![]() The place on the stern of a ship where the boat's name is written is known as the escutcheon. In fact, today’s everyday language is peppered with seemingly nonsensical phrases and sayings whose origins come from sailing terminology. Many cat-heads have had the faces of lions or other large cats carved into them - however, it's not known if this gave the cat-head its name, or came as a result of the name. Used since ancient times to expand civilizations, conquer new lands, conduct trade, fishing, and commerce, the art of sailing and the life of a mariner has an old and rich history. The cat-head is a large wooden beam that extends from vessels at a 45 degree angle and is used to assist in raising and lowering the anchor. It marks the spot at the inside-bottom of the hull, below any floorboards, and it sits below the water-line.įuttocks are the curved timbers used to form the interior ribs on the hulls of wooden ships. The bilge is the lowest part of the interior of a ship. The mainsheet is a rope or line attached to the boom that allows the sailor to control the speed of a boat by adjusting the main sail. Where ropes and lines come into contact with sails there is serious potential for damage to the sail due to the abrasive nature of most rigging. This strange-sounding gem is simply a soft covering for ropes aboard yachts that prevent chafing of the sails. The treacherous bowsprit earned its name and reputation from of the number of sailors who have lost their lives falling from the it. noun A quadrilateral with two distinct pairs of congruent, adjacent sides. ![]() noun A parafoil flown in a similar manner for recreation. This is a colloquial term for a boat's bowsprit - the long pole, or "spar," extending from the bow used by sailors to tend to sails. noun A light framework covered with cloth, plastic, or paper, designed to be flown in the wind at the end of a long string or multiple lines, especially for recreation. If a wave washes over this deck from behind the vessel, it is said to be "pooped." GLOSSARY OF NAUTICAL, MARINE RIGGING & SAILING TERMS. As sailors would often gather around the scuttlebutt to chat, the word has also taken on a slang meaning of rumor or gossip.Ī commonly used spelling for "rowlocks." These are the spaces cut into the vessel or small clasps raised up from the side of smaller boats that are used to rest oars when the boat is under paddle.Īre there any other nautical words you'd like to add? Tell us in the Sound Off box below.Ī poop deck is a deck at the rear of a ship, generally formed by the roof of a cabin. Glossary of marine rigging and sailing terms for marine sailing and. It was named this as the container was traditionally a small barrel, the so-called "butt," which had been "scuttled" - had a hole made in it - so water could be accessed. The scuttlebutt is a cask on a ship containing the vessel's drinking water. They are bound to raise a smile and will certainly make you more knowledgeable on the water - who knows, you could even impress friends and colleagues with your mastery of obscure nautical terminology. It is a sport littered with odd words and phrases and MainSail has put together a list of 10 of the weirdest below. Manavelins entered English in the first half of the 19th century.Don't be concerned if you don't, as they are both relatively obscure terms used in sailing. Herman Melville was by far the most distinguished author to use manavalins ( White-jacket, 1850): “Various sea-rolls, made dishes, and Mediterranean pies…all of which come under the general denomination of Manavalins.” Melville had served as a common sailor on the frigate USS United States in 1843 his publishers, Harper & Bros., sent copies of White-jacket to every member of Congress in order to show the brutality and arbitrariness of flogging. Add those to the 3,000 words English currently holds for the state of being drunk (including ‘ramsquaddled’, ‘obfusticated’, ‘tight as a tick’, and the curious ‘been too free with. There is a likely connection between manavelins and the verb manarvel, manavel “to pilfer from a ship’s stores,” another item of nautical slang of unknown origin. So go ahead and enjoy International Talk. It seems the expression drunk as a sailor is well founded. ![]() Like many slang terms, manavelins has no reliable etymology, which helps explain the many variant spellings, such as manavalins, manarvelins, malhavelins. Even the phrase name your poison as an invitation to drink was early sailing slang. Manavelins, “miscellaneous pieces of gear and material odds and ends leftovers or scraps (of food),” is originally sailors’ slang. Pirate Lingo Head, Potty or toilet on a pirate ship Hearties, Friends, fellow comrades or sailors Heave Ho, Put your weight and muscle into it Heave To.
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