pug mill

noun

1. a mill for grinding and mixing materials, as clay or the ingredients of cement, to a desired condition.

Word History and Origins

Origin of pug mill¹

First recorded in 1815–25

Example Sentences

Her classroom, similar to a small pottery studio with desks, has kilns, a pug mill, or mixer, and a bucket to store clay.

From Washington Times

Her classroom, similar to a small pottery studio with desks, has kilns, a pug mill, or mixer, and a bucket to store clay.

From Seattle Times

A large metal cylinder supported by a metal base, the Extruder does exactly what you might imagine: like a souped-up pug mill, it uses an electric motor to exert more than six thousand pounds of pressure on wet clay, pushing it through different molds and shapes, and then dropping it onto a catchment, which can be positioned at various heights.

From The New Yorker

Water and sand were added, and the concoction was mixed in a pug mill.

From Washington Post

The first machine used to do all this work goes by the humble name of pug mill.

From Project Gutenberg