I was while making the announcements and operating the bridge mechanisms, and ask him what went through his mind the first time he raised the bascules.
-
Later we stand looking down into the cavernous area that the counter weights swing into as the bascules rise.
-
Once the bridge is clear of free-ranging buses and tourists, I push a button to release the immense bolts that hold the two bascules – the moving parts of the bridge – in place.
-
This involves controlling the 1,200-tonne bascules, French for "see-saw" or "scales", and a name that reflects the way the huge 450-tonne counter weights pull the bridge up to let vessels taller than 30 feet (9m) through to the next section of the Thames.
-
A computer screen shows the degree of angle and Lotter tells me to aim for 45 degrees because the sailing barge Gladys, which has requested passage, is quite small (a huge cruise liner is moored on the other side of the bridge that required the bascules to be fully raised the previous night).
Comments
Log in or sign up to get involved in the conversation. It's quick and easy.