rogue's yarn

The Sailor's Word-Book

A yarn twisted the contrary way to the rest of a rope, for detecting theft or embezzlement. Being tarred if in a white rope, but white in a tarred rope, it is easily discovered. It is placed in the middle of each strand in all the cordage made for the royal navy. Lately the rogue's yarn has been superseded by a thread of worsted: a different coloured worsted being used in each dockyard, so that any defective rope may be traced to the place where it was made.

Related Words

rogues
The fourth order of canters. A rogue in grain; a great rogue, also a corn chandler. A rogue in spiri...

Dictionary of The Vulgar Tongue by Francis Grose
Yarn
·noun One of the threads of which the strands of a rope are composed. II. Yarn ·noun A story told b...

Webster's Dictionary of the English Language
Yarn
Found only in 1 Kings 10:28, 2 Chr. 1:16. The Heb. word mikveh, i.e., "a stringing together," so ren...

Easton's Bible Dictionary
yarn
A story. A word chiefly used by seamen. To spin a long yarn, is to tell a long or tedious story. ...

Dictionary of American Words And Phrases by John Russell Bartlett.
yarn
One of the threads of which ropes are composed. A number of these are twisted together to form a str...

The Sailor's Word-Book
Yarn
The notice of yarn is contained in an extremely obscure passage in (1 Kings 10:28; 2 Chronicles 1:16...

William Smith's Bible Dictionary
wild rogues
Rogues trained up to stealing from their cradles. ...

Dictionary of The Vulgar Tongue by Francis Grose
rogue's march
The tune appropriated to drumming a bad character out of a ship or out of a regiment. ...

The Sailor's Word-Book
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·- Woolen yarn. ...

Webster's Dictionary of the English Language
Rope-yarn
·noun the yarn or thread of any stuff of which the strands of a rope are made. ...

Webster's Dictionary of the English Language
Saxony yarn
·add. ·- A fine grade of woolen yarn twisted somewhat harder and smoother than zephyr yarn. ...

Webster's Dictionary of the English Language
Linen-yarn
(See Yarn.) ...

Easton's Bible Dictionary
rope-yarn
The smallest and simplest part of any rope, being one of the large threads of hemp or other stuff, s...

The Sailor's Word-Book
spun-yarn
A small line, formed of two, three, or more old rope-yarns not laid, but twisted together by hand or...

The Sailor's Word-Book
yarn-spinning
A figurative expression for telling a story. ...

The Sailor's Word-Book
spin a yarn, to
To tell a long story; much prized in a dreary watch, if not tedious. ...

The Sailor's Word-Book