1st Lieutenant

SUBJECT AREA: Textiles

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Lister was descended from one of the old Yorkshire families, the Cunliffe Listers of Manningham, and was the fourth son of his father Ellis. After attending a school on Clapham Common, Lister would not go to university; his family hoped he would enter the Church, but instead he started work with the Liverpool merchants Sands, Turner \& Co., who frequently sent him to America. In 1837 his father built for him and his brother a worsted mill at Manningham, where Samuel invented a swivel shuttle and a machine for making fringes on shawls. It was here that he first became aware of the unhealthy occupation of combing wool by hand. Four years later, after seeing the machine that G.E. Donisthorpe was trying to work out, he turned his attention to mechanizing wool-combing. Lister took Donisthorpe into partnership after paying him £12,000 for his patent, and developed the Lister-Cartwright "square nip" comber. Until this time, combing machines were little different from Cartwright's original, but Lister was able to improve on this with continuous operation and by 1843 was combing the first fine botany wool that had ever been combed by machinery. In the following year he received an order for fifty machines to comb all qualities of wool. Further combing patents were taken out with Donisthorpe in 1849, 1850, 1851 and 1852, the last two being in Lister's name only. One of the important features of these patents was the provision of a gripping device or "nip" which held the wool fibres at one end while the rest of the tuft was being combed. Lister was soon running nine combing mills. In the 1850s Lister had become involved in disputes with others who held combing patents, such as his associate Isaac Holden and the Frenchman Josué Heilmann. Lister bought up the Heilmann machine patents and afterwards other types until he obtained a complete monopoly of combing machines before the patents expired. His invention stimulated demand for wool by cheapening the product and gave a vital boost to the Australian wool trade. By 1856 he was at the head of a wool-combing business such as had never been seen before, with mills at Manningham, Bradford, Halifax, Keighley and other places in the West Riding, as well as abroad.

His inventive genius also extended to other fields. In 1848 he patented automatic compressed air brakes for railways, and in 1853 alone he took out twelve patents for various textile machines. He then tried to spin waste silk and made a second commercial career, turning what was called "chassum" and hitherto regarded as refuse into beautiful velvets, silks, plush and other fine materials. Waste silk consisted of cocoon remnants from the reeling process, damaged cocoons and fibres rejected from other processes. There was also wild silk obtained from uncultivated worms. This is what Lister saw in a London warehouse as a mass of knotty, dirty, impure stuff, full of bits of stick and dead mulberry leaves, which he bought for a halfpenny a pound. He spent ten years trying to solve the problems, but after a loss of £250,000 and desertion by his partner his machine caught on in 1865 and brought Lister another fortune. Having failed to comb this waste silk, Lister turned his attention to the idea of "dressing" it and separating the qualities automatically. He patented a machine in 1877 that gave a graduated combing. To weave his new silk, he imported from Spain to Bradford, together with its inventor Jose Reixach, a velvet loom that was still giving trouble. It wove two fabrics face to face, but the problem lay in separating the layers so that the pile remained regular in length. Eventually Lister was inspired by watching a scissors grinder in the street to use small emery wheels to sharpen the cutters that divided the layers of fabric. Lister took out several patents for this loom in his own name in 1868 and 1869, while in 1871 he took out one jointly with Reixach. It is said that he spent £29,000 over an eleven-year period on this loom, but this was more than recouped from the sale of reasonably priced high-quality velvets and plushes once success was achieved. Manningham mills were greatly enlarged to accommodate this new manufacture.

In later years Lister had an annual profit from his mills of £250,000, much of which was presented to Bradford city in gifts such as Lister Park, the original home of the Listers. He was connected with the Bradford Chamber of Commerce for many years and held the position of President of the Fair Trade League for some time. In 1887 he became High Sheriff of Yorkshire, and in 1891 he was made 1st Baron Masham. He was also Deputy Lieutenant in North and West Riding.

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◊ -ra adjetivo/pronombre primer is used before masculine singular nouns

◊ el primer piso the second (AmE) o (BrE) first floor;

◊ un artículo de primera calidad a top-quality product;

◊ nuestro primer objetivo our primary objective;

◊ estar primero to come first

A a.

1 primo: the first comer, il primo venuto; a first coat of paint, una prima mano di vernice; the first officer of a ship, il primo ufficiale di bordo; the first two [three], i primi due [tre]; at first light, alle prime luci dell'alba

2 primo; più importante; principale: the first scientists in Europe, gli scienziati più importanti in Europa

B avv.

1 per primo; primo: ( sport) to come in first, arrivare primo

2 prima; per prima cosa: I must speak with him first, prima (o per prima cosa) devo parlare con lui; first of all, prima di tutto; per prima cosa; innanzitutto

3 (per) la prima volta: When did you first hear about it?, quando ne hai sentito parlare la prima volta?; when we first met, la prima volta che ci siamo incontrati; quando ci siamo conosciuti

4 inizialmente; all'inizio: when I first arrived, quando arrivai; all'inizio

5 piuttosto: He said he would die first, disse che piuttosto sarebbe morto

C n.

1 (il) primo; (la) prima: I was the first to see him, sono stato il primo a vederlo; They are the first to complain, sono i primi a protestare; Henry the First, Enrico primo

2 ( nelle date) –: April 1st, il 1 aprile

3 (in GB) laurea col massimo dei voti: to get a first in history, laurearsi in storia col massimo dei voti

4 (in GB) laureato col massimo dei voti

5 primo esempio (di qc.); primo caso; primato: to score a first, mettere a segno un primato

6 (autom.) prima ( marcia o velocità)

7 primo premio

8 ( USA, baseball) prima base

● (med.) first aid, pronto soccorso □ first-aid kit, cassetta di pronto soccorso □ first-aid station, posto di pronto soccorso □ first-aid training, addestramento al pronto soccorso □ first and foremost, soprattutto; anzitutto □ first and last, soprattutto □ first base, ( sport: baseball) prima base; (fig. USA) fase iniziale, primo stadio □ first best, ottimale; ideale; (econ.) ‘first best’: a first-best setting, un contesto ideale; (econ.) a first-best equilibrium, un equilibrio di first best □ first-born, il primo nato ( di figli); primogenito □ (geol.) first bottom, fondovalle fluviale □ first class, (sost.) (ferr., aeron.) prima classe; (rif. a corrispondenza, in GB) posta prioritaria; (market.) prima qualità ( di merce): to travel first class, viaggiare in prima classe; to send a letter first class, spedire una lettera per posta prioritaria □ first-class, (agg.) (ferr., aeron.) di prima classe; (fig.) di prima qualità; eccellente; ( di corrispondenza) di posta prioritaria: a first-class seat, un posto di prima classe; a first-class hotel, un albergo di prima categoria; un albergo eccellente; (in GB) first-class honours (degree), laurea col massimo dei voti; first-class mail, posta prioritaria; first-class stamp, francobollo di posta prioritaria □ first-degree, (med.) di primo grado: first-degree burns, ustioni di primo grado; (leg., in USA) first-degree murder, omicidio di primo grado □ (anat.) first finger, (dito) indice □ first floor, (in GB) primo piano; (in USA) pianterreno □ (in Scozia) first-footer, il primo ospite che entra in una casa dopo la mezzanotte dell'ultimo dell'anno □ (in Scozia) first-footing, visita per gli auguri di Capodanno □ first fruits, primizie; (fig.) primi frutti del proprio lavoro □ (autom.) first gear, prima (marcia) □ ( anche fig.) first-generation, della (o di) prima generazione □ ( sport) first half, primo tempo ( di una partita in due tempi) □ (rag.) first in, first out ► FIFO □ (in USA) first lady, moglie del Presidente degli USA; ( anche) moglie del Governatore di uno Stato della Federazione □ first language, lingua madre; madrelingua □ (mil., in USA) □ First Lieutenant, tenente □ first mate, primo ufficiale; secondo (di bordo) □ First Minister, primo ministro (in Irlanda del Nord, Scozia e Galles) □ (tur., di biglietto aereo, combinazione, ecc.) first-minute, first minute ( acquistato con forte sconto molto prima della partenza) □ (comm., econ.) first mover, pioniere; ‘first mover’: first-mover advantage, vantaggio della prima mossa □ first name, nome proprio; nome di battesimo: to be on first name terms with sb., chiamare per nome q.; dare del tu a q. □ ( Canada) First Nations, Prime Nazioni ( nome collettivo per la popolazione indigena del Canada) □ (teatr., cinem.) first night, prima; première (franc.) □ first-nighter, assiduo (spettatore) di prime teatrali (o cinematografiche) □ (fin.) first of exchange, prima di cambio; prima copia di una cambiale □ (fam.) first off, per prima cosa; in primo luogo (correlato con next off, ► next) □ (leg.) first offender, reo incensurato; chi delinque per la prima volta □ first officer, (naut.) = first mate ► sopra; (aeron.) secondo pilota □ first or last, prima o poi; presto o tardi □ first-order, di prim'ordine; di prima classe □ first past the post, (ipp.) primo al traguardo; (fig., polit., in GB) sistema uninominale a un turno (o a scrutinio unico), uninominale secca; sistema maggioritario a maggioranza semplice □ ( Canada) First Peoples = First Nations ► sopra □ (gramm. e fig.) first person, prima persona: written in the first person, scritto in prima persona □ first-rate, di prima qualità; di prim'ordine; di primaria importanza □ (polit.) first reading, prima lettura ( di un disegno di legge) □ (leg., market.) first refusal, diritto di prelazione; (diritto di) opzione □ ( USA) first respondent, addetto al primo intervento ( polizia, vigili del fuoco, ecc.) □ ( USA) first response, primo intervento □ (cinem., USA) first run, prima visione: a first-run theater, un cinema di prima visione □ first school, primo triennio delle elementari □ (polit.) First Secretary, primo ministro ( nel Galles, dal 1998 al 2000) □ first shift, primo turno; turno di giorno □ (cinem.) first show, prima visione □ (autom.) first speed, prima (velocità) □ (mil.) first strike, attacco di sorpresa □ (mil., fis. nucl.) first-strike weapon, arma per attacco di sorpresa □ first string, (mus.) primo violino; (fig., sport) i titolari ( di una squadra) □ first-string, di prim'ordine; di prima qualità: a first-string scientist, uno scienziato di prim'ordine □ first team player, titolare □ (fam.) first thing (tomorrow), per prima cosa (domattina) □ First things first, cominciamo dalle cose più importanti □ first-time buyer, acquirente della prima casa □ first-timer, chi fa qc. per la prima volta; esordiente □ (naut.) first watch, prima comandata ( turno di guardia dalle 8 di sera a mezzanotte) □ (econ.) the First World, i paesi a economia forte; i paesi industrializzati □ at first, in principio; dapprima; sulle prime □ at first hand, di prima mano □ at first sight (o view, blush), a prima vista □ from first to last, dall'inizio alla fine; da cima a fondo □ from the first, fin dal principio □ in the first instance (o place), in primo luogo; prima di tutto; innanzi tutto □ (fam.) not to have the first idea, non avere la più pallida idea □ not to know the first thing about st., non sapere niente di qc.; non intendersene minimamente di qc. □ of the first water, ( di pietra preziosa) di acqua purissima; (fig.) della più bell'acqua □ (prov.) First come, first served, chi primo arriva è servito per primo; ( anche) chi tardi arriva male alloggia: DIALOGO → - Parent-teacher meeting- It's first come first served this time, questa volta funziona in base all'ordine di arrivo.