head of steam
(Redirected from work up a head of steam)
English
[edit]Etymology
[edit]The figurative sense is by metaphor from the literal one: the need of the boiler of a steam locomotive to exceed a minimum amount of pressure before the locomotive could start moving.
Pronunciation
[edit]Audio (General Australian): (file)
Noun
[edit]head of steam (plural heads of steam)
- (idiomatic) A significant amount of energy, vigour or momentum, sufficient to make progress or succeed in a task.
- 1919, Joseph Conrad, Typhoon:
- "They were keeping a full head of steam, and a profound rumbling, as of an empty furniture van trotting over a bridge, made a sustained bass to all the other noises of the place."
- 1945 September and October, O. S. Nock, “Wartime Locomotive Working on the G.W.R.—2”, in Railway Magazine, page 255:
- Soon after passing the site of Stretfordbridge Junction Edwards opened out to 25 per cent; boiler pressure was still full up, and Taylor was spreading what was left of the fire so as to arrive in Shrewsbury with only a light head of steam.
- 1961 March, "Dalmore", “Driving and firing modern French steam steam locomotives”, in Trains Illustrated, page 150:
- [literal sense] Caffiers and Boulogne were passed with a full boiler and a full head of steam, and going up Neufchâtel I couldn't stop her blowing off.
- 2011 January 25, Paul Fletcher, “Arsenal 3 - 0 Ipswich (agg 3 - 1)”, in BBC[1]:
- Arsenal were starting to work up a head of steam and Tractor Boys boss Paul Jewell cut an increasingly frustrated figure on the touchline.
- 2021 March 10, Greg Morse, “Telling the railway's story on film”, in RAIL, number 926, page 43:
- [literal sense] The film is really about the driver taking control of his charge... the fireman creating a fine head of steam... the signalman keeping the traffic moving safely... [...].
- Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see head, steam.