·noun ·pl Reef points.
II. Nettles ·noun ·pl Small lines used to sling hammocks under the deck beams.
III. Nettles ·noun ·pl The halves of yarns in the unlaid end of a rope twisted for pointing or grafting.
Small line used for seizings, and for hammock-clues. (See knittle.) ♦ To nettle, is to provoke. ...
The Sailor's Word-Book