ironclad

views updated May 29 2018

i·ron·clad / ˈīərnˌklad/ • adj. covered or protected with iron. ∎ impossible to contradict, weaken, or change: an ironclad guarantee.• n. hist. a 19th-century warship with armor plating.

The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English

ironclad

views updated Jun 27 2018

ironclad a 19th-century warship with armour plating; the term was originally used particularly of such ships during the American Civil War (see monitor).

The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable ELIZABETH KNOWLES