box standard

See also: box-standard

English

Alternative forms

• box-standard
• (obsolete): boxed standard

Etymology

Originally in reference to the hollow-tube frames used as cases or mounting in various machines but now usually understood in reference to factory packaging and default standards.

Noun

box standard (plural box standards)

1. (obsolete) A hollow tube frame used for a machine.
   • 1884 June, Manufacturer & Builder, page 127:

     ...the standards F 0, to support the jointing devices, consisting in the combination of the cutter-heads supported by adjustable box standards Y, having sliding bearings in the bars V f.

   • 1888, Lockwood's Dictionary of Mechanical Engineering, page 45:

     Box standard or boxed standard, the standard, or main framework, of a machine or engine, which is hollowed internally to obtain the maximum of strength with the minimum of material.

Adjective

box standard (comparative more box standard, superlative most box standard)

1. (UK colloquial, used especially in automotive, motorcycling, engineering and technical contexts) Synonym of standard, especially with connotations of plainness and lack of modification.

Related terms

• (more pejorative): bog standard