Dictionary entry

Wire (4)

Webster's Dictionary 1913

Wire (?), n. 1. Chiefly in pl. The system of wires used to operate the puppets in a puppet show; hence (Chiefly Political Slang), the network of hidden influences controlling the action of a person or organization; as, to pull the wires for office.

2. One who picks women's pockets.

3. A knitting needle.

4. A wire stretching across over a race track at the judges' stand, to mark the line at which the races end.