LIGHTNINGROD

Lightning rod

A lightning rod or lightning conductor is a metal rod or metallic object mounted on top of a building, electrically bonded using a wire or electrical conductor to interface with ground or "earth" through an electrode, engineered to protect the building in the event of lightning strike. If lightning hits the building it will preferentially strike the rod and be conducted to ground through the wire, instead of passing through the building, where it could start a fire or cause electrocution.

The above text is a snippet from Wikipedia: Lightning rod
and as such is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

lightning rod

Noun

  1. A metallic conductor that is attached to a high point of a building and leads to the ground and protects the building from damage by lightning
  2. A person or thing that is a target for negative reactions and distracts criticism from another target.


The above text is a snippet from Wiktionary: lightning rod
and as such is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

Need help with a clue?
Try your search in the crossword dictionary!