A to Z of Nautical Words

Shiver me timbers and splice the mainbrace, here are some interesting nautical words, an A to Z :-

'abaft' = Toward or at the stern of a ship; further aft

'bottomry'!!!!!!!!! = Using the ship as collateral to finance a sea voyage

‘cable’ = Synonym of rope

'demurrage' = Delay of vessel's departure or loading with cargo

'escutcheon' = Part of ship's stern where name is displayed

'futtock' = Rib of a ship

'gudgeon' = metal socket into which the pintle of a boat's rudder fits

'hawsehole' !!!!!!! = Hole for ship's cable

'inboard' = Inside the line of a ship's bulwarks or hull

'jurymast' = Mast erected on ship in place of one lost

'keelhaul' = To punish sailor by dragging under keel of ship

'lutchet' = Fitting on ship's deck to allow mast to pivot to pass under bridges

'moonraker' = Topmost sail of a ship, above the skyscraper

'nipper' = The anchor cable was a nine-stranded cable-laid rope which came through the hawse-pipe, ran alongside the two capstans (on the main-deck), and was stowed down in the cable tier beneath the main deck.
Nippers were short pieces of rope (stoppers) one end of which would be fastened to the 'messenger', the other end to the cable, and as the cable was hove in, and the 'nippers' reached the barrel of the larger capstan, small boys would 'fleet' them (i.e. untie and move them) and fasten them on again near the small capstan.
It was from such circumstances that the word 'nipper' entered our language as the name for a small boy.

'oakum' = Old ropes untwisted for caulking the seams of ships

'poop' !!!!!! = Enclosed structure at stern of ship above main deck

'quarterdeck' = Part of ship's deck set aside by captain for ceremonial functions

'rostrum' = A spike on prow of warship for ramming

'scuttlebutt' = The 'scuttlebutt' was a water barrel with a hole cut into it so that sailors could reach in and dip out drinking water.
The scuttlebutt was the place where the ship's gossip was exchanged.'

'trunnel' = A wooden shipbuilding peg used for fastening timbers

'unreeve' = To withdraw a rope from an opening

'vang' = A rope (line) leading from gaff to either side of the deck, used to prevent the gaff from sagging.

'windlass' = A winch used to raise a ship's anchor

'xebec' = A small three-masted pirate ship

'zabra' = A small Spanish sailing vessel

golden rivet... look that up ray

LG it seems there is a ‘clean’ version and ‘rude’ version LOL !!!!!

A Golden Rivet refers to the claim in naval folklore that every ship is built containing a single, commemorative "golden rivet".

Enticing a new recruit down into the bowels of the ship for the purpose of homosexual activity!!!!!!!

Whodathowtit LOL

copper bottomed investment,
a square meal
on the fiddle
a haipenth of tar
broadside
over the yardarm
all seafaring sayings, and many more,

Nice one Mester Tomp

People would unravel individual strands from thick rope to use as caulking between the the ships timbers, hence ‘money for old rope’.

Money for old rope.

So Golden Rivet is one of those naughty nautical terms.

Thanks for those.

‘anchor windlass’
A winch used to raise a ship’s anchor

Windlasses are used on Wigan Flight too, but are a much simpler bit of kit. You attach them to a lock’s mechanism so you can wind a ground/gate paddle up or down.


A windlass being used by Colin of Foxes Afloat

YouTube Video

Shiver Me Timbers!

Another good thread, ray

"Another good thread, ray "

Cheers BB

Thanks for your contributions folks

"You'll never get through that port-hole Laddy".!! Who's turn in the barrel.

Sinbad from Brookside ( channel 4 1980's) was so named because he was a window cleaner and never got into the corners, he served his time on ships cleaning portholes,

Posh is a nautical term
Port side out starboard side home, , you had a cabin port side out from England but starboard side home from America, the the sun never shone in your cabin and spoiled the view,

"Just a cardi."!

Not as I understood posh. Sailing east to British Empire India before air conditioning, was mainly in the northern hemisphere. Port side would be shaded from hot sun outward/eastward and the opposite, homeward/westward.
The sun would always shine into your cabin going to/from America.