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Ironing Board

Household Objects
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

A padded board used for pressing clothes with an iron. It can suggest preparation, conformity, and the smoothing of disorder.

Detailed Definition
An ironing board is a narrow padded surface, usually folding on metal legs, that supports garments while wrinkles are pressed away. In poetry, its temporary stance in a room can make domestic work seem like a small ceremony of readiness. Steam, stiff collars, and repeated passes of the iron may symbolize discipline, social expectation, or the attempt to make a troubled life appear smooth and presentable.
Example
Example in poetry:
An ironing board stands unfolded in the hallway, its narrow shape suggesting a temporary altar for domestic labor; The poet compares a grandmother smoothing shirts on an ironing board to smoothing the creases of a difficult memory; An abandoned ironing board in a vacant apartment can symbolize routines that continue in the imagination after a family leaves; “The ironing board’s metal legs tremble” gives an ordinary object personification and creates a tense, expectant mood
Additional Notes
An ironing board can represent the pressure to appear orderly. Its folding frame may also suggest temporary domestic labor and hidden effort.
Other Meanings of “Ironing Board”
Also Known As
Ironing Table
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