witch-meal

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English

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Noun

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witch-meal (uncountable)

  1. (obsolete) A flash powder made from club moss; vegetable sulphur.
    • 1915, Alice Mona CAIRD, The Stones of Sacrifice, page 275:
      [] substance which Graine knew to be 'witch-meal'; the seeds of dried lycopodium moss; the other set the dust on fire with a burning stick, the flame pursuing the flying particles till they were consumed, when the light flashed out []

Alternative forms

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Further reading

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  • 1897, The Columbian Cyclopedia:
    WITCH-MEAL, the pollen or powder of the lycopodium or club-moss, which, from its inflammable nature, is used in theatres to produce a sudden flash or blaze, in order to imitate lightning.