damper n
   1 A round lid or cover placed over aperture on the cooking surface of a wood, coal or oil stove; also attrib (P 269-63).
   T 12-64 'Feet like dampers.' Describes very large feet. Dampers are the covers on a stove. P 130-67 ~ One of several covers or lids situated on the top of the stove. 1973 BARBOUR 94 Water boiled very quickly in these kettles, which had large bottoms that fitted the hole of the stove when the lid or damper was removed. 1973 PINSENT 5 He ... almost rammed his red hands into the damper hole on the top of the woodstove. 1979 HORWOOD 94 Beside the iron-and-nickel range, which was stuffed to the dampers with blazing logs, a huge woodbox spilled cloven lengths of spruce and fir upon the floor.
   2 In names of breadstuffs originally fried on stove lids: damper boy, ~ cake, ~ devil, ~ dog.
   P 224-67 Damper boys are made from fried dough. 1976 GUY 61 Home made bread, pork buns, figgy duff ... damper cakes. 1969 HORWOOD 84 And my old grandmother, running short of bread with the new batch not yet ready to bake, often made damper devils by cooking small pieces of risen dough like pancakes on top of the stove. 1958 Nfld Dishes 19 Flacoons or damper dogs—pan-cakes. Pan-cakes made of a flour and water mixture and cooked on top of the stove.

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