quarterless

I resisted their advice for some time, in hopes that a favourable lull might bring the ship up; but when she had drifted into a quarterless five, and still driving before a tempest of wind and rain, I ordered the axe to be laid to the mast, and soon after they were over the side: the ship struck violently several times, and the rudder was torn away with a tremendous crash.

Memoirs and Correspondence of Admiral Lord de Saumarez. Vol II John Ross 1816

And when she finally "snatched", and reared off the shoal into the water, Bixby was half over the rail again, yelling to the nigger leadsman, and the scream of the whistles all but drowned their great bass voices singing out: "Eight feet -- eight and a half -- nine feet -- quarterless-twain!"

Flash For Freedom Fraser, George MacDonald, 1925- 1971

And when she finally "snatched", and reared off the shoal into the water, Bixby was half over the rail again, yelling to the nigger leadsman, and the scream of the whistles all but drowned their great bass voices singing out: "Eight feet -- eight and a half -- nine feet -- quarterless-twain!"

Flash For Freedom Fraser, George MacDonald, 1925- 1971

This way, I get into and out of the gas station with a minimum of pain and delay — most especially, without the agony of discovering that I’ve arrived there quarterless and once again must contrive to wheedle change from a surly Pakistani sales clerk without buying something other than gasoline.

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