Mr Midshipman Easy (56 page)

tackles

(Pronounced
taykles
) Arrangement of ropes and blocks (pulleys) used to achieve mechanical advantage.

taffrail

The rail at the stern of a ship, sometimes decoratively carved.

tarpaulings

(Also
tarpawlings
) Canvas, covered with tar, used to cover hatches and otherwise keep out water.

thole-pin

(Also
thole
or
thoel
) A pin set vertically in the gunwale of a boat to serve as a part of an oar-lock.

trump

An admirable, excellent person.

unction

The anointing with oil as a religious rite. Extreme unction (now called “Anointing of the Sick”) is a Roman Catholic ritual in which a priest prays for a person in danger of death.

usury

The lending of money at an excessive interest rate.

wheals

(Also
weals
) Ridges of raised flesh caused by blows of a whip or cane.

wheft

(Also
waft
) A flag used for signaling.

windlass

A winch with a horizontal axis.

xebeque

(Also
zebec
or
chebec
) A small three-masted vessel with lateen and square sails, used in the Mediterranean.

yard

A long tapered pole, hung horizontally from a mast, which supports the head of a sail.