| fairlead | (noun) a pulley-block used to guide a rope forming part of a ship's rigging to avoid chafing | - |
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| lead | (noun) the playing of a card to start a trick in bridge | - |
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| (noun) a position of being the initiator of something and an example that others will follow (especially in the phrase `take the lead') | - |
| (noun) a jumper that consists of a short piece of wire | Synonyms: booster cable, jumper cable, jumper lead |
| (noun) thin strip of metal used to separate lines of type in printing | Synonyms: leading |
| (noun) restraint consisting of a rope (or light chain) used to restrain an animal | Synonyms: leash, tether |
| (noun) the timing of ignition relative to the position of the piston in an internal-combustion engine | Synonyms: spark advance |
| (noun) an advantage held by a competitor in a race | - |
| (noun) evidence pointing to a possible solution | Synonyms: track, trail |
| (noun) a news story of major importance | Synonyms: lead story |
| (noun) the introductory section of a story | Synonyms: lead-in, lede |
| (noun) an indication of potential opportunity | Synonyms: confidential information, hint, steer, tip, wind |
| (noun) (baseball) the position taken by a base runner preparing to advance to the next base | - |
| (noun) an actor who plays a principal role | Synonyms: principal, star |
| (noun) (sports) the score by which a team or individual is winning | - |
| (noun) the angle between the direction a gun is aimed and the position of a moving target (correcting for the flight time of the missile) | - |
| (noun) mixture of graphite with clay in different degrees of hardness; the marking substance in a pencil | Synonyms: pencil lead |
| (noun) a soft heavy toxic malleable metallic element; bluish white when freshly cut but tarnishes readily to dull grey | Synonyms: atomic number 82, Pb |