BILBOES, DEVIL BOLT, DOG'S BODY, DRABTAIL TRILL, FIDDLER'S GREEN, FLEET THE MESSENGER, FOREMOST JACK, FULL & BYE, FUSTY WIGGS, HANSOMELY, IRISH HORSE, JACK WEATHERFACE, JOHNNY HAWBUCK, LOBLOLLY BOYS, MANTRAP, MONKEY, NOGGIN, PURSER'S GAME, SHIP, TAKING A CAULK, TOP YOUR BOOMS, TURNED BEFORE THE MAST, WAISTER

BILBOES: The actual irons on the orlop deck into which malefactors are clapped. They consist of a long bar on to which iron shackles are slid. These confine the victim in much the same way as the stocks ashore. From mediaeval Bilbao, the method of confining candidates for the Inquisition as mentioned in Hamlet. TOP

DEVIL BOLT: The frame timbers of a vessel were massive, and the side planking could only be secured to them with thick, long copper bolts. A corrupt practice at some dockyards was to cut away the innards of every other bolt, leaving each end in place. Tons of valuable copper could be filched in this way at great risk to the vessel. TOP

DOG'S BODY: Dried peas ('trundlers') boiled in a cloth. Prepared with onions and pepper by skilled mess-cooks, this was a welcome dish. TOP

DRABTAIL TRULL: Watermen would bring out women on spec to a man-o'-war newly arrived in port - if they were taken aboard they would be paid, if not - not! A great fleet in port would give opportunity to even the most ill-favoured female. TOP

FIDDLER'S GREEN: The mythical Elysium waiting for sailors when they have topped their booms and gone to their rest. Populated by countless willing ladies, equipped with rum casks that never empty, and always a fair wind and flying fish weather. TOP

FLEET THE MESSENGER: The anchor cable was never put around the capstan, it was much too big. An endless loop of thinner rope, the messenger, was seized to it by 'nippers'. Just before the anchor was about to be tripped from the seabed, the time of most tension, the cable was clamped and the connecting eye of the messenger was passed beyond the capstan whelps. TOP

FOREMOST JACK: A term for one who is neither an officer nor a petty officer, just a common sailor. They spent their leisure hours on the fo'c'sle, before the foremast. TOP

FULL AND BYE: When a square rigged ship is comfortably close hauled, close to the wind but not clawing to windward. TOP

FUSTY LUGGS: Where a trug is a sorry looking woman who can't help it, a soss brangle is a slattern, then this is your worst kind of gin-sodden trull. TOP

HANDSOMELY: With a care, slowly and carefully. Opposite of 'Amain'. TOP

IRISH HORSE: The salt beef ration. TOP

JACK WEATHERFACE: A kindly term for one whose face is lined and crinkled by years of sea service. TOP

JOHNNY HAWBUCK: An officer who wears lace at sea, a dandy. TOP

LOBLOLLY BOYS: Not a boy, but a generally broken-down seaman who is fit for no other work than to attend the sick and feed them gruel (loblolly). TOP

MANTRAP: A particularly sharp and knowing officer who is feared by the men, especially if in charge of a press-gang. TOP

MONKEY: Brass ring to test the size of cannon balls - if it was very cold it could freeze the balls off a brass monkey. Also, a wooden tub with two ears for the grog issue. TOP

NOGGIN: Half a pint - of rum. TOP

PURSER'S GLIM: - A lamp - an iron saucer with rush wick burning fat oil. (Cheap and nasty trick by a calculating purser to fulfil his obligation to provide lights below decks). TOP

SHIP: Calling anything other than 'a three-masted vessel square rigged on all three masts' a ship marks you out as a landlubber. All the others are either a brig, barque, poleacre, bean-cod, pink, xebec, felucca etc. TOP

TAKING A CAULK: On a dark night, the watch on deck cannot be seen from aft. If a sailor takes the chance to snatch a nap on deck, he is betrayed by the caulking between deck planking leaving parallel lines of tar on his shirt. TOP

TOP YOUR BOOM: Some sails, mainly the fore and aft ones, need a long spar to spread their foot, a boom. When the boom is topped the vessel is ready to start. Also, to die - when a person starts on the long voyage with no return. TOP

TURNED BEFORE THE MAST: A petty officer was in a powerful and privileged position in the world of the lower deck. The worst punishment for him would be to be disrated and made a common seaman and placed back under his fellow petty officers. TOP

WAISTER: A man-o'-war's seamen were in parts-of-ship for evolutions, the most skilled were stationed high in the fighting tops, the least were the waisters in the waist (centre) of the ship and spent all their time hauling on heavy ropes and scrubbing decks. TOP