Page 606 - The Ashley Book of Knots

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A GLOSSARY OF TERMS, MAINLY NA UTICAL, PERTAINING

TO KNOTS AND ROPE WORK

ADRIFT: A piece of rigging goes adrift when the BITTER END: The inactive inboard end of a cable

end unreeveSj a knot when it spills. abaft the Carrick bitts.

AGAINST THE SUN: Counterclockwise. BLACK KNOT: A hard knot or tangle.

AMBULANCE KNOT: The REEF KNOT, a needle- BL<OCK: A machine with grooved wheels for di-

work term. verting the lead of a rope or, when com-

ARSE: The hole in a block through which the pounded, for increasing the power of a

fall is rove. tackle.

ARTIFICER'S KNOT: The CLOVE HITCH. BLOCK AND FALL: A tackle. At sea these generally

"As THEY LIE": Ends tucked directly under bear specific names, so the expression is more

instead of first over and then under. common ashore.

(A) 'VAST!: Stop or halt. "'Vast heaving" is the BLOCK-A-BLOCK, "BLOCK AND BLOCK," "Two

order to stop work at the capstan. BLOCKS" and "CHOCK-A-BLOCK": The blocks of

13ACK A STRAND, To: (I) In the LONG SPLICE, to a tackle hauled together. The term is com-

fill the score vacated by one strand, with one monly used to mean that the limit or capacity

of the opposite strands. (l) In the BACK- (of anything) has been reached.

HANDED SPLICE, to tuck one strand in a helix BOLLARD or BOLLARDS: (I) Originally the knight-

around the opposing one. heads of a ship when extended above the rail

BACKHANDED ROPE: The yarns and strands have a and used for making fast. (l) A pair of posts

right twist and the rope itself a left twist. at either side of a dock or lock. (3) Posts of

BACK SPLICE: The strands are first crowned, then iron or wood on a wharf or the deck of a

tucked back over and under as in a SHORT ship, either single or double. Sometimes the

SPLICE. distinction is made that bollards belong to

BACKING: Small flanking wormings at either side the wharf and not the deck. Captain Francis

of the main worming, in J:uge hawsers and Stone always called a single post or pile, suit-

cables. able for mooring, a bollard. At the present

BARBER'S KNOT: The SHEET BEND when used for time bollards are generally of cast iron, are

tying hair in wigmaking. either single or double, and commonly are

HAVE A BEARING, To: To be properly couched. round, while bitts are usually rectangular.

BECKET: (I) The rope handle of a sea chest. (l) BOLT: A heaver, q.v.

The eye or hook of a block strap. (3) A BOLTROPE: Three-strand rope sewed around the

short rope with an eye at one end and a edges of sails.

button at the other, used to' confine and BOND: A knot that binds.

secure spars, oars, etc. BOURCHIER KNOT: In heraldry, the REEF KNOT.

BELAY, To: To secure a rope with S or figure- Bow GRACE: Old rope and cable nailed to the

eight turns around a belaying pin, cleat or planking of a ship as a protection against ice.

bitts. BOWLINE: (I) A rope that trims the forward leech

BELAYING PIN: A wood, metal or bone pin in- of a square sail. (1) Nowadays the knot for-

serted through a hole in a rail, to which run- merly employed in making the bowline fast

ning rigging is made fast. to the BOWLINE CRINGLES.

BEND, A: A knot which ties two ropes' ends

BOUSE or BOWSE: To move an object about deck

together.
by means ot a small tackle.

BEND, To: (I) To tie two ropes together. (l) To

BRACES: Ropes with which to trim the yard,s.
tie to an anchor. (3) To tie a rope to a spar.

BRACE Up, To: To take up slack and to sail "full

(4) To secure a sail to a spar.

and by."
BENDS: Small ropes used as seizmgs in clinching a

cable. BRAILS: Ropes leading through cringles in the

BIGHT or BITE: Any slack part of a rope between leech of the spanker and spencers, to assist

the two ends, particularly when curved or in furling, similar to bun dines.

looped. BRIDLE: A span of rope used in attaching halyards,

BIND, To: (I) To jam. (1) To seize or lash. fore-and-aft sheets, bowlines, etc.

BITTS: Upright timbers, usually in pairs, for mak- BRING Up, To: To fetch, to come in contact.

ing fast hawsers and cables. BRING Up WITH A ROUND TURN, To: To check. or

BITT, To: To take a turn around a bitt. be checked, suddenly.

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