SALAMANDER

Salamander

Salamanders are any of approximately 550 extant species of amphibians within the order Caudata. They are typically characterized by a superficially lizard-like appearance, with slender bodies, short noses, and long tails. All known fossil salamanders and all extinct species fall under the order Caudata, while sometimes the extant species are grouped together as the Urodela. Salamanders have never more than four toes on their front legs and five on their rear legs, but some species have fewer. Their moist skin usually makes them reliant on habitats in or near water, or under some protection, often in a wetland.

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salamander

Noun

  1. A long slender (usually) terrestrial amphibian, resembling a lizard and newt; taxonomic order Urodela
  2. A creature much like a lizard that is resistant to and lives in fire, hence the elemental being of fire.
  3. A metal utensil with a flat head which is heated and put over a dish to brown the top.
    1977: The salamander, a fairly long metal utensil with a flat rounded head, was left in the fire until red hot and then used to brown the top of a dish without further cooking. — Richard Daunton-Fear and Penelope Vigar, Australian Colonial Cookery, Rigby, 1977, ISBN 0-7270-0187-6, page 41 (discussing 19th century cookery)
  4. In a professional kitchen a small broiler, used primarily for browning.
    The chef first put the steak under the salamander to sear the outside.
  5. The pouched gopher (Geomys tuza) of the southern United States.
  6. A large poker.
  7. Solidified material in a furnace hearth.

Verb

  1. To apply a salamander (flat iron utensil above) in a cooking process.
    19th C.: When cold, sprinkle the custard thickly with sugar and salamander it. — a 19th century creme brulee recipe quoted in Richard Daunton-Fear and Penelope Vigar, Australian Colonial Cookery, Rigby, 1977, ISBN 0-7270-0187-6, page 41


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

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