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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
NORTH-EAST PASSAGE. To the Pacific, or round the north of Europe, has been divided into three parts, thus: 1. From Archangel to the river Lena; 2. from the Lena, round Tschukotskoi-ness to Kamtschatka; and 3. from Kamtschatka to Japan.
They have been accomplished at various times, but not successively.
NORTHERN DIVER. The Colymbus glacialis, a large diving-bird.
NORTHERN-GLANCE. The old sea-name of the aurora borealis (which see).
NORTHERN LIGHTS. See Northern-glance.
NORTHERS. Those winds so well known to all seamen who have frequented the West Indies, and which are preceded by the appearance of a vast quantity of fine cobwebs or gossamer in the atmosphere, which clings to all parts of a vessel's rigging, thus serving as a warning of an approaching gale. Northers alternate with the seasons in the Gulf of Mexico, the Florida Channel, Jamaica, Cuba, &c. Their cold is intense.
NORTH FOLLOWING. For this and north preceding, see Quadrant.
NORTH PASSAGE to the Indies. The grand object of our maritime expeditions at a remote period, prosecuted with a boldness, dexterity, and perseverance which, although since equalled in the same pursuit, have not yet been surpassed:—
NORTH SEA. The Jamaica name for the north swell. (See Ground-sea.)
NORTH-WESTER. This wind in India usually commences or terminates with a violent gust from that quarter, with loud thunder and vivid lightning. Also, gales which blow from the eastern coast of North America in the Atlantic during the autumn and winter.
NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. By Hudson's Bay into the Pacific Ocean has been more than once attempted of late years, but hitherto without success. Some greatly doubted the practicability of such an enterprise; but the north-west passage, as far as relates to the flow of the sea beneath the ice, was satisfactorily solved by H. M. S.
Investigator, Sir R. Maclure, reaching the western end of Barrow's Straits. The former question, up to Melville Island, which Sir R. Maclure reached and left his notice at in 1852, having been already thoroughly established by Sir E. Parry in 1820.
NORTH WIND. This wind in the British seas is dry and cold, and[501] generally ushers in fair weather and clear skies. The barometer rises with the wind at north, and is highest at N. N. E.
; the air forming this wind comes from colder latitudes, and has therefore lost most of its moisture.
NORWAY SKIFF. A particularly light and buoyant boat, which is both swift and safe in the worst weather.
NORWAY YAWL. This, of all small boats, is said to be the best calculated for a high sea; it is often met with at a distance from land, when a stout ship can hardly carry any sail. The parent of the peter-boat.
NOSE. Often used to denote the stem of a ship. Also, a neck of land: naes, or ness.
NOTARY. The person legally empowered to attest deeds, protests, or other documents, in order to render them binding.
NOTCH. The gaffle of a cross-bow.
NOTCH-BLOCK. See Snatch-block.
NOTCH-SIGHT of a Gun. A sight having a V-shaped notch, wherein the eye easily finds the lowest or central point.
NOTHING OFF! A term used by the man at the conn to the steersman, directing him to keep her close to the wind; or "nothing off, and very well thus!" (See Thus.)
NOTIONS. An American sea-term for a cargo in sorts; thus a notion-vessel on the west coast of America is a perfect bazaar; but one, which sold a mixture—logwood, bad claret, and sugar—to the priests for sacrament wine had to run for it.
NOUD. A term in the north for fishes that are accounted of little value.
NOUP. A round-headed eminence.
NOUS. An old and very general term for intelligent perception, evidently from the Greek.
NOUST. A landing-place or indent into the shore for a boat to be moored in; a term of the Orkney Isles.
NOZZLE-FACES. Square plates of brass raised upon the cylinder; one round each of the steam-ports, for the valve-plates to slide upon.
NOZZLES. In steamers, the same as steam-ports; they are oblong passages from the nozzle-faces to the inside of the cylinder; by them the steam enters and returns above and below the piston. Also pump nozzles.
NUBECULÆ, Major and Minor. The Magellanic clouds (which see).
NUCLEUS of a Comet. The condensed or star-like part of the head.
NUDDEE. A Hindostanee word for a river.
NUGGAR. A term in the East Indies for a fort, and also for an alligator.
NULLAH. A ravine or creek of a stream in India.
NUMBER. The number on the ship's books is marked on the clothing of seamen; that on a man's hammock or bag corresponds with his number on the watch and station bill. The ships of the royal navy are denoted by flags expressing letters, and when passing or nearing each other the names are exchanged by signals.—Losing the number of the mess, is a phrase for dying suddenly; being killed or drowned.[502]
NUMERARY OR MARRYAT'S SIGNALS. A useful code used by the mercantile marine, by an arrangement of flags from a cypher to units, and thence to thousands. (See Signals.)
NUN-BUOY. A buoy made of staves, somewhat in the form of a double cone; large in the middle, and tapering rapidly to the ends; the slinging of which is a good specimen of practical rigging tact.
NURAVEE YAWL. A corruption of Norway yawl (which see).
NURSE. An able first lieutenant, who in former times had charge of a young boy-captain of interest, but possessing no knowledge for command. Also, a small kind of shark with a very rough skin; a dog-fish.
NUT. A small piece of iron with a female screw cut through the middle of it, for screwing on to the end of a bolt.
NUTATION. An oscillatory motion of the earth's axis, due chiefly to the action of the moon upon the spheroidal figure of our globe.
NUTS of an Anchor. Two projections either raised or welded on the square part of the shank, for securing the stock to its place.
NYCTALOPIA. See Moon-blink.
N., Part 3
NORTH-EAST PASSAGE. To the Pacific, or round the north of Europe, has been divided into three parts, thus: 1. From Archangel to the river Lena; 2. from the Lena, round Tschukotskoi-ness to Kamtschatka; and 3. from Kamtschatka to Japan.
They have been accomplished at various times, but not successively.
NORTHERN DIVER. The Colymbus glacialis, a large diving-bird.
NORTHERN-GLANCE. The old sea-name of the aurora borealis (which see).
NORTHERN LIGHTS. See Northern-glance.
NORTHERS. Those winds so well known to all seamen who have frequented the West Indies, and which are preceded by the appearance of a vast quantity of fine cobwebs or gossamer in the atmosphere, which clings to all parts of a vessel's rigging, thus serving as a warning of an approaching gale. Northers alternate with the seasons in the Gulf of Mexico, the Florida Channel, Jamaica, Cuba, &c. Their cold is intense.
NORTH FOLLOWING. For this and north preceding, see Quadrant.
NORTH PASSAGE to the Indies. The grand object of our maritime expeditions at a remote period, prosecuted with a boldness, dexterity, and perseverance which, although since equalled in the same pursuit, have not yet been surpassed:—
NORTH SEA. The Jamaica name for the north swell. (See Ground-sea.)
NORTH-WESTER. This wind in India usually commences or terminates with a violent gust from that quarter, with loud thunder and vivid lightning. Also, gales which blow from the eastern coast of North America in the Atlantic during the autumn and winter.
NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. By Hudson's Bay into the Pacific Ocean has been more than once attempted of late years, but hitherto without success. Some greatly doubted the practicability of such an enterprise; but the north-west passage, as far as relates to the flow of the sea beneath the ice, was satisfactorily solved by H. M. S.
Investigator, Sir R. Maclure, reaching the western end of Barrow's Straits. The former question, up to Melville Island, which Sir R. Maclure reached and left his notice at in 1852, having been already thoroughly established by Sir E. Parry in 1820.
NORTH WIND. This wind in the British seas is dry and cold, and[501] generally ushers in fair weather and clear skies. The barometer rises with the wind at north, and is highest at N. N. E.
; the air forming this wind comes from colder latitudes, and has therefore lost most of its moisture.
NORWAY SKIFF. A particularly light and buoyant boat, which is both swift and safe in the worst weather.
NORWAY YAWL. This, of all small boats, is said to be the best calculated for a high sea; it is often met with at a distance from land, when a stout ship can hardly carry any sail. The parent of the peter-boat.
NOSE. Often used to denote the stem of a ship. Also, a neck of land: naes, or ness.
NOTARY. The person legally empowered to attest deeds, protests, or other documents, in order to render them binding.
NOTCH. The gaffle of a cross-bow.
NOTCH-BLOCK. See Snatch-block.
NOTCH-SIGHT of a Gun. A sight having a V-shaped notch, wherein the eye easily finds the lowest or central point.
NOTHING OFF! A term used by the man at the conn to the steersman, directing him to keep her close to the wind; or "nothing off, and very well thus!" (See Thus.)
NOTIONS. An American sea-term for a cargo in sorts; thus a notion-vessel on the west coast of America is a perfect bazaar; but one, which sold a mixture—logwood, bad claret, and sugar—to the priests for sacrament wine had to run for it.
NOUD. A term in the north for fishes that are accounted of little value.
NOUP. A round-headed eminence.
NOUS. An old and very general term for intelligent perception, evidently from the Greek.
NOUST. A landing-place or indent into the shore for a boat to be moored in; a term of the Orkney Isles.
NOZZLE-FACES. Square plates of brass raised upon the cylinder; one round each of the steam-ports, for the valve-plates to slide upon.
NOZZLES. In steamers, the same as steam-ports; they are oblong passages from the nozzle-faces to the inside of the cylinder; by them the steam enters and returns above and below the piston. Also pump nozzles.
NUBECULÆ, Major and Minor. The Magellanic clouds (which see).
NUCLEUS of a Comet. The condensed or star-like part of the head.
NUDDEE. A Hindostanee word for a river.
NUGGAR. A term in the East Indies for a fort, and also for an alligator.
NULLAH. A ravine or creek of a stream in India.
NUMBER. The number on the ship's books is marked on the clothing of seamen; that on a man's hammock or bag corresponds with his number on the watch and station bill. The ships of the royal navy are denoted by flags expressing letters, and when passing or nearing each other the names are exchanged by signals.—Losing the number of the mess, is a phrase for dying suddenly; being killed or drowned.[502]
NUMERARY OR MARRYAT'S SIGNALS. A useful code used by the mercantile marine, by an arrangement of flags from a cypher to units, and thence to thousands. (See Signals.)
NUN-BUOY. A buoy made of staves, somewhat in the form of a double cone; large in the middle, and tapering rapidly to the ends; the slinging of which is a good specimen of practical rigging tact.
NURAVEE YAWL. A corruption of Norway yawl (which see).
NURSE. An able first lieutenant, who in former times had charge of a young boy-captain of interest, but possessing no knowledge for command. Also, a small kind of shark with a very rough skin; a dog-fish.
NUT. A small piece of iron with a female screw cut through the middle of it, for screwing on to the end of a bolt.
NUTATION. An oscillatory motion of the earth's axis, due chiefly to the action of the moon upon the spheroidal figure of our globe.
NUTS of an Anchor. Two projections either raised or welded on the square part of the shank, for securing the stock to its place.
NYCTALOPIA. See Moon-blink.