A Sea of Words Read online

  docket A warrant from a custom-house on entering goods that certifies payment of the duty.

  Dodman Point A cape on the south coast of Cornwall, between Plymouth and Falmouth.

  dodo A bird that once lived on the island of MAURITIUS, in the Indian Ocean. The dodo had a massive, clumsy body and small wings of no use for flight. Around 1600 trading ships began stopping at the island, and the sailors discovered that the dodo was both edible and easy prey. Also, rats and pigs brought to the island by these ships destroyed dodo nesting grounds. Three-quarters of a century later, the dodo was extinct.

  dog-cart A cart with a box under the seat for a sportsman’s dogs. Subsequently, an open vehicle with two transverse seats back to back, the hind seat originally used as a dog kennel.

  dogger A two-masted fishing vessel with BLUFF BOWS, somewhat similar to a KETCH, used in the North Sea fisheries and often during the 17th and 18th centuries as PRIVATEERS. See illustration, page 61.

  Dogger Banks Extensive shallows in the North Sea between England and Denmark that cover an area more than 160 miles long and 60 miles wide and are known for their abundant populations of cod, haddock, mackerel, and other food fish.

  Doggett’s Coat and Badge One of the world’s oldest continuing rowing races, held annually (August 1) on the River Thames from London Bridge to Chelsea. Originally a sculling contest between the skiffs used to ferry passengers across the river, instituted in 1716 by the Irish actor Thomas Doggett (1670-1721) to commemorate the accession of George I in 1714. Doggett awarded a cash prize and “an Orange coloured Livery with a Badge representing Liberty” to the winner. At his death, he left funds so the race could be continued, and it still is, by the Company of Fishmongers.

  dog-leg Bent like a dog’s hind leg.

  dog’s body Sailors’ name for dried peas boiled in a cloth.

  dog’s nose A drink made of beer and gin or of ale and rum.

  dog-vane A small vane usually made of thread, cork, and feathers, placed on the WEATHER GUNWALE to show the direction of the wind.

  dog-watch The name given to each of the two short WATCHes (of two hours each instead of four) between 1600 and 2000 hours, one from 1600 to 1800 hours and the other from 1800 to 2000 hours. By this means, the day’s 24 hours are divided into seven watches instead of six so that the watches that the crew stands every night are rotated. Maturin’s classic dog-watch pun (Post Captain, p. 428, for all those who wish to return to the original scene of this oft-recurring crime) was, by the way, not original to O’Brian. SMYTH’S Sailor’s Word-Book (1867) notes: “Theodore Hook explains this as cur-tailed.”

  doldrums A region of low pressure and very little wind around the equator. Above and below are the bands more favorable to ships where the TRADE WINDS blow. The word is likely derived from a combination of Old English dot, “dull,” and tantrum.

  Dolland or Dollond Among other accomplishments John Dollond (1706-1761) and his eldest son Peter (1730-1820) used a combination of crown and flint glasses in constructing achromatic lenses, thus improving telescope lenses. In 1765 Peter invented an improved triple achromatic lens.

  dollar The English name for the peso or piece of eight (i.e., eight reals) once used in Spain and the Spanish American colonies and largely used in Britain’s North American colonies at the time of the Revolutionary War.

  dolphin A mooring-post, or BOLLARD, on a dock or along a wharf or beach to make HAWSERS fast to. Also, a wreath of plaited CORDAGE fastened around a MAST or YARD to prevent the yard from falling in case the ropes or chains supporting it are shot away in action.

  dolphin-striker A short GAFF under the CAP of the BOWSPRIT for securing the JIB-BOOM. Also called a MARTINGALE, which refers to the ropes that connect it to the jib-boom.

  domestique A servant. When Aubrey is introduced to a Frenchman, he usually replies “Domestique, monsieur,” his literal translation of, “Your servant, sir,” but comparable to pronouncing himself a domestic servant.

  Domett, Admiral Sir William (1754-1828) ADMIRAL and Commissioner of the Navy who rose from humble West Country roots to command HOWE’S FLAGSHIP at the GLORIOUS FIRST OF JUNE in 1794. Domett was Fleet Captain at the Battle of COPENHAGEN in 1801.

  domino A loose cloak with a small mask covering the upper part of the face, often worn at masquerades.

  dona nobis pacem Give us peace (Latin).

  Doncaster A market town in Yorkshire famous for its horse race, the ST. LEGER stakes.

  dormouse A small rodent of one of two families between squirrels and mice, the British species of which is noted for its hibernation.

  dory A small boat, especially a flat-bottomed one used by North American cod fishermen.

  doss-house A common lodging house, sometimes a brothel.

  douanier A custom-house officer (French).

  double-bank Having pairs of opposite oars pulled by rowers on the same bench, or having two rowers at each oar.

  double-reef To reduce sail by taking in two REEFS.

  doubling The act of sailing around or passing beyond a cape or point of land.

  doubloon A Spanish gold coin originally double the value of a pistole, or equal to 36 English SHILLINGS.

  douceur A gift used as a tip or bribe, from the French word for sweetness.

  Douglas, Admiral Sir Charles (1725-1789) Gunnery enthusiast and author of a manual on the subject, who experimented with steel springs and wedges behind TRUCK-wheels to lessen the impact of cannon recoil.

  Dover Castle and port in Kent commanding the Straits of Dover, the narrowest part of the English Channel.

  down-at-heel Having boot or shoe heels worn down; poor.

  downhaul A rope passing up to the upper corner of the sail to pull it down when shortening sail. Specifically, a rope for hauling down the JIB. Also, a rope to the outer YARDARMS of STUDDINGSAILS used to take them in securely.

  Downs, the The part of the sea within the GOODWIN SANDS, off Deal on the east coast of Kent, England, a famous rendezvous for ships. Also, the treeless chalk uplands along the south and southeast coast of England. The name derives from the Middle English word “doun,” or hill, from which the word “dune” also derives.

  doxy Floozy, prostitute.

  drabbler An additional canvas laced to the bottom of the bonnet of a sail to give it greater depth.

  drabble-tail or draggle-tail A slattern.

  drachm The principal silver coin of the ancient Greeks, the drachma. Also, a weight approximately equivalent to that of the Greek coin. See DRAM.

  dragoman A man who acts as guide and interpreter in countries where Arabic, Turkish, or Persian is spoken.

  dragon’s blood An expensive astringent made from the gum resin secreted by either of two East Indian climbing palms. It turns deep red in alcohol solution.

  dragon-tree Any of various East Indian palms of several genera that were sources of dragon’s blood, a deep red gum sometimes used medicinally as an astringent.

  dragoon Originally dragoons were mounted infantry with firearms. Eventually they became horse soldiers, particularly cavalry regiments.

  dram In apothecaries’ weight, 60 grains, or 1/8 of an ounce. A fluid dram is 1/8 of a fluid ounce, or 60 MINIMS. Hence, a small draught of cordial, stimulant, or spirit.

  draught The depth of water that a vessel DRAWS, or requires to float her. In medicine, a dose; a potion (see also BLACK DRAUGHT and SLIME-DRAUGHT). Also, a sketch or drawing.

  draughts The game of checkers.

  draw Of a sail, to swell out tightly with wind. Of a vessel, to require a specified depth of water in which to float.

  dray A little cart or car on wheels. A low cart without sides used for carrying heavy loads, especially one used by brewers.

  dreadnought screen See FEARNOUGHT.

  drench A medicinal, soporific, or poisonous DRAUGHT; a potion.

  driver Originally conceived of as a sort of STUDDINGSAIL, set at the peak of the MIZZEN GAFF. It could either be set SQUARE or FORE-AND-AFT. The driver-boom is th
e BOOM on which the driver is set.

  Dr. Mead’s Instant Invigorator A putative tonic probably promoted by a Dr. Mead, perhaps a quack, but certainly not the eminent early-18th-century physician Richard Mead of London.

  drogue A contrivance, such as a wooden bucket, attached to the end of a harpoon line to check the progress of a whale when it is running or sounding. A submerged sail dragged to slow a sailing vessel.

  droit A right; that to which one has a legal claim; perquisites due by legal right. Droits of Admiralty are certain rights or perquisites, such as a percentage of the proceeds arising from the capture of an enemy’s ship (French).

  dromedary A light and fleet breed of camel specially reared and trained for riding. Usually the Arabian, or one-humped, camel, but the two-humped Bactrian camel can also be improved into a dromedary.

  dropsy Abnormal accumulation of EDEMA fluid, most often in the chest, abdomen, or legs, produced by failure of the heart, kidneys, or liver. However, hydrocephalus was often called “dropsy of the brain,” and large ovarian cysts were called “ovarian dropsy.”

  drowned baby A sweet, suet pudding resembling SPOTTED DOG but cooked in a less tightly wrapped pudding cloth to give it a looser, more viscous consistency

  Druid One of an order of men among the ancient Celts of Gaul and Britain who, according to Caesar, were priests or religious ministers and teachers, but who figure in native Irish and Welsh legend as magicians, sorcerers, and soothsayers.

  Drury, William O’Bryen COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF of the EAST INDIES STATION from 1808 until his death at Madras in March 1811.

  dryad A nymph of the woods; a sylvan beauty.

  dry-dock A dock from which the water is or may be let out, used for the repairing or building of a ship.

  Dry Salvages Also known as the Selvagens, a group of barren, uninhabited islets in the Canary Islands.

  ducat A gold coin of varying value, formerly in use in most European countries.

  duces tecum or subpoena duces tecum A writ that commands one to show documentary evidence in court or at a deposition (Latin).

  duck A strong, untwilled linen (or, later, cotton) fabric, lighter and finer than canvas, that was used for small sails and men’s, especially sailors’, trousers and outer clothing.

  duck up To raise with a jerk, HAUL up, for instance, to duck up a sail that obstructs the steersman’s view.

  duck-billed platypus The duckmole (Ornithorhynchus anatinus) of Australia, an aquatic mammal that is the only species of its genus and family in the order Monotremata. It has glossy dark-brown or red-brown fur, webbed feet, and a flat bill like a duck’s, which it uses for grubbing in sand or in muddy river bottoms. Burrowing in the river-bank, the duckbill lines its main chamber with dry grass, and here the female lays and hatches usually two eggs at a time. The male duckbill is larger than the female and possesses venemous spurs on its hind legs, the exact use of which is unknown. When it was discovered in New South Wales in 1797, the duckbill was considered the most unusual mammal in existence.

  The duck-billed platypus, Ornithorhynchus anatinus, an aquatic mammal that lays eggs

  ducks and drakes A pastime in which a flat stone is thrown along the surface of water, causing it to rebound or skip as many times as possible before sinking; skipping a stone.

  ductus choledocus communis Common bile duct, from which bile empties from the liver into the duodenum.

  duff or plum-duff Steamed suet pudding with currants.

  dugong or sea cow A large aquatic herbivorous mammal inhabiting the Indian sea, the male of which has upper incisors that form tusks. It is a relative of the manatee.

  dulce loquentem, dulce ridentem Speaking sweetly, laughing sweetly (Latin).

  dulcify To render sweet to the taste, sweeten; to neutralize the acidity of or wash the soluble salts out of a substance.

  dumb-chalder A metal cleat bolted to the back of a wooden STERN-POST for the end of a RUDDER-PINTLE to rest on and carry some of the rudder’s weight.

  dump-bolt A short bolt driven into a plank and timber as a partial security prior to a more thorough fastening.

  dum sola et cast fuerit As long as she remains alone and chaste (Latin).

  dun An importunate creditor or an agent employed to collect debts.

  Duncan, Admiral Adam, first Viscount (1731-1804) Born in Dundee, Scotland, Duncan entered the Navy in 1764 and commanded the North Sea squadron from 1795. He faced a critical situation during the mutiny at the NORE in the spring of 1797. On October 11, 1797, he defeated the Dutch at the Battle of CAMPERDOWN capturing 11 ships, and was elevated to the peerage as Viscount Duncan of Camperdown and given an annual pension of £2,000.

  Dundas, Henry, first Viscount Melville (1742-1811) A Scottish lawyer and member of Parliament (1774-1802), Dundas served as lord advocate (the chief law officer of the Crown in Scotland) from 1775 to 1783 and was appointed to the Privy Council (a body of advisers appointed by the monarch) in 1782. A vocal supporter of the war in America and influential in Indian affairs, he became a PITT supporter and served as Secretary of War (1794-1801). The successful Egyptian campaign of 1801 was carried out under his auspices, against the wishes of Pitt and the king. He was raised to the peerage in 1802. He served as First Lord of the Admiralty from May 15, 1804, to May 2, 1805. However, he was removed from the Privy Council in 1805, then impeached and removed from all of his offices in 1806 for misuse of funds while serving as Treasurer of the Navy (1784-1800). He was acquitted of the charge but was found guilty of negligence. In 1807 he was restored to the Privy Council.

  Dundas, Hon. George Heneage Lawrence (d. 1834) Promoted to Lieutenant in 1797, Commander in 1800, and Captain in 1801, Dundas was made a Commander of Bath in 1815 and was promoted to Rear-Admiral in 1830. He served as an Admiralty Commissioner from 1830 to 1843 and as Controller of the Navy in 1831 and 1832.

  Perhaps the inspiration for O’Brian’s Heneage Dundas, the fictional younger son of HENRY DUNDAS. Heneage served as a MIDSHIPMAN with Aubrey on board H.M.S. Britannia. In fact, the two were shipmates even before they were rated midshipmen and served “in half a dozen commissions together” (Post Captain, p. 333), which is not to say they always got along. In fact, they once fought a duel. Nevertheless, the two remain friends despite the fact that Dundas, by virtue of his influence, eventually advances through the ranks much quicker than Aubrey.

  Dundas, Robert Saunders, second Viscount Melville (1771-1851) The only son of HENRY DUNDAS. In 1796 he married Anne Saunders, great-niece of Admiral Sir Charles Saunders, whose name he took as his own. He became First Lord of the Admiralty in 1812 and remained in office for 15 years.

  dunlin A small sandpiper, in color cinnamon to brown on top and white underneath, abundant in coastal regions.

  dunnage Planks, timber, or light material, such as brushwood and mats, stowed among and beneath the cargo of a vessel to protect it from chafing and wetness. Also, a sailor’s personal baggage.

  Duns Scotus, John (c. 2265 to 1308) The Scottish philosopher and theologian also known as Doctor Subtilis. In theology, he is best known for his zealous defense of the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception, in opposition to Thomas Aquinas.

  duodecimo The size of a book or of the page of a book in which each leaf is one twelfth of a whole sheet, or approximately 5 by 7 1/2 inches.

  duodenal Pertaining or relating to the duodenum, the first portion of the small intestine, immediately below the stomach.

  Dupuytren, Guillaume, Baron (1777-1835) A French surgeon, anatomist, and, starting in 1812, professor at the HOTEL DIEU, Paris, where he was a noted diagnostician and lecturer. He wrote on surgery, described a fracture of the fibula and a contraction of the hand that bear his name, and founded the chair of pathological anatomy at the University of Paris. He was made a baron in 1823.

  dura mater The tough, outermost membranous envelope of the brain and spinal cord.

  durian The oval fruit of a tree of Southeast Asia, with a hard, prickly rind and luscious cream-colored pulp. It is
known for its very unpleasant odor.

  durst Past tense of “dare.”

  Dutch William (1650-1702) William III, son of Prince William II of Orange and Princess Mary, the eldest daughter of King Charles I of England. Stadholder of the Netherlands from 1672, he married his cousin, Princess Mary, the daughter of King James II of England. After the Catholic James fled England in 1688, Parliament declared the throne vacant and proclaimed the two Protestants, William III and Mary II, jointly king and queen of England in 1689. A few months later, the Convention did the same in Scotland.

  Dyce! or Thus! The command to maintain the ship in a constant relation to the wind. The intent was similar to the order “Steady!”, which meant to keep the vessel on the same compass course.

  Dynastes The Hercules-beetle, growing to about five inches in length.

  dyspepsia Indigestion. Often used for various disorders of the digestive organs, especially the stomach, usually involving weakness and loss of appetite and accompanied by depression.

  dysphony Difficulty in speaking arising from disease of or injury to the vocal organs.

  E

  EARING ONE OF A number of small ropes that fasten the upper corner of a sail to the YARD.

  Earl Godwin’s piece of bread The Earl of Wessex and father of King Harold II of England, Godwin (d. 1053) gained control of England, but his acts, namely the blinding and death of Alfred, the brother of Edward the Confessor, also precipitated the Norman invasion. One story regarding the death of Godwin (or Godwine) purports that at a banquet, Godwin remonstrated that he was not responsible for the murder of Alfred and that if he lied, God should strike him dead, whereupon he promptly choked to death on a piece of bread. It is more likely that he died from excessive alcohol consumption.