TRIP. An outward-bound passage or short voyage, particularly in the
coasting trade. It also denotes a single board in plying to windward.
Also, the movement by which an anchor is loosened from its bed and
raised clear of the bottom, either by its cable or buoy-rope.--_The
anchor's a-trip_, _i.e._ no longer holds.
TRIPLE STAR. Three stars situated in close proximity, but apparently
only optically connected. (_See_ TERNARY SYSTEM.)
TRIPPING. Giving a yard the necessary cant by a tripping-line. Also, the
lifting an upper mast to withdraw its fid, in order that it may be
lowered by means of the mast-rope.
TRIPPING-LINE. A small rope serving to unrig the lower top-gallant
yard-arm of its lift and brace, when in the act of sending it down on
deck. Also, the line used for tripping an upper mast.
TROACHER, OR TROAKER. A dealer in smuggled goods.
TROCHOID, OR CYCLOID. A geometrical curve, resulting from a circle being
made to run along a right line, whence the French designate it
_roulette_. But if a circle be made to roll along the circumference of
another circle, it becomes an _epicycloid_ (which see).
TROITE. An archaism for the cuttle-fish.
TROLLING. Drawing the bait along the water to imitate the swimming of a
real fish; this is generally done by a long line attached to the stern
of a sailing-boat. The word of old signified sauntering or idling about.
TROMBONE. A species of blunderbuss for boat service, taking its name
from its unseemly trumpet mouth.
TRONA. An article of export from Tripoli and Egypt; the _natron_ of
commerce, and _over munnoo_ of the East Indies. Sesqui-carb. of soda
mixed with salt and sulphate of soda.
TROOP. A company of cavalry, commanded by a captain, generally from
forty to sixty strong. Also, an assembling beat of the drum.--_Trooping
the guard_, or _the colours_, are special military ceremonies connected
with guard-mounting.--_Troop the guard._ A ceremony daily practised in
large ships by the marines at morning muster.
TROOP-BOATS. Are built with great flatness of floor, with extreme
breadth, carried well forward and aft, and possessing the utmost
buoyancy, as well as capacity for stowage. They were carried as
paddle-box boats (inverted), and thus protected the paddles as well as
being ready for use.
TROOP-SHIPS. A class of vessel of excellent account, during war, in the
hands of government; far preferable to hired transports for the purpose
of conveying soldiers, especially cavalry and their horses. They were
usually, in the last French war, 50's and 64's; and with the lower-deck
guns taken out, were roomy and airy.
TROPHY. Anything captured from an enemy and shown or treasured as a
token of victory.
TROPICAL MOTION. _See_ MOTION.
TROPICAL REVOLUTION. If the periodic time of a circuit round the sun be
taken in reference to the equinoxes or tropics, it is called a tropical
revolution.
TROPIC-BIRD. _Phaethon aethereus_, a well-known sea-bird, distinguished
by two very long feathers in its tail; also termed _boatswain-bird_,
from the tail feathers resembling a marline-spike.
TROPICS. Two imaginary lines upon the globe, or lesser circles of the
sphere, parallel to the equator, and at 23-1/2 deg. distance on each side
of it; they touch the ecliptic at its greatest distances from the equator,
and from the boundaries of the sun's declination, north and south.
TROUGH [from the Anglo-Saxon _troh_]. A small boat broad at both ends.
Also, the hollow or interval between two waves, which resembles a broad
and deep trench perpetually fluctuating. As the set of the sea is
produced by the wind, the waves and the trough are at right angles with
it; hence a ship rolls heaviest when she is in the trough of the sea.
TROUL. The action of silt being rolled along by a tide.
TROUNCE, TO. To beat or punish. An old word; in Mathew's translation of
the Bible, 1537, we find, "The Lord trounced Sisera."
TROUNCER. An old word for a waister.
TROUS DE LOUP. Holes dug in the form of an inverted cone, with a sharp
picket or stake in each, to break the march of an enemy's column when
advancing to the attack.
TROW. A clinker-built, flat-floored barge used on the Severn, &c. Also,
a sort of double boat with an interval between, and closed at the ends;
it is used on the Tyne for salmon-fishing, the fisherman standing across
the opening, leister in hand, ready to strike the quarry which passes.
TRUCE. The exhibition of a flag of truce has been religiously respected
amongst civilized nations. It is a request by signal to desist from
farther warfare, until the object of the truce requested has been
acceded to or rejected.
TRUCHMAN. _See_ TRUGMAN.
TRUCK. A Cornish word for the trough between two surfs. Also, exchange,
as fish for grog, &c.
TRUCKLE. A Welsh coracle.
TRUCKS. Pieces of wood of various forms, though mostly round; they are
for different purposes, as wheels on which the gun-carriages
run.--_Trucks of the flag-staves or at the mast-head._ Circular caps on
the upper mast-heads; they are generally furnished with two or more
small sheaves, through which the signal halliards are rove.--_Trucks of
the parrels._ Spherical pieces of wood, termed bull's-eyes, having a
hole through them, in which is inserted the rope of the parrel. (_See_
PARRALS.)--_Trucks for fair leaders_, are similar to bull's-eyes, but
are scored to fit the shrouds to which they are seized. The ropes are
thus kept from getting jammed between the yards and the rigging; they
are also useful, especially at night, as guides to particular ropes.
TRUE ANOMALY. _See_ ANOMALY.
TRUE-BLUE. A metaphorical term for an honest and hearty sailor: "true to
his uniform, and uniformly true."
TRUE-HORIZON. _See_ HORIZON.
TRUE TIDE. Opposed to _cross-tide_ (which see).
TRUE WATER. The exact depth of soundings.
TRUFF. A west-country name for a trout.
TRUG. A rough basket for carrying chips of timber.
TRUGMAN. An early word for interpreter, being a corruption of dragoman;
also called _trench-man_, but not _trencher-man_, as a worthy
Mediterranean consul wrote it.
TRUMPETER. A petty officer and musician stationed on the poop, to sound
salutes and various evolutionary orders.
TRUNCHEON. A field-marshal's baton; also a constable's.
TRUNDLE-HEAD. The lower drumhead of a capstern, when it is double, and
worked on one shaft both on an upper and lower deck.
TRUNDLE-SHOT. An iron bolt 16 or 18 inches long, with sharp points, and
a ball of lead just inside each head.
TRUNK. (_See_ RUDDER-TRUNK.) Also, a large species of turtle. Also, a
place for keeping fish in. Also, an iron hoop with a bag, used to catch
crabs and lobsters.--_Fire-trunks._ Funnels fixed in fire-ships under
the shrouds, to convey the flames to the masts, rigging, and sails.
TRUNK-ENGINE. A direct-acting steam-engine, in which the end of the
connecting-rod is attached to the bottom of a hollow trunk, passing
steam-tight through the cylinder cover.
TRUNK-FISH. A name of the _Ostracion_, a fish remarkable for having its
body encased in an inflexible armour of hard octagonal plates, the fins,
mouth, and gill-openings passing through holes in this casing.
TRUNNION-RING. The ring round a cannon next before the trunnions, now
disused.
TRUNNIONS. The arms, or two pieces of metal projecting from the opposite
sides of a gun, by which it rests and swings upon its carriage, acting
as an axis of elevation or depression. Also, pieces of well-seasoned
wood, used in securing the ship's timbers.
TRUSS. The trusses or parrels of the lower yards serve to bind them to
their masts and are bowsed taut when the yards are trimmed, in order to
arrest motion and friction. But the introduction of an iron goose-neck,
centering and securing the yard well free of the mast, very much
supersedes the use of trusses.
TRUSS-HOOPS. Synonymous with clasp-hoops for masts or spars; they are
open iron hoops, so made that their ends, being let into each other, may
be well fastened by means of iron wedges or forelock keys.
TRUSS-PARREL. That part of a rope-truss which goes round the yard.
TRUSS-PENDANT. That part of a rope-truss into which the truss-tackle
blocks are seized.
TRUSS-PIECES. The fillings in between the frame compartments of the
riders, in diagonal trussing.
TRUSS-TACKLE. A gun-tackle purchase applied to the ends of the
truss-pendants, to bowse them taut home to the mast.
TRUSS UP, TO. To brail up a sail suddenly; to toss up a bunt.
TRY, TO, OR LIE-TO, IN A GALE, is, by a judicious balance of canvas, to
keep a ship's bow to the sea, and, with as much as she can safely show,
prevent her rolling to windward in the trough of a sea. Close-hauled
under all sail, a vessel gains head-way within six points of the wind;
but in _trying_ she may come up to five and fall off to seven: so that a
vessel does not hold her own. If the vessel be in proper trim, or
properly stowed, she will naturally keep to the wind; but custom, and
deficiency of seamanlike ability, have induced the lazy habit of lashing
the helm a-lee.
TRY BACK FOR A BEND, TO. To pay back some of the bight of a cable, in
order to have sufficient to form the bend.
TRY DOWN, TO. To boil out the oil from blubber at sea in whalers.
TRYING THE RANGE. A lubberly mode of estimating the distance of an
enemy's ship or fort by firing a shot at it.
TRYSAIL. A reduced sail used by small craft in lieu of their main-sail
during a storm. Also, a fore-and-aft sail, set with a boom and gaff, in
ships, synonymous with the spencers of brigs and schooners, and the
spanker or driver of ships. (_See_ STORM-TRYSAIL.)
TRYSAIL-MAST. A spar abaft the fore and main mast, for hoisting the
trysail.
TRY-WORKS. Large copper boilers, for boiling the blubber in whalers.
TUB, GROG. A half-cask, set apart for mixing the daily allowance of
spirit with water, lime-juice, and sugar, prior to its being served out
to the ship's company.
TUB, MATCH. A conical tub used to guard the slow match in action. They
were formerly about five-gallon capacity, the head being sunk about two
inches, and four holes bored to insert slow matches. They are now almost
disused, except to keep a light ready for signal purposes, as rockets,
blue lights, &c., by night.
TUBES. _See_ CHAIN-PUMP.
TUBES, FOR GUNS. A kind of portable priming, for insertion into the
vent,--of various patterns. (_See_ FRICTION-TUBE, QUILL-TUBES, &c.)
TUBS, TOPSAIL-HALLIARD. Circular framed racks in which the
topsail-halliards are coiled clear for running, and are prevented from
fouling by being sent adrift in a gale.
TUBULAR BOILERS. Those in which the flame and hot gases, after leaving
the furnaces, pass through a great number of small iron or brass tubes
surrounded by water, by which means these gases are made to impart some
of their heat to the water before they escape; thus fuel is economized.
TUCK. The after-part of a ship, immediately under the stern or counter,
where the ends of the bottom planks are collected and terminate by the
tuck-rail. Thus the fir frigates of 1812-14 had flat, square transoms
similar to boats, or heart-shaped. Hence our square-tucked frigates,
brigs, &c.
TUG. A vessel for towing in and out of harbours and the like. (_See_
STEAM-TUG.)
TUG, TO [from the Anglo-Saxon _teogan_, to pull]. It now signifies to
hang on the oars, and get but little or nothing ahead.
TUGG. A heavy sort of wain or cart, on which the ship-timber for naval
arsenals was formerly conveyed from Sussex.
TUMBLE IN. _See_ TUMBLING HOME.
TUMBLER. One of the numerous names for the porpoise, _Phoc[oe]na
communis_. Also, a contrivance to avoid the necessity of having copper
nailed on the mast to prevent a gaff from chafing it.
TUMBLE UP! A requisition of the boatswain's mates, &c., to quicken the
hands after being piped up. The cry is well understood, though so
contrary to the known tendency of gravitation.
TUMBLING HOME. The opposite of wall-sided, or flaring out. That part of
a ship's side which curves inwardly above the extreme breadth. In all
old sea-books this narrowing of a ship from the extreme breadth upwards
is called housing in. (_See_ UPPER-WORKS.)
TUMBLING SEA. The increased rolling before a gale.
TUMBRIL. A covered cart for conveying ammunition and pioneers' tools.
TUM-TUM. A West India dish, consisting of boiled plantain beat into a
paste and fried.
TUNGULA. A small boat in the Moluccas and Borneo.
TUNNY. A well-known large fish of the family _Scombridae_. It forms an
important branch of Mediterranean commerce.
TURBONADA. A roaring squall, or short hurricane, of frequent occurrence
in the Pacific Ocean [a mimo-phonetic term adopted from the Spaniards].
TURBOT. The _Pleuronectes maximus_, a flat fish in the highest esteem
with all ichthyophagi.
TURKEY-GRAIN. A name for maize.
TURK'S HEAD. An ornamental knot, so called from resembling a turban,
used on side-ropes, &c.; it is worked with a piece of small line by
following the lead till it is formed with three parts to each cross.
TURN, TO TAKE OR CATCH A. To pass a rope once or twice round a cleat,
pin, kevel, or any other thing, to keep it fast.
TURN AHEAD! A self-explanatory order to the engineer, in regulating the
movement of a steamer.
TURN A TURTLE, TO. To take the animal by seizing a flipper, and
throwing him on his back, which renders him quite helpless. Also applied
to a vessel capsizing; or throwing a person suddenly out of his hammock.
TURN IN, TO. To go to bed.--_To turn out._ To get up.
TURN IN A DEAD-EYE OR HEART, TO. To seize the end of a shroud or stay,
&c., securely round it.
TURNING IN RIGGING. The end of a vessel's shrouds carried round the
dead-eyes, laid back and secured by seizings.
TURNING-ROOM. Space in a narrow channel for a ship to work in.
TURN IN THE HAWSE. Two crosses in a cable.
TURN OF THE TIDE. The change from ebb to flood, or the contrary.
TURN OUT THE GUARD! The order for the marines of the guard to fall in,
on the quarter-deck, in order to receive a superior officer on board.
TURN OVER MEN, TO. To discharge them out of one ship into another.
TURN THE GLASS. The order in throwing the log when the stray line is
payed out.
TURN THE HANDS UP, TO. To summon the entire crew on deck.
TURN TO WINDWARD, TO. To gain on the wind by alternate tacking. It is
when a ship endeavours to make progress against the wind by a compound
course inclined to the place of her destination; otherwise called plying
or beating to windward.
TURNPIKE-SAILORS. Rascals who go about dressed as sailors pretending
that they have been shipwrecked, and soliciting charity.
TURPIS CAUSA. An unsustainable suit for wages, on the part of a British
pilot, for navigating a foreign ship to an enemy's port.
TURRET-SHIP. A vessel, more or less armoured, fitted with one or more
heavily plated revolving turrets, each carrying one or more guns of the
heaviest class, which look out above the deck; the whole worked by
steam-power. It represents the present improvement on the inventions of
the cupola-ship, shield-ship, and monitor.
TURTLE. The well-known marine reptile described by early navigators as
"reasonable toothsom meate." The horny covering of the shell of some
species furnishes the substance commonly known as _tortoise-shell_.
TURTLE-CRAWL. A shallow lagoon, wherein turtles are kept.
TURTLE-PEG. A socketed pointed iron on a staff; it is slightly barbed,
and is a special tool for sticking turtle.
TUSK. The _Brosmius vulgaris_, a savoury fish taken in the northern
seas, about the size of the ling, but with a broader tail.
'TWEEN OR 'TWIXT DECKS. The one under the gun deck, where sailors
usually mess.
TWICE-LAID. Rope made from a selection of the best yarns of old rope.
Also, a sea-dish made of the salt-fish left from yesterday's dinner, and
beaten up with potatoes or yams.
TWIDDLING-LINE. A piece of small rope ornamentally fitted and used for
steadying the steering-wheel when required: no longer used.
TWIG, TO. To pull upon a bowline. Also, in familiar phrase, to
understand or observe.
TWIG-AIT. A river islet where osiers grow.
TWINE. A kind of strong thread used in sail-making; it is of two kinds:
extra, for sewing the seams; and ordinary, for the bolt-ropes. (_See_
WHIPPING-TWINE.) Irish twine or thumb-line, like nettles, is worked by
the fingers from fine yarns drawn from bolt-rope.
TWIN-SCREW. A steamer fitted with two propellers and independent
engines, to enable her to turn rapidly on her own axis. The twin-screw
principle is not new, but latterly it has been so perfected that speed
in turning is no longer a matter of doubt.
TWO-BLOCKS. The same as _chock-a-block_ (which see).
TWO-HANDED FELLOWS. Those who are both seamen and soldiers, or
artificers; as the marines and, specially, marine artillerymen.
TWO-HANDED SAW. A very useful instrument in ship-carpentry; it is much
longer than the hand-saw, and requires two men to use it.
TWO-MONTHLY BOOK. A book kept by the captain's clerk, to be forwarded
every two months, when possible, in order to prevent frauds; and in the
event of a ship being lost, to have the accounts to the nearest period.
TWO MONTHS' ADVANCE. _See_ ADVANCE MONEY.
TWO-PENCES. A deduction from each man, per mensem, formerly assigned to
the surgeon for wages.
TWO-TOPSAIL-SCHOONER. _See_ TOPSAIL-SCHOONER.
TWY. A meteor squall on the coasts of Wiltshire, Hampshire, &c.
TYE. A runner of thick rope or chain, which forms part of the purchase
used for hoisting the top-sail and top-gallant yards.
TYE-BLOCK. The block on the yard through which the tye is rove, and
passes on to be secured at the mast-head. The block secured to the lower
end of the tye is the fly-block.
TYMOOM. A Chinese river craft.
TYNDARIDES. The ancient name of the meteor called _corpo santo_.
TYPHOON, TY-FONG, OR TAI-PHON. The Chinese word for a _great wind_,
applied to hurricanes or cyclones. They are revolving storms of immense
force, occurring most frequently in those parts of the world which are
subject to monsoons, and take place at those seasons when the monsoons
are changing. They seem to be eddies formed by the meeting of opposing
currents of air--for instance, the westerly winds near the equator and
the easterly winds of higher latitudes--which accounts for the important
fact that these storms revolve in opposite directions in the two
hemispheres--in the southern with, in the northern against, the hands of
a watch; but the circular tendency in both supports the name of
cyclone.