Homepage
Login
Profile
BookClubs
dmBox
Read Ebook: The Sailor's Word-Book An Alphabetical Digest of Nautical Terms including Some More Especially Military and Scientific but Useful to Seamen; as well as Archaisms of Early Voyagers etc. by Smyth W H William Henry Belcher Edward Sir Editor
Font size:
Background color:
Text color:
Add to tbrJar First Page Next Page Prev Page
Ebook has 7504 lines and 235895 words, and 151 pages
CORNED POWDER. Powder granulated from the mill-cakes and sifted.
CORNET. A commissioned officer who carries the colours belonging to a cavalry troop, equivalent to an ensign in the infantry; the junior subaltern rank in the horse.
CORNISH RING. The astragal of the muzzle or neck of a gun; it is the next ring from the mouth backwards.
CORN-SALAD. A species of Valerianella. The top-leaves are used for salad, a good anti-scorbutic with vinegar.
CORNS OF POWDER. The small grains that gunpowder consists of. The powder reduced for fire-works, quill-tubes, &c.; sometimes by alcohol.
COROMONTINES. A peculiar race of negroes, brought from the interior of Africa, and sold; but so ferocious as to be greatly dreaded in the West Indies.
CORONER. An important officer. Seamen should understand that his duties embrace all acts within a line drawn from one headland to another; or within the body of the county. His duty is to investigate, on the part of the crown, all accidents, deaths, wrecks, &c.; and his warrant is not to be contemned or avoided.
COROUSE. The ancient weapon invented by Duilius for boarding. An attempt was made in 1798 to re-introduce it in French privateers.
COROWNEL. The old word for colonel.
CORPHOUN. An out-of-the-way name for a herring.
CORPORAL, SHIP'S. In a ship of war was, under the master-at-arms, employed to teach the sailors the use of small arms; to attend at the gangways when entering ports, and see that no spirituous liquors were brought on board without leave. Also, to extinguish the fire and candles at eight o'clock in winter, and nine o'clock in summer, when the evening gun was fired; and to see that there were no lights below, but such as were under the charge of the proper sentinels. In the marines or army in general the corporal is a non-commissioned officer next below the sergeant in the scale of authority. The ship's corporal of the present day is the superior of the first-class working petty officers, and solely attends to police matters under the master-at-arms or superintendent-in-chief.
CORPORAL OATH. So called because the witness when he swears lays his right hand on the holy evangelists, or New Testament.
CORPS. Any body of troops acting under one commander.
CORPSE. Jack's term for the party of marines embarked; the corps.
CORRECTIONS. Reductions of observations of the sun, moon, or stars.
CORRYNE POWDER. Corn-powder, a fine kind of gunpowder.
CORSAIR. A name commonly given to the piratical cruisers of Barbary, who frequently plundered the merchant ships indiscriminately.
CORSELET. The old name for a piece of armour used to cover the body of a fighting-man.
CORTEGE. The official staff, civil or military.
CORUSCATIONS. Atmospheric flashes of light, as in auroras.
CORVETTES. Flush-decked ships, equipped with one tier of guns: fine vessels for warm climates, from admitting a free circulation of air. The Bermuda-built corvettes were deemed superior vessels, swift, weatherly, "lie to" well, and carry sail in a stiff breeze. The cedar of which they are chiefly built is very buoyant, but also brittle.
COSIER. A lubber, a botcher, a tailoring fellow
COSMICAL RISING AND SETTING OF THE HEAVENLY BODIES. Their rising and setting with the sun.
COSMOGRAPHER. Formerly applied to "too clever by half." Now, one who describes the world or universe in all its parts.
COSS. A measure of distance in India, varying in different districts from one mile and a half to two miles.
COSTAL. Relating to the coast.
COSTEIE. An old English word for going by the coast.
COSTERA. A law archaism for the sea-coast.
COSTS AND DAMAGE. Demurrage is generally given against a captor for unjustifiable detention. Where English merchants provoke expense by using false papers, the court decrees the captors their expenses on restitution.
COT. A wooden bed-frame suspended from the beams of a ship for the officers, between decks. It is inclosed in canvas, sewed in the form of a chest, about 6 feet long, 1 foot deep, and 2 or 3 feet wide, in which the mattress is laid.
COTT. An old term for a little boat.
COTTONINA. The thick sail-cloth of the Levant.
COUBAIS. An ornamented Japanese barge of forty oars.
COULTER-NEB. A name of the puffin .
COUNCIL-OF-WAR. The assemblage of officers for concerting measures of moment, too often deemed the symbol of irresolution in the commander-in-chief.
COUNTER-APPROACHES. Works effected outside the place by the garrison during a siege, to enfilade, command, or otherwise check the approaches of the besieger.
COUNTER-BALANCE WEIGHT, in the marine engine. Also in many marine barometers, where it slides and is fixed by adjusting screws, so as to produce an even-balanced swing, free from jerk.
COUNTER-CURRENT. That portion of water diverted from the main stream of a current by the particular formation of the coast or other obstruction, and which therefore runs in a contrary direction. There is also a current formed under the lee-counter of a ship when going through the water, which retains floating objects there, and is fatal to a man, by sucking him under.
COUNTERGUARD. In fortification, a smaller rampart raised in front of a larger one, principally with the intention of delaying for a period the besieger's attack. Other means, however, are generally preferred in modern times, except when a rapid fall in the ground renders it difficult to cover the main escarp by ordinary resources.
COUNTERMARCH. To change the direction of a march to its exact opposite. In some military movements this involves the changing of front and wings.
COUNTERMINES. Military defensive mines: they may be arranged on a system for the protection of the whole of a front of fortification by the discovering and blowing up not only the subterranean approaches of the besieger, but also his more important lodgments above.
COUNTER-RAILS. The balustrade work, or ornamental moulding across a square stern, where the counter terminates.
COUNTERSCARP. In fortification, the outer side of the ditch next the country; it is usually of less height, and less strongly revetted than the escarp, the side which forms the face of the rampart.
COUNTER-SEA. The disturbed state of the sea after a gale, when, the wind having changed, the sea still runs in its old direction.
COUNTERSIGN. A particular word or number which is exchanged between sentinels, and intrusted to those on duty.
COUNTER-SUNK. Those holes which are made for the heads of bolts or nails to be sunk in, so as to be even with the general surface.
COUNTER-TIMBERS. Short right-aft timbers for the purpose of strengthening the counter, and forming the stern.
COUP DE GRACE. The finishing shot which brings an enemy to surrender; or the wound which deprives an adversary of life or resistance.
COUP DE MAIN. A sudden and vigorous attack.
COUP D'OEIL. The skill of distinguishing, at first sight, the weakness of an enemy's position, as Nelson did at the Nile.
COUPLE, TO. To bend two hawsers together; coupling links of a cable; coupling shackles.
Add to tbrJar First Page Next Page Prev Page