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From Complete Book of 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 Unknown Author
OUT-RIGGER. A strong beam, of which there are several, passed through the ports of a ship, and firmly lashed at the gunwale, also assisted by guys from bolts at the water-line, to secure the masts in the act of careening, by counteracting the strain they suffer from the tackles on the opposite side. Also, any boom rigged out from a vessel to hang boats by, clear of the ship, when at anchor. Also, any spar, as the boomkin, for the fore-tack, or the jigger abaft to haul out the mizen-sheet, or extend the leading blocks of the main braces. Also, a small spar used in the tops and cross-trees, to thrust out and spread the breast backstays to windward.
Also, a counterpoising log of wood, rigged out from the side of a narrow boat or canoe, to prevent it from being upset.
OUT-SAIL, To. To sail faster than another ship, or to make a particular voyage with greater despatch.
OUTSIDE MUSTER-PAPER. A paper with the outer part blank, but the inner portion ruled and headed; supplied from the dock yards to form the cover of ships' books.
OUTSIDE PLANKING. Such are the wales, the plank-sheer, the garboard-strakes, and the like.
OUTWARD. A vessel is said to be entered outwards or inwards according as she is entered at the custom-house to depart for, or as having arrived from, foreign parts.
OUTWARD CHARGES. Pilotage and other dues incurred from any port: the reverse of inward charges.
OUTWORKS. Works included in the scheme of defence of a place, but outside the main rampart; if "detached," they are moreover outside the glacis.[512]
OUVRE L'ŒIL. A mark on French charts over supposed dangers.
OVER AND UNDER TURNS. Terms applied to the passing of an earing, besides its inner and outer turns.
OVER-ANENT. Opposite to.
OVER-BEAR. One ship overbears another if she can carry more sail in a fresh wind.
OVERBOARD. The state of any person or thing in the sea which had been in a ship.—Thrown overboard also means cast adrift by the captain; withdrawal of countenance and support.
OVER-BOYED. Said of a ship when the captain and majority of the quarter-deck officers are very young.
OVERFALL. A rippling or race in the sea, where, by the peculiarities of bottom, the water is propelled with immense force, especially when the wind and tide, or current, set strongly together. (See Ripps.)
OVER-GUNNED. Where the weight of metal is disproportioned to the ship, and the quarters insufficient for the guns being duly worked.
OVERHAND KNOT. Is made by passing the end of a rope over its standing part, and through the bight.
OVERHAUL. Has many applications. A tackle when released is overhauled. To get a fresh purchase, ropes are overhauled. To reach an object, or take off strain, weather-braces are overhauled.
A ship overhauls another in chase when she evidently gains upon her. Also, overhauls a stranger and examines her papers. Also, is overhauled, or examined, to determine the refit demanded.
OVER-INSURANCE. See Re-insurance, and Double Insurance.
OVERLAP. A designation of the hatches of a ship; planks in clinch-built boats. Points of land overlap a harbour's mouth at a particular bearing.—To overlap, to fay upon.
OVERLAY DAYS. Days for which demurrage can be charged.
OVER-LOFT. An old term for the upper deck of a ship.
OVER-LOOKER. Generally an old master appointed by owners of ships to look after everything connected with the fitting out of their vessels when in harbour in England.
OVER-MASTED. The state of a ship whose masts are too high or too heavy for her weight to counter-balance.
OVER-PRESS, To. To carry too much sail on a ship.
OVER-RAKE. When a ship rides at anchor in a head-sea, the waves of which frequently break in upon her, they are said to over-rake her.
OVER-RIGGED. A ship with more and heavier gear than necessary, so as to be top-hampered.
OVER-RISEN. When a ship is too high out of the water for her length and breadth, so as to make a trouble of lee-lurches and weather-rolls. Such were our 80-gun three-deckers and 44's on two decks, happily now no more.
OVER-RUNNING. (See Under-run.) Applied to ice, when the young ice overlaps, and is driven over.[513]
OVER-SEA VESSELS. Ships from foreign parts, as distinguished from coasters.
OVER-SETTING. The state of a ship turning upside down, either by carrying too much sail or by grounding, so that she falls on one side. (See Upset.)
OVERSHOOT, To. To give a ship too much way.
OVERSLAUGH. From the Dutch overslag, meaning the bar of a river or port. Also, in military parlance, the being passed over in the roster for some recurring duty without being assigned to it in turn.
OVER-SWACK. An old word, signifying the reflux of the waves by the force of the wind.
OVERWHELM. A comprehensive word derived from the Ang.-Saxon wylm, a wave. Thus the old song—
OWLER. An old term on our southern coast for smuggler. Particularly persons who carried wool by night, in order to ship it contrary to law.
OWN, To. To be a proprietor in a ship.
OWNERS. The proprietors of ships. They are bound to perform contracts made by their masters, who are legally their agents.
OXBOWS. Bends or reaches of a river.
OX-EYE. A small cloud, or weather-gall, seen on the coast of Africa, which presages a severe storm. It appears at first in the form of an ox-eye, but soon overspreads the whole hemisphere, accompanied by a violent wind which scatters ships in all directions, and many are sunk downright. Also, a water-fowl. Also, the smaller glass bull's eyes.
OXYGON. A triangle which has three sharp or acute angles.
OXYRINCHUS. A large species of the skate family.
OYSE. An inlet of the sea, among the Shetlands and Orkneys.
OYSTER-BED. A "laying" of culch, that is, stones, old shells, or other hard substances, so as to form a bed for oysters, which would be choked in soft mud.
OYSTER-CATCHER, or Sea-pye. The black and white coast-bird, Hæmatopus ostralegus.
OZELLA. A Venetian coin both in gold and silver; the former being £1, 17s. 4d. , and the latter 1s. 7d.
, in sterling value.
O., Part 3
OUT-RIGGER. A strong beam, of which there are several, passed through the ports of a ship, and firmly lashed at the gunwale, also assisted by guys from bolts at the water-line, to secure the masts in the act of careening, by counteracting the strain they suffer from the tackles on the opposite side. Also, any boom rigged out from a vessel to hang boats by, clear of the ship, when at anchor. Also, any spar, as the boomkin, for the fore-tack, or the jigger abaft to haul out the mizen-sheet, or extend the leading blocks of the main braces. Also, a small spar used in the tops and cross-trees, to thrust out and spread the breast backstays to windward.
Also, a counterpoising log of wood, rigged out from the side of a narrow boat or canoe, to prevent it from being upset.
OUT-SAIL, To. To sail faster than another ship, or to make a particular voyage with greater despatch.
OUTSIDE MUSTER-PAPER. A paper with the outer part blank, but the inner portion ruled and headed; supplied from the dock yards to form the cover of ships' books.
OUTSIDE PLANKING. Such are the wales, the plank-sheer, the garboard-strakes, and the like.
OUTWARD. A vessel is said to be entered outwards or inwards according as she is entered at the custom-house to depart for, or as having arrived from, foreign parts.
OUTWARD CHARGES. Pilotage and other dues incurred from any port: the reverse of inward charges.
OUTWORKS. Works included in the scheme of defence of a place, but outside the main rampart; if "detached," they are moreover outside the glacis.[512]
OUVRE L'ŒIL. A mark on French charts over supposed dangers.
OVER AND UNDER TURNS. Terms applied to the passing of an earing, besides its inner and outer turns.
OVER-ANENT. Opposite to.
OVER-BEAR. One ship overbears another if she can carry more sail in a fresh wind.
OVERBOARD. The state of any person or thing in the sea which had been in a ship.—Thrown overboard also means cast adrift by the captain; withdrawal of countenance and support.
OVER-BOYED. Said of a ship when the captain and majority of the quarter-deck officers are very young.
OVERFALL. A rippling or race in the sea, where, by the peculiarities of bottom, the water is propelled with immense force, especially when the wind and tide, or current, set strongly together. (See Ripps.)
OVER-GUNNED. Where the weight of metal is disproportioned to the ship, and the quarters insufficient for the guns being duly worked.
OVERHAND KNOT. Is made by passing the end of a rope over its standing part, and through the bight.
OVERHAUL. Has many applications. A tackle when released is overhauled. To get a fresh purchase, ropes are overhauled. To reach an object, or take off strain, weather-braces are overhauled.
A ship overhauls another in chase when she evidently gains upon her. Also, overhauls a stranger and examines her papers. Also, is overhauled, or examined, to determine the refit demanded.
OVER-INSURANCE. See Re-insurance, and Double Insurance.
OVERLAP. A designation of the hatches of a ship; planks in clinch-built boats. Points of land overlap a harbour's mouth at a particular bearing.—To overlap, to fay upon.
OVERLAY DAYS. Days for which demurrage can be charged.
OVER-LOFT. An old term for the upper deck of a ship.
OVER-LOOKER. Generally an old master appointed by owners of ships to look after everything connected with the fitting out of their vessels when in harbour in England.
OVER-MASTED. The state of a ship whose masts are too high or too heavy for her weight to counter-balance.
OVER-PRESS, To. To carry too much sail on a ship.
OVER-RAKE. When a ship rides at anchor in a head-sea, the waves of which frequently break in upon her, they are said to over-rake her.
OVER-RIGGED. A ship with more and heavier gear than necessary, so as to be top-hampered.
OVER-RISEN. When a ship is too high out of the water for her length and breadth, so as to make a trouble of lee-lurches and weather-rolls. Such were our 80-gun three-deckers and 44's on two decks, happily now no more.
OVER-RUNNING. (See Under-run.) Applied to ice, when the young ice overlaps, and is driven over.[513]
OVER-SEA VESSELS. Ships from foreign parts, as distinguished from coasters.
OVER-SETTING. The state of a ship turning upside down, either by carrying too much sail or by grounding, so that she falls on one side. (See Upset.)
OVERSHOOT, To. To give a ship too much way.
OVERSLAUGH. From the Dutch overslag, meaning the bar of a river or port. Also, in military parlance, the being passed over in the roster for some recurring duty without being assigned to it in turn.
OVER-SWACK. An old word, signifying the reflux of the waves by the force of the wind.
OVERWHELM. A comprehensive word derived from the Ang.-Saxon wylm, a wave. Thus the old song—
OWLER. An old term on our southern coast for smuggler. Particularly persons who carried wool by night, in order to ship it contrary to law.
OWN, To. To be a proprietor in a ship.
OWNERS. The proprietors of ships. They are bound to perform contracts made by their masters, who are legally their agents.
OXBOWS. Bends or reaches of a river.
OX-EYE. A small cloud, or weather-gall, seen on the coast of Africa, which presages a severe storm. It appears at first in the form of an ox-eye, but soon overspreads the whole hemisphere, accompanied by a violent wind which scatters ships in all directions, and many are sunk downright. Also, a water-fowl. Also, the smaller glass bull's eyes.
OXYGON. A triangle which has three sharp or acute angles.
OXYRINCHUS. A large species of the skate family.
OYSE. An inlet of the sea, among the Shetlands and Orkneys.
OYSTER-BED. A "laying" of culch, that is, stones, old shells, or other hard substances, so as to form a bed for oysters, which would be choked in soft mud.
OYSTER-CATCHER, or Sea-pye. The black and white coast-bird, Hæmatopus ostralegus.
OZELLA. A Venetian coin both in gold and silver; the former being £1, 17s. 4d. , and the latter 1s. 7d.
, in sterling value.