cigarette lighter

Beginner 💻 Tech / IT

Definition

A device built into the dashboard of a car that heats a metal coil to glowing temperature for lighting cigarettes, or more broadly, any portable lighter designed for this purpose.

Example Usage

He pressed the cigarette lighter into its socket and waited for the click before pulling it out to light his smoke.

Origin

Introduced as a standard automotive feature in the 1920s-1930s as cigarette smoking became increasingly common.

Fun Fact

Modern vehicles rarely include cigarette lighters in their dashboards, but the USB port in cars is sometimes still called the 'cigarette lighter socket' in reference to the original 12-volt outlet.

Source: Definition backfill (hailey)

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