marline-spike

The Sailor's Word-Book

An iron pin tapering to a point, and principally used to separate the strands of a rope, in order to introduce the ends of some other through the intervals in the act of knotting or splicing; it is also used as a lever in marling, fixing seizings, &c. (See fid.)

Related Words

marline-spike hitch
A peculiar hitch in marling, made by laying the marline-spike upon the seizing stuff, and then bring...

The Sailor's Word-Book
Marline
·vt To wind marline around; as, to marline a rope. II. Marline ·v A small line composed of two stra...

Webster's Dictionary of the English Language
marline
See line. ...

The Sailor's Word-Book
Spike
·vt To fix on a spike. II. Spike ·noun An ear of corn or grain. III. Spike ·vt To set or furnish w...

Webster's Dictionary of the English Language
marline-holes
Holes made for marling, or lacing the foot-rope and clues in courses and top-sails. ...

The Sailor's Word-Book
spike team
A waggon drawn by three horses, or by two oxen and a horse, the latter leading the oxen or span of h...

Dictionary of American Words And Phrases by John Russell Bartlett.
spike-nails
See deck-nails. ...

The Sailor's Word-Book
spike-plank
(Speak-plank?) In Polar voyages, a platform projecting across the vessel before the mizen-mast, to e...

The Sailor's Word-Book
spike-tackle and cant-falls
The ropes and blocks used in whalers to sling their prey to the side of the ship. ...

The Sailor's Word-Book
spike-tub
A vessel in which the fat of bears, seals, and minor quarry is set aside till a "making off" gives a...

The Sailor's Word-Book