Definitions
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun The weather-clue of a square mainsail.
Etymologies
Sorry, no etymologies found.
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Examples
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Helm a-lee; bring the main-tack aboard, haul the bowlines, hoist the top-gallants.
Five books of the lives, heroic deeds and sayings of Gargantua and his son Pantagruel 2002
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Alas! do not let go the main-tack nor the bowline.
Five books of the lives, heroic deeds and sayings of Gargantua and his son Pantagruel 2002
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Alas! do not let go the main-tack nor the bowline.
Five books of the lives, heroic deeds and sayings of Gargantua and his son Pantagruel 2002
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Helm a-lee; bring the main-tack aboard, haul the bowlines, hoist the top-gallants.
Five books of the lives, heroic deeds and sayings of Gargantua and his son Pantagruel 2002
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I triced up the main-tack, and stowed the headsails unaided.
The Riddle of the Sands Childers, Erskine, 1870-1922 1955
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Hauling our fore-sheet to windward, and tricing up the main-tack, we now shot rocket after rocket with a sharp report high into the darkness, and, the roar of our guns booming above the loud storm, must have reached the shore.
A Yacht Voyage to Norway, Denmark, and Sweden 2nd edition William A. Ross
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Man the main-tack tricing-line and down with the throat of the sail; round-in upon the mainsheet!
Under the Meteor Flag Log of a Midshipman during the French Revolutionary War Harry Collingwood 1886
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The main-tack is the chief rope controlling the biggest sail in the ship, and at times, close on the wind, it has to be got down into place by the brute force of half a hundred men, inch by inch, pull by pull.
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Now fasten the sheet and throw off the main-tack and trice the sail up pretty near to the throat.
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Now we will put the last reef in the foresail and hoist it, slack the brail and haul down the main-tack a bit.
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