The Only Use of
ballast
in
The Poisonwood Bible
- They decided either one of us would work for ballast, but feared Adah's handicap would prevent her holding on, and if she fell in the river the precious battery would also be lost.†
Chpt 5
Definitions:
-
(1)
(ballast) something that helps to stabilize -- especially heavy material in the bottom of an empty ship
-
(2)
(meaning too rare to warrant focus) meaning too rare to warrant focus:
Less common senses of ballast include: coarse gravel laid to form a bed for streets and railroads
or:
a resistor inserted into a circuit to compensate for changes (such as is used to start and regulate fluorescent bulbs)