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Literary notes about sluice (AI summary)

The term "sluice" appears in literature with striking versatility, often denoting a physical mechanism for regulating water while also evoking metaphorical notions of control and release. In technical descriptions, such as those detailing water pressure and mechanical construction ([1], [2], [3], [4]), it precisely identifies devices like sluice gates and sluice boxes integral to hydraulic operations. In creative narratives, however, "sluice" transcends its literal meaning to symbolize the forceful or methodical discharge of emotion or circumstance—for instance, characterizing an outpouring of compassion or life’s currents ([5], [6]). Even in colloquial dialogue, the term can serve as a vivid metaphor for overwhelming expression ([7]), demonstrating its rich, layered usage across literary contexts.
  1. Measure of the pressure upon a plain portion of surface inclined or vertical (sluice-gate, embankments, &c.) Center of push or pressure.
    — from The Declaration of Independence of the United States of America by Thomas Jefferson
  2. Sluice-dams, their object; form of the piles; distance apart, and dimensions.
    — from The Declaration of Independence of the United States of America by Thomas Jefferson
  3. Calculation of the dimensions of the two half sluice gates and of the wicket.
    — from The Declaration of Independence of the United States of America by Thomas Jefferson
  4. Riffle—A groove or strip to catch gold and mercury in a sluice.
    — from The A B C of Mining: A Handbook for Prospectors by Charles A. Bramble
  5. This question was like the opening of a sluice.
    — from Mohawks: A Novel. Volume 2 of 3 by M. E. (Mary Elizabeth) Braddon
  6. No! I have exhausted all the bitterness of reproach, and drained every sluice of compassion!
    — from Evelina, Or, the History of a Young Lady's Entrance into the World by Fanny Burney
  7. "Your mouth is a sluice," exclaimed the old Schindel, wrathfully, "which, once opened, overwhelms every thing with its mire."
    — from Specimens of German Romance; Vol. I. The Patricians by C. F. van der (Carl Franz) Velde

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