"Fixtures" (the plural of fixture) refers to items that are fixed in place, and the meaning spans several domains. In its primary architectural and real estate sense, fixtures are items of equipment or furnishing permanently attached to a building or land, such as toilets, sinks, bathtubs, showers, radiators, hardwired lighting, built-in wardrobes, and fitted kitchens; because of their permanent attachment, they are legally part of the real property and transfer to the buyer when the property is sold, unlike movable chattels such as furniture and curtains. Property listings and purchase contracts often include a "fixtures list" or "fixtures and fittings schedule" to specify exactly which items are included in a sale. In plumbing, fixtures are the water-using and water-discharging devices connected to supply and drainage systems, measured in "fixture units" for pipe sizing. In lighting, fixtures are the housings that hold lamps and connect them to electricity. In sports, "fixtures" means the officially scheduled matches of a season, each fixed for a particular date and venue, as in "the team's remaining fixtures this month." In engineering and manufacturing, fixtures are rigid work-holding devices that position and clamp workpieces during machining, welding, assembly, or inspection. In dentistry, fixtures are the titanium posts implanted into the jawbone as the roots of dental implants. Figuratively, people can be fixtures, meaning constant, established presences somewhere. In all senses, the common thread is firm, reliable placement: things physically fastened, matches fixed on calendars, workpieces held steady, and people reliably present.
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