Meaning of footstick | Babel Free

Definitions

1. A measuring rod that is one foot long.
2. A piece of wood serving as a simple bridge over water.
3. A sloped or beveled piece of wood or metal placed against the foot of a page that is being typeset, and locked in place by quoins.
   historical

Examples

“Every time, the bricklayers have to use their footstick to check whether the right height has been reached.”

“The wee man crossed the footstick to where Johnny was and took him back over to his side.”

“The footsticks may be a trifle shorter than the width of two pages and the gutter; for as there should always be a line of quadrats, or a reglet cut to measure, at the foot of each page, the footstick may be a pica shorter without danger, on this account, of any thing falling out, when the form is lifted and it thus prevents the side and foot sticks from binding when locked up.”

“Neither the sidestick nor the footstick should project beyond the other, as it will prevent the quoins from passing, and in unlocking will give a great deal of trouble.”

“In using common footsticks and sidesticks, however, the broad part of the sidestick would be at the top left-hand corner of the left side section of the forme, and the broad part of the footstick at the lower right-hand corner.”

CEFR level