A Sea of Words Read online

  cro’jack See CROSSJACK.

  croppy One who has his hair cropped short, applied especially to the Irish rebels of 1798, who cut their hair short as a sign of sympathy for the French Revolution.

  crossgrained tide or cross-tide Water that flows in varying directions among shoals.

  crossjack The COURSE on the aftermost MAST of a SQUARE-RIGGED ship.

  cross-sea When two sets of waves cross each other, due to a change in wind direction.

  crosstree Horizontal cross-timbers that spread the SHROUDS, giving a better angle for supporting the MAST while also offering a standing place for seamen.

  croup An inflammatory disease of the larynx and trachea in children, marked by a peculiar sharp ringing cough and frequently fatal in a short time. “Croup” was the popular name for this affliction in the southeast of Scotland and was introduced into medical use by Professor Francis Home of Edinburgh in 1765.

  crow A crowbar; a GRAPNEL.

  crowbill Forceps used for extracting bullets or other foreign bodies from wounds.

  crowdy A thick gruel made from meal and water. Any porridgelike food.

  crowfoot A device consisting of a number of small cords passed through a long BLOCK or EUPHROE and used to suspend an awning.

  crown A size of paper, 15 by 20 inches, originally watermarked with a crown. To crown a knot means to interweave the strands of the rope so as to prevent untwisting.

  crow’s nest A barrel or cylindrical box fixed to the MASTHEAD of an arctic, whaling, or other ship, as a shelter for the lookout.

  crubeen The foot of an animal, especially a cooked pig’s foot.

  crudity Imperfectly digested or indigestible food. Also, indigestion.

  cruiser A fast heavily armed ship, especially a warship commissioned to cruise for such purposes as protecting commerce, pursuing an enemy’s ships, or capturing slave traders. During the 18th century, the word was commonly applied to PRIVATEERS.

  crumpet A thin griddle cake made of buckwheat meal. A soft cake made of flour, beaten egg, milk, and barm, or baking powder, mixed into batter, and baked on an iron plate.

  cryptogam A plant that reproduces by spores instead of by flowers or seed, including ferns, mosses, lichens, and fungi.

  cuatro grupos, cinco minutos Four groups, five minutes (Spanish).

  cuckold’s neck A knot by which a rope is secured to a SPAR.

  cuddy In a large sailing ship, a cabin under the POOP deck in which the officers took their meals. In the 18th century, also a sort of cabin or cook-room in a LIGHTER or BARGE. The small cabin of a boat, specifically the captain’s cabin.

  Cuirassier A mounted soldier wearing a cuirass, armor covering the body from neck to waist.

  cullion A testicle. As a term of contempt, a base, despicable fellow.

  cully One who is cheated or imposed upon, a dupe, gull, or simpleton. A man, a fellow, a companion, a mate.

  cunning man A fortuneteller, conjurer, “wise man,” wizard.

  cunt-splice or cut splice A type of splice formed when two ropes are overlapped and joined in such a way as to form an EYE.

  cupellation The process of assaying or refining precious metals by exposing them to high temperatures to cause the unwanted metals to oxidize and partly sink into the cupel, a small, shallow, porous cup. The separation of silver from argentiferous lead.

  curate One entrusted with the cure of souls, a spiritual pastor. Any ecclesiastic who has the spiritual charge of a body of laymen. Also, the parson of a parish.

  curculio Any of various WEEVILS, especially one that harms fruit.

  curragh Marshy waste ground. Specifically, the proper name of the level stretch of open ground in County Kildare famous for its racecourse and military camp. Also, in Ireland and Scotland, a wooden boat made of slats and covered with a watertight material, which in earlier times was usually hide and later was tarred canvas.

  curricle A light two-wheeled carriage, usually drawn by two horses abreast.

  custard apple The fruit of the tropical tree Anona reticulata. It has a dark brown rind and yellowish pulp resembling custard in appearance and flavor; it is native to South America and the WEST INDIES but was introduced into the EAST INDIES in the 16th century

  cutlass A short sword with a wide, flat, and slightly curved blade, more suited to cutting than thrusting. Especially, the sword with which a ship’s company (but not the officers) are armed.

  cutter A boat belonging to a ship of war, shorter and in proportion broader than the BARGE or PINNACE, that is fitted for rowing and sailing and is used for carrying light stores or passengers. Also, a swift single-masted scout ship first purchased by the Royal Navy in 1763 and known for being seaworthy. See illustration, page 72.

  cutting-out The capturing of a ship or ships at port usually by a surprise attack attempted in ships’ boats at night.

  cutwater The forward edge of the STEM or PROW, which divides the water before it reaches the BOW.

  Cuvier, Baron Georges (1769-1832) A French naturalist and anatomist. Known as the “Magician of the Charnel House,” Cuvier, who worked in a laboratory at the Museum of Natural History in Paris, could look at a bone fragment or a fossil and accurately name the animal it came from. He is considered the founder of comparative anatomy.

  Cuzco City in Peru founded in the 11th century and once the capital of the Inca empire. Taken by the Spanish under Pizarro in 1533, it is most famous for its ancient ruins. It is the site of a cathedral and a university, established in 1672.

  cystotomy Cutting into the bladder for extraction of a stone or other purpose.

  D

  dab A species of small flatfish resembling the flounder and found in the waters of sandy parts of the British coast. Also, a common term for small, flat fish of any kind.

  daedal Skillful at fashioning and fabricating, like Daedalus; artistic. Also, intricate, mazelike.

  Dalmatian Pertaining to Dalmatia, a region on the eastern coast of the Adriatic Sea and formerly an Austrian province.

  Dalrymple, Alexander (1737-1808) Hydrographer and brother of the historian Sir David Dalrymple of Hailes. Born in Scotland, he became the first hydrographer to the EAST INDIA COMPANY in 1779, and then the first Hydrographer to the Admiralty in 1795. His privately printed book, An Account of Discoveries Made in the South Pacific Ocean (1767), was one of the few influential books mentioned by Captain James COOK and Sir Joseph BANKS during the voyage of H.M.S. Endeavour.

  dame’s school An elementary school for children kept by a woman, usually in her home.

  Damon A fifth-century B.C. musician and philosopher of Athens who taught Socrates and Pericles, and was ostracized for his friendship with Pericles.

  Dannebrog The Danish national flag.

  Dardanelles The strategically important narrow strait that connects the Aegean Sea with the Sea of Marmara and, eventually, with the Black Sea via the Bosporus.

  dark-lantern A lantern with a slide or other fixture for hiding the light.

  Darley Arabian Sent by Thomas Darley from Aleppo to England in 1704 at the age of four, he was one of the three foundation sires (the others were the Godolphin Arabian and the Byerly Turk) from which all modern thoroughbred horses are descended. He was the great-great-grandsire of ECLIPSE.

  Datura stramonium Commonly known as thorn-apple, it was thought to induce sleep and diuresis, to strengthen the body, and to calm spasms (hence its promotion for the treatment of epilepsy). At high doses, it has marked side effects (attributable to various compounds in its berries), including dim vision, thirst, nausea, vomiting, and hallucinations.

  davier Dentists’ forceps; also, DAVIT (French).

  Davis Strait Strait between Greenland and North America that connects Baffin Bay to the open Atlantic. Named after the British explorer Captain John Davis (1550-1605).

  davit A curved piece of timber or iron, with a roller, or SHEAVE, at the end, that projects from a ship’s BOW and is used as a CRANE to HOIST the FLUKES of the anchor without injuring the
side of the vessel. One of a pair of cranes on the side or stern of a ship fitted with sheaves and pulleys for suspending or lowering a boat. A line used to steady a davit GUY.

  dead-eye A flat round wooden BLOCK with three holes through which a LANYARD is ROVE, used for extending the SHROUDS. Also, the triangular blocks with one large hole, usually called hearts, used for extending the STAYS.

  deadlight A strong wooden or iron shutter fixed outside a SCUTTLE, or porthole, used to prevent light from escaping or entering or, in a storm, to prevent water from entering.

  dead reckoning The calculation of a ship’s position based on the estimated speed, distance covered, and the courses steered by the compass, with corrections for known current, LEEWAY, etc., but without astronomical observations. From “deduced reckoning,” shorted to “ded. Reckoning.”

  deal A plank or board of pine or fir.

  debellare superbos To subdue the proud (Latin).

  Decalogue The Ten Commandments viewed collectively as a body of law.

  decapod A member of the highest order of the class Crustacea, those with ten feet or legs. The order includes the lobster, crab, crayfish, and shrimp.

  decoction A solution in which a substance, usually animal or vegetable, has been boiled, often to produce a medicine.

  decree of nullity The pronouncement that a marriage is invalid due to fraud, or legal, canonical, or physical incapacity.

  deep See MARK.

  deglutination The act of swallowing.

  Deh vieni, non tardar Come now, do not delay (Italian; sung by Susanna in act four of Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro).

  de jure By law (Latin).

  delation An accusation or denunciation. To delate is to inform against someone.

  delf or Delft ware Glazed earthenware made at Delf or Delft, Holland.

  delirium tremens Delirium characterized by trembling and delusions upon cessation of chronic drinking. The term was introduced in 1813 for a form of delirium that was believed to be aggravated by bleeding but relieved by opium. Subsequently it was applied to the syndrome that can occur when chronic alcoholics suddenly stop drinking.

  demi-rep A woman whose character is only half reputable; a woman of doubtful chastity.

  demy A size of paper (YPA by 22M inches).

  de non apparentibus et non existentibus eadem est ratio We make no distinction between that which is not visible and that which does not exist (Latin).

  deperish To waste away.

  depressed fracture Usually said of inwardly depressed fractures of the skull, requiring surgery with a TREPAN or TREPHINE to remove the fragments.

  Derby Proper name of the most noted annual horserace in England, founded in 1780 by the twelfth Earl of Derby and run at Epsom Downs racecourse, usually on the Wednesday before or the second Wednesday after Whitsunday (the seventh Sunday after Easter).

  derrick A CRANE that is made from a strong SPAR or BOOM equipped for hoisting and that pivots at the foot of a central post to work at various angles.

  desman An aquatic insect-eating mammal related to the shrew-mouse, but larger. Especially, the muskrat, which inhabits the rivers of Russia, chiefly the Volga and Don, and secretes musk. Another species is found in parts of the Pyrenees.

  desole Very sorry (French).

  despatch To send off post-haste a messenger or message to an express destination, or the sending of such an official messenger or of troops, parcels, etc.

  Deucalion’s flood According to Greek mythology, a great deluge that occurred in Thessaly Deucalion, the son of Prometheus, and his wife, Pyrrha, survived the flood—which was sent by Zeus to punish humans for their wickedness—in an ark. When the waters receded, they repopulated the earth by throwing stones behind them, Deucalion’s becoming men and Pyrrha’s, women.

  Deus ex ma china Literally, God from the machine (Latin). An unexpected and satisfactory conclusion to a problem. The term comes from the practice in ancient Greek drama in which a god was lowered by crane onto the stage to bring a happy resolution to the play.

  devil In the wooden deck of a vessel, a seam that adjoins a waterway. Also, the seam in the planking on the waterline. Both named for the difficulty involved in caulking the seam, as in the phrase, “The devil to pay!”, meaning a tough, unenviable task.

  dewlap The fold of loose skin hanging from the throat of cattle and similar parts in other animals, such as the wattle of a turkey. A humorous reference to the pendulous folds of flesh about the human throat.

  Dey An adaptation of the Turkish word “Dai,” meaning maternal uncle, an honorary title bestowed on elderly men. In the 17th century, an elite force of soldiers in the Turkish army, the Janissaries, adopted the title for their commanding officers. When the Janissaries began to rule Algeria in the 17th century, it became the name of the ruler. The title also was used in Tunisia and in Tripoli.

  dghaisa A Maltese boat resembling a gondola.

  dhow A trading vessel used on the Arabian Sea, generally with a LATEEN sail on a single MAST, of 150 to 200 tons’ burden. Also widely applied to all Arab vessels, especially those connected with the slave trade on the east coast of Africa.

  Diamond Rock A small, inaccessible, but strategically placed island less than a mile off the southwest end of the island of Martinique. In late 1803, Commodore Samuel Hood, on board the 74-gun Centaur, under Captain Murray Maxwell, decided to take the island and make it a stationary warship, as a depot for harassing the enemy’s shipping. In January 1804, over the course of a month, the Centaur hoisted five guns (three long 24-pounders and two 18-pounders) to various positions on the 600-foot-high haystack-shaped island by means of a CABLE attached to one end of the ship and running up to the top of the island. Hood manned the island, dubbed a SLOOP of war, with a lieutenant and 120 men and boys.

  Dianthus The genus of flowering plants that includes the pinks and carnations. The July-flower (D. caryophyllus) was sometimes used medicinally for heartburn and as a flavoring.

  diaphoretic Causing or promoting perspiration.

  dicotyledonous plant A flowering plant embryo with two seed leaves, and sometimes more.

  diddle To cheat or swindle; to victimize.

  Didus ineptis See DODO.

  Dies Irae “Day of wrath the first words, and thus the name, of a Latin hymn on the Last Judgment ascribed to Thomas of Celano (circa 1250) and sung as a part of Requiem Mass.

  Digitalis purpurea Purple foxglove. In 1785 Dr. William WITHERING introduced it as the first effective treatment for DROPSY. It removes EDEMA fluid by strengthening the heart, which secondarily produces diuresis and permits the pulse rate to slow. Its characteristic side effects include vomiting and abnormal yellow-green vision.

  dimity A cotton fabric woven with raised stripes or fancy figures, used for beds and bedroom hangings and sometimes for garments.

  dingle-dangle To hang loosely, swinging to and fro.

  dingo The wild or semidomesticated dog of Australia, Canis dingo.

  Diocletian’s palace A magnificent palace built by Caius Aurelius Valerius Diocletianus (245-313). Proclaimed Roman emperor by the army in 284, Diocletian oversaw the restoration of Britain to the empire and the subjugation of the Persians during his reign. In 305, he retired to his hometown of Salona, a busy commercial port on the DALMATIAN coast of the ADRIATIC, where he built his palace outside of town. In the seventh century, Salona was sacked and a new city, Spalato (now Split, Croatia), sprang up around the palace.

  Diogenes (400-325 B.C.) A cynical Greek philosopher and ascetic who lived in a tub out of contempt for the comforts of civilization.

  Diomedea exulans See ALBATROSS.

  dip To lower and then raise a flag as a naval salute, an act of courtesy. To lower and raise a sail in TACKing. Also, a candle made by repeatedly dipping a wick into melted tallow.

  dipping-needle A magnetic needle mounted so that it can move in a vertical plane about its center of gravity and thus indicate by its dip the direction of the earth’s magnetism.

>   directoire Of, pertaining to, or resembling an extravagant style of dress, often imitative of Greek and Roman garb, prevalent at the time of the French Directory, the five-man executive body that governed France from 1795 to 1799, at which point it was overthrown by Napoleon Bonaparte.

  dirk A small sword or dagger worn mostly by MIDSHIPMEN but also by some commissioned officers and ADMIRALS.

  discomfiture Complete defeat in battle, overthrow, rout.

  dish To defeat, ruin, incapacitate; to cheat or circumvent.

  dispart-sight A gun sight mounted on top of the second REINFORCE-ring around the middle of a firing piece and used for point-blank or horizontal firing. It eliminates the difference of the diameters between the BREECH and the mouth of the cannon.

  dispensary A place where medicines are dispensed.

  dispensation The granting of license by a pope, archbishop, or bishop to a person to do something forbidden by ecclesiastical law.

  displacency The state of being displeased, the opposite of complacency.

  disrate To reduce to a lower rating or rank. To remove a ship from its RATE or class.

  Dissent A nonconformist who separates himself from the communion of the Established Church of England or, in Scotland, of the Church of Scotland.

  distal Away from the center of the body or from the point of origin, said of the extremity or distant part of a limb or organ; terminal.

  distich A couplet.

  distraint A legal term for the act of forcing one to satisfy an obligation by the seizure of his goods or property.

  divisions A ship’s company in the Royal Navy is divided for purposes of discipline and welfare into divisions of various sizes, each with a divisional officer who is responsible for the work and care of his men. Also, the MUSTER or assembly for inspection and other purposes.

  Djerm or jerm A small one-or two-masted vessel with large LATEEN sails used on the Egyptian coast. Formerly, larger trading vessels in the eastern Mediterranean.

  Djezzar Pasha, Ahmed (c. 1722-1804) The Bey of Sidon and Damascus, with his seat of government at ACRE, Djezzar Pasha, whose name means, aptly, “the butcher,” was the dominant political figure in southern Syria during the last quarter of the 18th century and the early 19th century. He was shrewd, savage, and extremely loyal to the Turkish Empire, for whom he acted as governor of the LEVANT littoral from the Nile to the Turkish border. His policy of ruthless repression and cruel punishment made him feared. The British, under Sir Sidney SMITH, assisted him in repelling France at Acre in 1799, ending NAPOLEON’S eastward expansion and contributing to the ouster of the French from Egypt two years later.