Sunday 5 September 10-letter INSEMINATE puzzle

[ridethetalk]

MAINS – at least here in Australia, the electricity supply to homes and businesses is known as the mains supply…

…you can also have a water mains and a gas mains and I would recommend this be made common (well, at least as common as these utilities)

[jem01060]

from the OED: A principal channel, duct, or conductor for conveying water, sewage, gas, or (usually in plural) electricity.… Also in plural: the public supply of water, (or electricity, etc.) collectively. In North American usage usually only modified, as in water main(s), etc.

"Mains" is a plural form and so disallowed in Chi.

[pat]

MAINS – at least here in Australia, the electricity supply to homes and businesses is known as the mains supply…

…you can also have a water mains and a gas mains and I would recommend this be made common (well, at least as common as these utilities)

I suggested this word back in November 8 years ago but it still awaits adjudication.

[Alan W]

Living in an inner suburb, I have mains water supply at my house. But a couple of times recently the water has been cut off for a few hours because of a burst main. This is the obstacle to accepting mains: it can be seen as the plural of main, in the senses, as defined in the online Oxford, "A principal pipe carrying water or gas to buildings, or taking sewage from them." And "A principal cable carrying electricity."

One could argue that mains is used as an adjective, not a plural noun, when talking about "mains supply", etc. But I prefer these days not to enter into any arguments relating to plurals. So this request will remain in the pending list.