A.

A. The highest class of the excellence of merchant ships on Lloyd's

books, subdivided into A 1 and A 2, after which they descend by the

vowels: A 1 being the very best of the first class. Formerly a

river-built (Thames) ship took the first rate for 12 years, a Bristol

one for 11, and those of the northern ports 10. Some of the out-port

built ships keep their rating 6 to 8 years, and inferior ones only 4.

But improvements in ship-building, and the large introduction of iron,

are now claiming longer life.

A is an Anglo-Saxonism for _in_ or _on_; as _a_'board, _a_'going, &c.

A.B. The rating of _Able Seamen_ on the ship's books: these two letters

are often used as an epithet for the person so rated. He must be equal

to all the duties required of a seaman in a ship--not only as regards

the saying to "hand, reef, and steer," but also to strop a block,

splice, knot, turn in rigging, raise a mouse on the main-stay, and be an

example to the _ordinary seamen_ and _landsmen_.

ABAB. A Turkish sailor who plies in coasting craft.

ABACK. The situation of a ship's sails when the wind bears against their

front surfaces. They are _laid aback_, when this is purposely effected

to deaden her way by rounding in the weather-braces; and _taken aback_,

when brought to by an unexpected change of wind, or by inattention in

the helmsman.--_All aback forward_, the notice given from the

forecastle, when the head-sails are pressed aback by a sudden change in

the wind. (_See_ WORK ABACK.)--_Taken aback_, a colloquialism for being

suddenly surprised or found out.

ABACUS. A board with balls sliding on small rods, used in China, Russia,

&c., for calculating bills, &c.

ABAFT. This word, generally speaking, means behind, inferred relatively,

beginning from the stem and continuing towards the stern, that is, the

hinder part of the ship.--_Abaft the beam_ implies any direction between

a supposed transverse line amidships and the stern, whether in or out

of the ship. It is the relative situation of an object with the ship,

when that object is placed in the arc of the horizon contained between a

line at right angles with the keel and the point of the compass which is

directly opposite the ship's course. An object--as a man overboard--is

described by the look-out man at the mast-head as abeam, before, or

abaft the beam, by so many points of the compass. As a vessel seen may

be "three points before the beam," &c.

ABAKA. A fine vegetable fibre, with which the white Manila rope, so much

used on the India station, is made. This rope floats in water, and is

not subject to rot, nor does it require tarring. A frigate on the China

station in 1805 had nearly the whole of her running rigging of this

cordage.

ABANDONMENT OF A VESSEL. Deserting and abandoning her by reason of

unseaworthiness or danger of remaining in her, also when grounded and

cannot be saved. This never occurs but in imminent cases; therefore,

before the insured can demand recompense from the underwriter, they must

cede or _abandon_ to him the right of all property which may be

recovered from shipwreck, capture, or any other peril stated in the

policy. Other parties entering and bringing the vessel into port obtain

salvage. (_Vide_ DERELICT.)

ABASE, TO. An old word signifying to lower a flag or sail. _Abaisser_ is

in use in the French marine, and both may be derived from the still

older _abeigh_. _Abase_ literally means to cast down, to humble.

ABATE, TO. An old Anglo-Norman word from _abattre_, to beat down or

destroy; as, to _abate_ a castle or fort, is to beat it down; and a gale

is said to _abate_ when it decreases. The term is still used in law.

ABATEMENT. A plea by which a reduction of freight is demanded, when

unforeseen causes have delayed or hindered the performance of a

stipulated charter-party.

ABATIS. An obstruction used in temporary fortification, composed of

felled trees deprived of their smaller branches, and secured to the

ground side by side with their tops towards the enemy; applicable to the

front of posts, works, or positions, and occasionally to the bars of

rivers.

ABBEY-LUBBER. This is an old term of reproach for idleness, and is here

quoted only as bearing upon the nautical lubber. In the "_Burnynge of

Paule's Church_, 1563," it is thus explained--"An Abbey-lubber, that was

idle, well-fed, a long lewd lither loiterer, that might worke, and would

not."

ABBLAST. Cross-bow; hence,

ABBLASTER. Cross-bow man.

ABBROCHYN. The old term for beginning or broaching a barrel, cask, or

any "vesselle of drynke."

ABEAM. In a line at right angles to the vessel's length; opposite the

centre of a ship's side.

ABEAM-ARM. For this curved timber, _see_ FORK-BEAMS.

ABER. An ancient British word for the mouth of a river--as

Aber-brothick, Aber-avon, Aber-ystwith, and Aber-conway, &c. It also

means the confluence of two or more streams.

ABERRATION. An apparent change of place, or alteration of their mean

position, in the fixed stars, caused by the earth's orbital

movement.--_Aberration of a planet_ signifies its progressive geocentric

motion, or the space through which it appears to move, as seen from the

earth, during the time which light occupies in passing from the planet

to us.--_Crown of aberration_ is a spurious circle surrounding the

proper disc of the sun.--_Constant of aberration_, or amount of

displacement in the sun's longitude, arising from the progressive motion

of light, is established at 20".45.

ABET, TO. To excite or encourage--a common word, greatly in use at

boat-racings, and other competitive acts.

ABITED. A provincial term for _mildewed_.

ABJURATION. The oath taken till lately by all officers on receiving

their commission, by which they abjured any claim of the Stuarts to the

throne, the power of the Pope, and the Romish religion.

ABLE. A term not simply expressive of strong faculties, but as

acquainted with and equal to perform the expected duty.--_Able seaman_,

a thorough or regular bred sailor. (_See_ A.B.)--_Able-bodied_, sound,

healthy, and fit for the Royal service.

ABLE-WHACKETS. A popular sea-game with cards, wherein the loser is

beaten over the palms of the hands with a handkerchief tightly twisted

like a rope. Very popular with horny-fisted salts.

ABOARD. Inside or upon a ship; the act of residing afloat; to hug the

land in approaching the shore.--_To fall aboard of_, is for one vessel

to run foul of another.--_To haul the tacks aboard_, is to bring their

weather clues down to the chess-tree, or literally, to set the

courses.--_To lay an enemy aboard_, to run into or alongside.

ABODE. Waited for; as, ship ran to the appointed place of rendezvous and

_abode_ there for her consort.

ABORD. An Anglo-Saxon term, meaning across, from shore to shore, of a

port or river.

ABOUT. Circularly; the situation of a ship after she has gone round, and

trimmed sails on the opposite tack.--_Ready about!_ and _About-ship!_

are orders to the ship's company to prepare for tacking by being at

their stations.

ABOVE-BOARD. Over the deck; a term used for open fair dealing, without

artifice or trick.

ABOX. A word used in veering for _aback_, alluding to the situation of

the head-yards in paying off. (_See_ BRACE ABACK.)--_Lay the head-yards

abox_--in former times, and even at present, many good seamen prefer to

lay the head-yards square, or abox, to heave-to. It brings the vessel

more under command for sudden evolution, wearing, or staying.

ABRAHAM-MEN. A cant term for vagabonds, who formerly begged about under

pretence of having been discharged destitute from ships and hospitals;

whence an idle malingerer wanting to enter the doctor's list is said to

"sham Abraham." From a ward in Bedlam which was appropriated for the

reception of idiots, which was named Abraham: it is a very old term, and

was cited by Burton in the _Anatomy of Melancholy_ so far back as 1621.

ABRASE, TO. To dubb or smooth planks.

ABRASION. The rubbing off or wearing away of the parts of a rock, or of

the soil, by the impinging and friction of other bodies.

ABREAST. Side by side, parallel, or opposite to; generally used in

opposition to _abaft_ or _afore_.--_Line abreast_ means a fleet

advancing or retreating uniformly on a line parallel with the

beam.--_Abreast of a place_, is directly off it; a direction at right

angles with the keel or ship's length. In the army the term was formerly

used for any number of men in front; but at present they are determined

by files.--_Abreast._ Within-board, signifies on a parallel with the

beam.

ABRID. A pintle-plate.

ABROACH. On tap, in use; spoken of barrels of beer or other liquors.

ABROAD. Synonymous with foreign, or being on a foreign station. Also an

old word for _spread_; as, all sail _abroad_.

ABRUPT. A word applied to steep, broken, or craggy cliffs and headlands,

especially such as are bold-to and precipitous.

ABSCISS. A part either of the diameter or the transverse axis of a conic

section, intercepted between the vertex or any other fixed point and a

semi-ordinate.--_Abscission of a planet_, its being outstripped by

another, which joins a third one before it.

ABSENCE. A permission occasionally obtained, on urgent affairs, by

officers to quit their duties.

ABSOLUTE. Anything free from conditions.--_Absolute equations_, the sum

of the optic and eccentric equation, or the anomalies arising from a

planet's not being equally distant from the earth at all times, and its

motion not being uniform.--_Absolute gravity_ is the whole force with

which a body tends downwards.

ABSORPTION. A term formerly used for the sinking of islands and tracts

of land, instead of _subsidence_.

ABSQUATULATE. _See_ SQUATTER.

ABSTRACT. A brief register of the warrant officer's stores, by which

the supplies, expenses, and remains are duly balanced. An _abstract log_

contains the most important subjects of a ship's log.

ABSTRACT MATHEMATICS, OR PURE. The branch which investigates and

demonstrates the properties of magnitude, figure, or quantity,

absolutely and generally considered, without restriction to any species

in particular; such as arithmetic and geometry.

A-BURTON. The situation of casks when they are stowed in the hold

athwart ship, or in a line with the beam.

ABUT. When two timbers or planks are united endways, they are said to

_butt_ or _abut_ against each other. (_See_ BUTT.)

ABYME. Places supposed to be the site of constant whirlpools, such as

Charybdis, the Maelstrom, and others. It means generally an abyss.

ABYSS. A deep mass of waters; in hydrography it was synonymous with

_gulf_.

ACADEMITE. An old term for an officer brought up at the Royal Navy

Academy at Portsmouth, afterwards named the Royal Naval College.

ACAIR-PHUILL. Compounded of the British _acair_ or anchor, and _phuill_,

a pill, or harbour, and means a safe anchorage.

ACALEPHAE. A class of marine animals of low organization, having a

translucent jelly-like structure, and frequently possessing the property

of stinging, whence their name ({akalephe}, a nettle). The common

jelly-fish (_Medusa_) and the Portuguese man-of-war (_Physalia_) are the

best-known examples.

ACAST. The old word for _lost_ or _cast-away_. In weighing anchor the

head-yards are generally braced _acast_, to cause the vessel to cast in

the direction. "Does she take _acast_?" is frequently the question of

the officer abaft.

ACATER. An old word for purveyor of victuals, whence _caterer_, or

superintendent and provider of a mess. Thus in Ben Jonson's "The Devil

is an Ass"--

"He is my wardrobe-man, my _acater_,

Cook, butler, and steward."

ACATES. Victuals; provisions purchased; delicious food; dainties.

ACATIUM. A word used in Roman naval affairs for a small boat, and also

the main-mast of a ship.

ACCELERATION. The increase of velocity in a moving body by the force of

gravity. A planet is said to be accelerated when its actual diurnal

motion exceeds its mean. In fixed stars the acceleration is the mean

time by which they anticipate the sun's diurnal revolution, which is 3'

56" nearly.--_Acceleration of the moon_ is the increase of her mean

motion, caused by a slow change in the excentricity of the terrestrial

orbit, and which has sensibly diminished the length of the moon's

revolution since the time of the earliest observations.

ACCESS. Means of entry on board.

ACCESSIBLE. A place which can be approached by land or sea.

ACCLIVITY. The upward slope of an inclined cliff.