Definitions
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun A corruption of bowsprit.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- noun (Naut.) See
bowsprit .
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun nautical Alternative form of
bowsprit .
Etymologies
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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Dogs, do you pretend to play a sailor, and not know the bridle of the bow-line, and the saddle of the boltsprit, and the bit for the cable, and the girth to hoist the rigging, and the whip to serve for small tackle? —
Saint Ronan's Well 2008
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The consciousness of the combustible nature of the freight, began to add despair to terror; from the boltsprit, the rigging, the yards, the sides, and every part of the vessel, the unfortunate crew were seen dropping themselves, to exchange for the most part a watery death for one by the more dreadful agency of fire.
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Slowly she hove into view, boltsprit, forecastle, waist and poop, until she was plain to view, and I knew her for that same black ship that fouled us in Deptford Pool.
Black Bartlemy's Treasure Jeffery Farnol 1915
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The lieutenant caused Black-beard's head to be severed from his body, and hung up at the boltsprit end; then he sailed to Bath Town, to get relief for his wounded men.
Great Pirate Stories Joseph Lewis French 1897
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It was long before I got private speech of Ballantrae; but at length one night we crept out upon the boltsprit, when the rest were better employed, and commiserated our position.
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"But a military riding-school," says Colonel Greenwood, "is too apt to teach you to sit on your horse as stiff as a statue, to let your right hand hang down as useless as if God had never gifted you with one, to stick your left hand out, with a stiff straight wrist like a boltsprit, and to turn your horse invariably on the wrong rein."
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Hagenslaapen, half Manks, half Dutchman, half devil! run out the boltsprit, up mainsail, top and top-gallant sails, royals, and skyscrapers, and away — follow who can!
Guy Mannering 1815
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The consciousness of the combustible nature of the freight, began to add despair to terror; from the boltsprit, the rigging, the yards, the sides, and every part of the vessel, the unfortunate crew were seen dropping themselves, to exchange for the most part a watery death for one by the more dreadful agency of fire.
Waverley Novels — Volume 12 Walter Scott 1801
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Dutchman, half devil! run out the boltsprit, up mainsail, top and top-gallant sails, royals, and skyscrapers, and away -- follow who can!
Guy Mannering — Complete Walter Scott 1801
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On examining into the cause, it appeared that a sea monster bore the ship on its back, the tail appearing about the rudder and the head at the boltsprit, spouting up streams of water.
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