lazy tongs

noun (used with a plural verb)

extensible tongs for grasping objects at a distance, consisting of a series of pairs of crossing pieces, each pair pivoted together in the middle and connected with the next pair at the extremities.

Origin of lazy tongs

First recorded in 1830–40

Words nearby lazy tongs

lazy bed, lazy daisy stitch, lazy eye, lazy guy, lazy susan, lazy tongs, lazybones, laënnec, laënnec's cirrhosis, lb, lb tr

Example sentences from the Web for lazy tongs

  • The 'lazy-tongs' device was fixed to the base-plate at one end, the other being free to move, and carrying the clip for the cards.

    Sharps and Flats |John Nevil Maskelyne

  • Its construction was essentially that of a pair of lazy-tongs, arranged as in figs. 30 and 31.

    Sharps and Flats |John Nevil Maskelyne

British Dictionary definitions for lazy tongs

lazy tongs

pl n

a set of tongs with extensible arms to allow objects to be grasped or handled at a distance