grasshopper engine

noun

1. a steam engine having a piston attached to one end of a beam that is hinged to an upright at the other end, the connecting rod being suspended from near the center of the beam.

Word History and Origins

Origin of grasshopper engine¹

First recorded in 1850–55

Example Sentences

One, known as the grasshopper engine for the distinctive movement of its crankshaft, was only built to get around the patent Watt had on his own design, he said.

From BBC

About the same time his assistant, Murdock, completed and tried a model locomotive driven by a "grasshopper" engine.

From Project Gutenberg

A machinist named Murdock, who was one of James Watt's assistants, built a sort of grasshopper engine with very long piston rods and with legs at the back to help push it along; with this odd contrivance he ventured out into the road one night just at twilight.

From Project Gutenberg