A Sea of Words

by Dean King

  solen The razor-fish, any bivalve mollusk of the genus Solen, having a long, narrow shell like the handle of a razor.

  Solent, The In the English Channel, the western portion of the strait that separates the Isle of WIGHT and the mainland of England. Between one and three-quarters and four miles wide, It extends eastward for 15 miles from the Needles, the isolated group of rocks to the east of the Isle of Wight, to just beyond Southampton Water, the inlet leading to Southampton. The eastward portion of the strait is called SPITHEAD.

  solitaire A large flightless bird (Pezophaps solitarius) that once inhabited the island of Rodriguez.

  Solomon A person who is profoundly wise or just, like Solomon, the tenth-century B.C. king and son of David, who was celebrated for his wisdom. Also, said of, ironically, a wiseacre.

  Somateria mollissima The EIDER. Somateria spectabilis is the king eider.

  Somerset House One of London’s most famous buildings, where the Royal Academy and Navy Board Offices were located. England’s first Renaissance palace, it was built between 1547 and 1550 by Lord Protector Somerset. In 1604 peace negotiators from England, Spain, and the Spanish Netherlands met here. After Richard Cromwell’s abdication in the mid-1600s, PARLIAMENT tried unsuccessfully to sell Somerset to pay the Army. The ROYAL SOCIETY met in the house’s north wing from 1780 to 1857.

  sonata A musical composition for instruments, usually the pianoforte or violin, in three or four movements.

  soople Supple.

  Sophie, H.M.S. Aubrey’s first command is on board “almost the only QUARTERDECK BRIG in the service.” She carries 14 four-pounder guns. The Sophie is ficticious but similar in size and armament to the 158-ton converted coasting brig Speedy, in which COCHRANE fought heroically (the basis for the action of Master and Commander).

  sopor A deep unnatural sleep or sleeplike state. See also CARUS.

  sordes Filthy or feculent matter on or in a human or animal body. In typhoid or other fevers, the foul matter collecting on the teeth and lips.

  sortie A dash or sally by a besieged garrison to attack the enemy.

  sotto i pini Beneath the pines (Italian; sung by the Contessa and Susanna in act three of Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro).

  sou A French coin, formerly 1/20 of a livre and subsequently the five-centime piece.

  sounding The process of finding out the depth of water by means of the LEAD-LINE and LEAD. TO be in soundings is to be in a place at sea where it is possible to reach the bottom with the ordinary (up to 20 FATHOMS) or deep-sea (up to 100 fathoms) lead. Derives from the Old English word sund for “water, sea, or swimming.” See also MARK.

  soupe anglaise Trifle, a dessert made by soaking stale sponge cake in wine or liqueur, adding fruit or jam and crushed macaroons, and topping with custard and whipped cream (French).

  souse Various parts of a pig or other animal, especially the feet and ears, that have been pickled. Also, to prepare or preserve by pickling.

  South Foreland A 300-foot headland of chalk on the coast of southeast Kent, England, whose two lighthouses, built about 1620, were particularly important in ensuring a safe transit south of the treacherous shoals and banks known as the GOODWIN SANDS that lie off the coast.

  South Sea stock Stock of the South Sea Company, incorporated in London in 1711 to conduct trade with Spanish America primarily in the South Seas. Its value soared to great heights and then crashed in 1720 following a financial crisis caused by rumors about a plan for the company to take over three fifths of the national debt. The crash ruined many shareholders, some of whom fled the country or committed suicide. The ugly scandal, known as the South Sea Bubble, reached into the top echelons of the government. The company managed to stay in business by changing its focus to other areas, such as the Greenland whale fishery.

  south-wester See SOU-WESTER.

  Southampton, H.M.S. A 32-gun fifth rate built in 1757 whose design became the standard for British FRIGATES through the 1780s, at which point this class began to be outgunned by the French 36-gun frigates. The Southampton fought at Bellisle in 1761 and at the GLORIOUS FIRST OF JUNE in 1794. She was wrecked in the Bahamas in 1812.

  Southern Cross A constellation with four bright stars in the form of a cross, visible in the Southern Hemisphere.

  southing Movement or deviation in a southerly direction.

  souviens-toi Remember (French).

  sou-wester or south-wester A wind or GALE blowing from the southwest. Also, a large oilskin or waterproof hat or cap worn by seamen to protect the head and neck during rough or wet weather.

  Sovereign Pontiff The Pope.

  sow-gelder One whose business is to geld pigs.

  span The distance from the tip of the thumb to the tip of the little finger, or sometimes to the tip of the forefinger, when the hand is fully extended; the space equivalent used as a measure of length, averaging nine inches.

  Spanish Disturbance See NOOTKA SOUND.

  Spanish fly An alcohol solution of powdered Lytta vesicatoria, a southern European beetle, used externally as a blistering counterirritant to fevers and other internal diseases and, rarely, internally as a diuretic. (Erroneously believed to be an aphrodisiac because its irritant effect on the urethra causes a prolonged erection.)

  Spanish Main After Columbus’s voyages, the Spanish called the northern coast of South America “Tierra Firma,” which in English became known as the “Spanish Main.” It was a romantic name for the Spanish possessions in America, consisting of the northeast coast of South America from the Orinoco to the Isthmus of Panama. By the late 17th century, the term also included the Caribbean and its islands.

  spanker Originally, a fairweather sail set in place of the MIZZEN COURSE. Later a FORE-AND-AFT sail, set with a GAFF and BOOM on the afterside of the MIZZENMAST of a SQUARE-RIGGED SHIP, BRIG, or BARQUE.

  spar The general term for all the poles in a vessel’s RIGGING, such as BOWSPRITS, MASTS, YARDS, BOOMS, and GAFFS.

  spar deck Formerly, a temporary DECK anywhere on a ship, or on the QUARTERDECK or FORECASTLE of a deep-WAISTEDed ship; also a ship’s entire UPPER DECK above the MAIN DECK.

  Sparmann A large hairy shrub of the genus Sparmannia, native to southern Africa and bearing heart-shaped toothed leaves and white flowers in clusters.

  spate A flood, especially a sudden one caused by a heavy rain or melting snow, or an inundation, such as a heavy downpour of rain.

  speaking-trumpet A metal tube or megaphone used at sea to carry the voice a great distance or to elevate it above loud noises.

  speaking-tube A tube or pipe used for conveying the voice to various parts of a ship.

  specie Coin; coined money.

  specific gravity A measure of density, expressed as the ratio of the density of a substance to the density of another substance used as a standard (usually water for liquids and solids, and air for gases).

  speculum A mirror or polished metal plate forming part of a reflecting telescope.

  spencer In SQUARE-RIGGED SHIPS, a FORE-AND-AFT TRYSAIL set on the after of the FORE-or MAINMASTS. Also, a tight jacket or bodice worn by women and children or an undergarment, usually wool, worn by women for warmth.

  spermaceti White flakes of a waxy solid that separates from sperm oil when it cools after boiling. Sperm oil is found mainly in the head cavity of the sperm whale, and in some other whales and dolphins, and was used in internal medicines for colds and gonorrhea. From the 18th century, used in the manufacture of candles. Spermaceti whale: the sperm whale (Thyseter catodon).

  speronara A large rowing and sailing boat, equipped with a LATEEN sail, used in southern Italy and MALTA.

  spica bandage A bandage formed by wrapping successive overlapping strips of bandaging around a finger, limb, or the chest; so called because the overlaps were thought to give the appearance of an ear of wheat (spica is Latin for ear of grain).

  spike a gun To render a gun unusable by hammering a spike into the TOUCHHOLE.

  spilling-line A rope sometimes fixed to a sh
ip’s MAINSAIL and FORESAIL to assist in REEFing and FURLing.

  spindle The upper part of a wooden made MAST.

  spindrift See SPOONDRIFT.

  spinet A musical instrument common in England in the 18th century, similar to the harpsichord but smaller and having a single keyboard and only one string for each note.

  spirit-lamp A lamp burning alcohol or another liquid fuel and used especially for heating, boiling, or cooking.

  spirits of camphor Camphor dissolved in alcohol and used as an analgesic and in treatment of some inflammatory diseases.

  spirketing On the side of a ship of war, the range of planks that lies between the waterways, the planking that connects each deck to the side and forms a gutter for drainage, and the lower edge of the gun-ports.

  Spithead An anchorage in the east SOLENT, the channel between mainland England and the Isle of WIGHT, offering good shelter for ships near PORTSMOUTH. It was the sight of a famous mutiny in 1797 during the War of the French Revolution, when the sailors of the CHANNEL FLEET refused to go to sea until they were promised better pay and conditions. The sailors succeeded without punishment.

  Spitsbergen The main group of islands in the Svalbard Archipelago in the Arctic Ocean frequented from the early 17th century by whalers, sealers, and fur hunters. Used as a base by the Royal Navy’s first polar expedition, under Captain C. J. Phipps in 1773.

  splanchnic Of or relating to the abdominal organs.

  splinter-netting On board a warship, a net or netting of small rope spread above the deck prior to an engagement to protect the men from falling SPARS and splinters.

  spoil SLAG or sludge.

  sponge A mop, or SWAB, for cleansing a cannon-bore after firing. A sponger is one who uses a sponge to clean the bore of a cannon.

  sponging house A detention center for debtors, preceding removal to a debtor’s prison.

  Spoom To run before the sea or wind; to SCUD.

  spoonbill Any of various long-legged wading birds of the widely distributed genus Platalea, which have long spoon-shaped bills.

  spoondrift Spray blown from waves by a violent wind and moving along the surface of the sea. Now also known as spindrift.

  spotted dog or spotted dick A suet pudding containing currants (the spots) and cooked to a firm consistency in a tightly wrapped pudding cloth.

  sprigged Adorned or ornamented with a representation of plant sprigs.

  spring To split or crack a SPAR; to injure by excess strain. A vessel is said “to spring a butt” when a plank is loosened at the end. Also, in MOORing, the spring lines are the ropes from the BOW of a ship aft to a BOLLARD and from the STERN forward to a bollard, one or the other also being useful in disembarking to help maneuver one end of the ship away from the QUAY. Also, a line made fast at one end to the anchor or CABLE and at the other to the ship’s QUARTER, so that by HAULing on it the ship can be brought broadside to the anchor.

  springbok A gazelle (Antdorcas marsupialis) common in southern Africa that is known for its habit of springing almost directly upward when excited or disturbed.

  springstay Smaller STAYS placed above the mainstays and intended to serve as temporary substitutes if the mainstays are shot away in battle. Also, spare MAST stays kept on ships-of-war to replace any shot away in action.

  spritsail A four-sided FORE-AND-AFT sail carried on a long SPAR that reaches from the foot of a MAST diagonally across the sail to its upper outer corner.

  spruce-beer A fermented beverage made with an extract obtained from spruce needles and branches, and molasses or sugar.

  sprung Of a ship timber or SPAR, cracked, split, or warped loose. See also SPRING.

  spunk-box A tinderbox or matchbox.

  spunyarn A line of two or more rope-yarns loosely twisted together, used for a variety of purposes on board ship, including for SEIZING and preserving rope.

  squadron A division of a fleet forming one body under the command of a FLAG-OFFICER. The British Navy was divided into three squadrons—the red, the blue, and the white—which in turn were subdivided into sections—the van, the middle, and the rear. Also, a detachment of warships on some special duty. See also ADMIRAL.

  square To set up in harbor TRIM by laying the YARDS at right angles to the KEEL via the BRACES and to the MAST by trimming with the lifts.

  square leg In cricket, a fieldsman’s position in which he is square with the wicket to be able to stop balls hit to leg, that part of the on side of the field that lies behind, or approximately in line with, the batsman.

  square-rigged Said of a vessel with YARDS and sails set across the MASTS, as opposed to a FORE-AND-AFT rigged craft.

  squeaker A child.

  squib A small firecracker. A damp squib is something that fails to deliver; an anticlimax, a disappointment.

  squill The bulb of the sea onion (Urginea maritima), native to southern Europe and used chiefly as a diuretic medicine.

  squireen A petty squire; a landowner of little property, or a country gentleman, especially in Ireland. Also, a pejorative for a squire too big for his breeches.

  stag-beetle A beetle of the genus Lucanus, the males of which have large and often branched mandibles resembling the horns of a stag.

  staging Scaffolding.

  stanchions The posts that support the guardrail on the UPPER DECK. Longer versions are used to support an awning in hot weather and sometimes to support a light deck. Also, a rough log used as a pillar in the ship’s hold.

  stand Of a vessel, to hold a course for, as in to stand to sea or to stand into harbor.

  standish A stand containing writing materials. An inkstand; also, an inkpot.

  starboard The right-hand side of a vessel when facing the BOW (as opposed to the LARBOARD, or port, side). The starboard side of a ship was traditionally reserved for the Captain, who took his exercise on the starboard side of the POOP DECK or QUARTERDECK. The word “starboard” derives from “steer board,” in early ships a paddle used for steering that was located on this side.

  starbowlins or starbolins The men of the STARBOARD WATCH.

  stargazer In a SQUARE-RIGGED ship, a small sail set above the SKYSCRAPER to maximize the power gained from a light wind.

  start To ease away. To start a SHEET means to give it some slack. To start an anchor means to make it lose its ground-hold. Also, to flog with a rope’s end or cane, a practice used to prod seamen to work harder, which was outlawed by ADMIRALTY order in 1809.

  stateroom A captain’s or superior officer’s room on board ship.

  station, naval A naval station consisted of at least one safe harbor for naval and merchant operations, with a dockyard and a place for launching military expeditions. The British Empire’s naval stations were: Downs, North Sea and Baltic; English Channel and Coast of France; Jersey and Guernsey; Irish; Spain, Portugal, and Gibraltar; Mediterranean; Coast of Africa; Halifax and Newfoundland; West Indies; South America; Cape of Good Hope and Southward; East Indies.

  stave Each of the thin strips of wood that together form the side of a cask, barrel, or similar vessel. A rung. To stave is to break up into staves or pieces, or to puncture and let out the contents. To stave in is to smash, crush inward, break a hole in, as “to stave in a boat.” Also, a musical staff or a verse or a stanza, as of a poem.

  stay Part of the standing RIGGING. A large strong rope that supports a MAST, either FORE or AFT. Stays that lead forward are called forestays and those that lead down to rear are called backstays. Stays are named according to the mast they support, as in forestay or mainstay. A ship is “in stays” when her BOW is directly turned to windward when TACK ing. A ship is said to miss stays when she fails in the attempt to go about from one tack to another.

  staysail (pronounced “stays’l”) A triangular FORE-AND-AFT sail HOISTed upon a STAY and taking its name from the stay, such as the MAIN TOPMAST staysail.

  steel A synonym for iron used in medicines, in the form of either iron filings or, more commonly, ferrous sulfate or other inorganic iro
n salts. Prescribed chiefly to stimulate the circulation but also for other effects.

  Steel’s Navy List Officially Steel’s Original and Correct List of the Royal Navy, first published in 1780. By 1800 the publication served as a complete directory of British maritime activities.

  steelyard A balance consisting of a lever with unequal arms in which the article to be weighed is suspended from the shorter arm, and a counterweight moves along the calibrated longer arm until equilibrium is produced.

  steep-to Said of a shore that drops off almost vertically with virtually no shoaling, allowing a vessel to come directly up to the land in relatively deep water.

  steep-tub A large tub in which salt provisions are soaked, or steeped, before being cooked.

  steerage-way A vessel is said to have steerage way when she is moving fast enough for her RUDDER to be useful for steering. When the vessel loses steerage-way, she no longer answers her HELM.

  steeve The angle of a BOWSPRIT above the horizontal; to incline upward at an angle instead of lying horizontally. Also, to set a bowsprit at an inclination.

  steganopod A bird having webbed toes, such as the pelican, cormorant, FRIGATE-BIRD, and GANNET.

  steinbock or steinbok or steenbok An African antelope (Raphicerus campestris). Also, the ibex (Capra ibex) of western Europ

  stem The curved upright BOW timber of a vessel, into which the planks of the bow are joined. From stem to STERN: from one end to the other. To stem the tide is to make headway in sailing against the tide, current, or wind.

  stern The after, or rear, end of a vessel.

  Sterna A genus of seabirds akin to the gull but with a slenderer body, long pointed wings, and a forked tail.

  sternboard A way to turn a ship when there is not enough room to do so in a forward direction. The HELM is reversed and the sails are BACKED so that the BOW moves in the desired direction. Also, the usually undesired result when the sails are taken ABACK as a vessel is TACKing.

  stern-chaser A gun, often a LONG NINE-pounder, mounted at the STERN of a warship and used to impede a chasing vessel, especially by damaging her sails and RIGGING.