sat tel 47 down: question about slag, kish

[Explorer-8]

At first, I put kish for 47 down, but the answer was slag.

Does anybody know what the difference between kish and slag is, or are they just different words for the same thing (graphite from the carbon in the molten iron)?

[pandabear]

KISH - A workman's name for the graphite which forms incidentally in iron smelting.

SLAG -
Product of smelting, containing, mostly as silicates, the substances not sought to be produced as matter or metal, and having a lower specific gravity than the latter; called especially in iron smelting, cinder.

The slag of iron blast furnaces is essentially silicate of calcium, magnesium, and aluminium; that of lead and copper smelting furnaces contains iron.

{The vitreous mass left as a residue by the smelting of metallic ore.}

[oldwoman]

We had slag heaps when I was younger and it was the residue from the coal mines.

[pandabear]

oldwoman - you are right about the residue from the coal mines.

but, the question in the Xword was referring to another use of the word 'slag' - �Scum of oxidised material on the surface of molten metal�

It does help if Questioners write the clue out !!

[Explorer-8]

Thank you, PandaBear. The crossword compilers have used almost the same worded clue for kish and slag which confuses people like myself who don't have enough knowledge of the precise composition of these materials.