effluxes (or effluences), theory of _ Philosophy Theory associated with Greek atomism and its revival in the corpuscularian philosophy of the 17th century as well as by non-atomists like Empedocles (5th century BC).
It holds that objects continually emit films from their surfaces, which cause them to be perceived, much as we ourselves might explain smell. Lucretius (1st century BC) also uses the theory to explain dreams and imagination, and thought in general.
– Dictionary of Theories
INEQUALITY, SECULAR. _ A small irregularity in the motion of planets, which becomes important only after a long lapse of years. The great inequality of Jupiter and Saturn is a variation of their orbital positions, caused by the disturbing action of one planet on the other.
– The Sailor’s Word Book
vates: Latin: “prophet.” From earliest times, the poet has often been considered a seer or vates, divinely inspired, and his pronouncements have been accorded the status of prophecy. Vergil, for example, was believed to have predicted the future literally in his Fourth Ecologue, which celebrated the birth of a child who was to bring back the Age of Gold. For hundreds of years the poem was read as a pagan prophecy of the birth of Christ and Vergil held to be a vates.
– Literary Terms: A Dictionary
pinnace, small and fast warship employed in the sixteenth century for scouting and dispatch duties.
– The Dictionary of Nautical Literacy
verjuice _ The sour juice of green or unripe grapes, crab apples, or other fruit, especially when made into an acidic liquor. This liquor was once much used in cooking, as a condiment, and for medicinal purposes.
– A Sea of Words : A Lexicon and Companion for Patrick O’Brian’s Seafaring Tales
TACKLE, … a machine formed by the communication of a rope with an assemblage of blocks, and known in mechanics by the name of pulley.
Tackles are used in a ship to raise, remove, or secure weighty bodies; to support the masts; or to extend the sails and rigging.
TAIL-BLOCK, a small single block, having a short piece of rope attached to it, by which it may be fastened to any object at pleasure; either for convenience, or to increase the force applied to the said object, as explained in the first part of the article tackle.
– Wm. Falconer’s Dictionary of the Marine (1780).
tanglefoot any alcoholic drink. Refers to the effect alcohol can have on one’s ability to walk. [colloquial, mid 1800s to pres.]
– Slang and Euphemism
ostler _ One who attends to horses at an inn; a stable hand or groom.
– A Sea of Words : A Lexicon and Companion for Patrick O’Brian’s Seafaring Tales
nub 1. to hang by the neck until dead. “Nub” is a cant word for “neck.” [cant, late 1600s] Synonyms and related terms: CARNIFICATE, CLIMB THE STALK, DANCE UPON NOTHING, DANGLE, DIE IN ONE’S SHOES, GO UP A LADDER TO BED, IN DEADLY SUSPENSE, JERK TO JESUS, KICK THE CLOUDS, LEAP FROM THE LEAFLESS, NECK, PATIBULATE, SCRAG, SHAKE A CLOTH IN THE WIND, STRETCH, TOP, TOTTER, TRINE, TUCK, TWIST.
– Slang and Euphemism
DOXY
A mistress, paramour, or prostitute.
The word’s ultimate origin is uncertain but the Oxford English Dictionary suggests a connection with dock meaning ‘buttocks’ or ‘tail’. As a verb dock originally meant to cut off a tail, a sense that we still preserve when we talk of docking a horse’s or dog’s tail. (The more general idea of cutting or reducing, as when we talk of docking someone’s pay is a later extension of this idea.)
– Wordsworth Dictionary of Obscenity and Taboo
