Page 611 - The Ashley Book of Knots

GLOSSARY

NORMAN: The horizontal iron pin in a bitt. RANGE OF CABLE: Sufficient cable for the depth,

OAKUM: Old yarn picked apart. Used in calking, laid out in flakes on deck, ready for anchor-

•
stuffing oil bags, etc. mg.

OPEN, To: To separate the strands or yarns of a RATTLE DOWN, To: To secure ratlines to the

rope. To untie a knot. shrouds, so forming a ladder aloft.

OVER AND UNDER: Descriptive of the weave of REEF HANKS: When reef points were first made

certain knots, as TURK'S-HEADS. of rope instead of sinnet they were called

OVERHAUL (A TACKLE): To separate the blocks hanks; later the earlier name point was re-

for another haul. turned.

PALM: A narrow mitt with a thumb hole and a REEVE, To: To pas.~ the end of a rope through any

checkered piece of metal at the palm for push- hole or opening.

ing a sail needle. REEVE OFF, To: To reeve new running rigging

PARCEL, To: To bind strips of canvas around rope through the blocks frem unbroken coils, first

before marling; the direction is with the lay. marrying the old rope to the new.

PART, To: To break. RENDER, To: To slacken, give, ease off.

PART, STANDING: In a tackle the part spliced to a RIDE, To: A rope is said to ride a capstan when

block. In a rope the inactive part as opposed one turn settles over another.

to the bight and end. RIDERS or RIDING TURNS: In seizings and whip-

pings a second tier of turns, always one less
PART, A: Each reappearance of a strand on the

in number than the ground or under turns.
surface of a knot.

RIGGING: In its narrowest meaning the lower

PASS, To: To shift regularly from one hand to
shrouds alone. Broadly, all the rope in a ship

another or from one person to another, as in

except ground tackle is divided into standing
passing gaskets, stoppers, nippers and seizings.

and running rigging. Standing rigging is per-

PAY OUT, To (A CABLE): To slack away slowly,
manently secured at both ends, running rig-

to allow it to run out.

ging at one end only.

PENDANT: A short rope with a thimble spliced in
RIGHT-HANDED: Plain- or hawser-laid rope, which

one end to which a tackle is hooked.
is right-handed like a corkscrew.

PICKET, To: To stake out an animal, generally for ROBANDS, ROPE BANDS (pronounced robbins): The

the night. lines with which square sails are bent.

PIGTAIL: A wisp of fiber middled, twisted and the RODlNG: Originally the anchor warp or cable of a

two legs laid up together, particularly hemp coasting schooner, nowadays of any small

and flax. A short tail attached to a hook, for craft. Derived from roadstead and roadster.

loosing. ROPE: Anything in cordage over one inch in cir-

PINION, To: To bind the arms or wings of any cumference.

creature. ROPE YARN: A single thread from the strand of a

PLAIN-LAID: Hawser-laid. Three-strand, right- rope.

handed rope. ROPES: There is an old saying that "there are

PLAIT: Pronounced plat, which see. seven ropes on a ship." Lucegives a list of

PLAT: Sinnet. FLAT and FRENCH SINNET specifi- about forty ropes and there are at least

cally. twenty more, but all these were never in use

PLAY: Drift, margin allowed for shrinkage and at the same time.

stretching. ROPING: To strengthen the edges of a sail. Square

sails are roped on the after side and fore-and-
POINT: A decorative cone-shaped termination

aft sails on the port side.
on cables and running rigging. Ostensibly to

ROPING: Lashing a trunk or parcel, a shQre term.
aid in reeving but really to prevent pilfering.

ROUND OF A ROPE, THE: The length of a single
PRICKER: A tool smaller than a marlingspike, gen-

strand in one complete passage around the

erally with a wooden handle.

rope.

PURCHASE: An arrangement of blocks and fall in
ROUNDING: Old three-inch rope served on a cable

which the standing part and the fall both lead

at the hawse pipe for chafing gear.
to the same block.

ROUND Up: To take up the slack on a tackle.

QUILTING: Mats nailed to planking as protection

• • ROUSING or ROWSING: To pull together by hand
agamst Ice.
on the cable, to haul in slack.

QUOYLE: Coil. (Boteler, 1634.)
RUNNING RIGGING: All rigging that is rove through

RACK A FALL, To: To stop the fall to one of the blocks.

leads of a tackle with a series of racking turns.
RUN OUT, To: To boat a warp, and make fast the

RACKING TURNS: Seizing and lashing turns taken end.

figure-eight-fashion. SAILOR'S KNOT: CARRICK BEND, SHEET BEND, REEF

RACKS: Long fair-leaders with many holes, lashed KNOT, BOWLINE, etc. The name is loosely ap-

in the rigging above the shear pole. plied to any good or unfamiliar knot.

RADDLE, To: To plat, according to Smyth. SEAM RUBBER: A tool for turning a seam and

RAVEL AND UNRAVEL: To fray. creasing it, also called merely "a rubber."

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