In the modern world, precast panelled buildings were pioneered in Liverpool, England, in 1905.

How odd that it should be that slab, that word, that evening.

A giant crane strained to lift a 12 foot high slab, yanking it back and forth like some dinosaur gnawing its prey.

These structures consist of a slab of material (such as silicon) which can be patterned using techniques borrowed from the semiconductor industry.

Before these decisions were taken, China had already eliminated a 13 per cent rebate on slab and billet exports in early 2005.

Those plugs are traditionally made of metal, but may be constructed from precast concrete, glass reinforced plastic or other composite material (especially in Europe, or where cover theft is of concern).

Burial was, for as long as there was room, usually in a graveyard adjacent to the church, with a gravestone or horizontal slab, or for the wealthy or important clergy, inside it.

Volcanism Prior to the Eocene Epoch (55.8 0.2 to 33.9 0.1 Ma) the convergence rate of the Farallon and North American Plates was fast, the angle of subduction was shallow, and the slab width was huge.