The Sailor's Word-Book Part 211

SCORPIO. The eighth sign of the zodiac, which the sun enters about the 22d of October. a Scorpii, _Antares_; a nautical star.

SCOT, OR SHOT. Anglo-Saxon _sceat_. A share of anything; a contribution in fair proportion.

SCOTCHMAN. A piece of stiff hide, or batten of wood, placed over the backstays fore-swifter of the shrouds, &c., so as to secure the standing rigging from being chafed. Perhaps so called from the scotch or notch where the seizing is pa.s.sed.

SCOTCH MIST. Mizzle, or small soaking rain.

SCOTCH PRIZE. A mistake; worse than no prize, or one liable to hamper the captors with heavy law expenses.

SCOTIA. Carved mouldings and grooves.

SCOUR A BEACH, TO. To pour a quick flanking fire along it, in order to dislodge an enemy.

SCOURER, OR SCOURING-STICK. Spring-searcher. An implement to clean the interior of musket barrels.

SCOURGE. A name of the boatswain's cat.

SCOUR THE SEAS, TO. To infest the ocean as a pirate.

SCOUSE. A dish made of pounded biscuit and salt beef cut into small pieces, boiled up with seasoning. (_See_ LOBSCOUSE.)

SCOUTS. Small vessels of war for especial service. (_See_ SKOUTS.) Also, intelligent men sent in advance to discover the enemy, and give an account of his force.

SCOW. A large flat-bottomed boat, used either as a lighter, or for ferrying.

SCOW-BANKER. A manager of a scow. Also, a contemptuous term for a lubberly fellow.

SCOWRING. The cleansing and clearing a harbour by back-water, or otherwise. Also an old term for tropical flux or dysentery.

SCRABBLE. A badly written log. This term is used by the translators of the Bible at David's feigned madness, when he "scrabbled on the doors of the gate."

SCRABER. The puffinet, _Colymbus grille_. (_See_ GREENLAND DOVE.)

Sc.r.a.pER [from the Anglo-Saxon _screope_]. A small triangular iron instrument, having two or three sharp edges. It is used to sc.r.a.pe the s.h.i.+p's side or decks after caulking, or to clean the top-masts, &c. This is usually followed by a varnish of turpentine, or a mixture of tar and oil, to protect the wood from the weather. Also, metaphorically, a c.o.c.ked hat, whether s.h.i.+pped fore-and-aft or worn athwart-s.h.i.+ps.

SCRATCH-RACE. A boat-race where the crews are drawn by lot.

SCRAWL. The young of the dog-crab, or a poor sort of crab itself.

SCREEN-BERTH. Pieces of canvas temporarily hung round a berth, for warmth and privacy. (_See_ BERTH.)

SCREW-DOCK. _See_ GRIDIRON.

SCREW-GAMMONING FOR THE BOWSPRIT. A chain or plate fastened by a screw, to secure a vessel's bowsprit to the stem-head, allowing for the tricing up of the bowsprit when required.

SCREW-PROPELLER. A valuable subst.i.tute for the c.u.mbersome paddle-wheels as a motive-power for steam-vessels: the Archimedean screw plying under water, and hidden by the counter, communicates motion in the direction of its axis to a vessel, by working against the resisting medium of water. (_See_ TWIN-SCREW.)

SCREWS. Powerful machines for lifting large bodies. (_See_ BED, BARREL, and JACK SCREWS.)

SCREW-WELL. A hollow trunk over the screw of a steamer, for allowing the propeller to be disconnected and lifted when required.

SCRIMP. Scant. A word used in the north; as, a scrimp wind, a very light breeze.

SCRIVANO. A clerk or writer; a name adopted in our early s.h.i.+ps from the _Portuguese_ or _Spanish_.

SCROLL-HEAD. A slightly curved piece of timber bolted to the knees of the head, in place of a figure: finished off by a volute turning outwards, contrary to the _fiddle-head_.

SCROVIES. An old name given to the worthless men picked up by crimps, and sent on board as A.B.'s.

SCRUFF. The matter adhering to the bottoms of foul vessels.

SCUD. The low misty cloud. It appears to fly faster than others because it is very near the earth's surface. When scud is abundant, showers may be expected.--_To scud._ To run before a gale under canvas enough to keep the vessel ahead of the sea: as, for instance, a close-reefed main top-sail and fore-sail; without canvas she is said to scud under _bare poles_, and is very likely to be p.o.o.ped. When a vessel makes a sudden and precipitate flight, she is said to scud away.--_Scud like a 'Mudian._ Be off in a hurry.

SCUDO. A coin of Italy, varying in value in the different provinces.

SCUFFLE. A confused and disorderly contention--

"Then friends and foes to battle they goes; But what they all fights about--n.o.body knows."

SCULL. A short oar of such length that a pair of them, one on each side, are conveniently managed by a single rower sitting in the middle of the boat. Also, a light metal-helmet worn in our early fleet.--_To scull._ To row a boat with a pair of sculls. Also, to propel a boat by a particular method of managing a single oar over the boat's stern, and reversing the blade each time. It is in fact the half-stroke of the screw rapidly reversed, and closely resembles the propelling power of the horizontal tail of the whale.

SCULPTURES. The carved decorations of the head, stern, and quarter of an old s.h.i.+p-of-war. Also, the copper plates which "adorned" the former books of voyages and travels.

Sc.u.m OF THE SEA. The refuse seen on the line of tidal change; the drift sent off by the ebbing tide. Or (in the neighbourhood of the rains), the fresh water running on the surface of the salt and carrying with it a line of foam bearing numerous sickly gelatinous marine animals, and physaliae, commonly called Portuguese men-of-war, affected by the fresh water and other small things often met with on the surface sea.

Sc.u.m-O'-THE-SKY. Thin atmospheric vapours.

SCUPPER-HOSE. A canvas leathern pipe or tube nailed round the outside of the scuppers of the lower decks, which prevents the water from discolouring the s.h.i.+p's sides.

SCUPPER-LEATHER. A flap-valve nailed over a scupper-hole, serving to keep water from getting in, yet letting it out.

SCUPPER-NAILS. Short nails with very broad flat heads, used to nail the flaps of the scuppers, so as to retain the hose under them: they are also used for battening tarpaulins and other general purposes.

SCUPPER-PLUGS. Are used to close the scuppers in-board.

SCUPPERS. Round apertures cut through the water ways and sides of a s.h.i.+p at proper distances, and lined with metal, in order to carry the water off the deck into the sea.

SCUPPER-SHOOTS. Metal or wooden tubes which carry the water from the decks of frigates to the sea-level.

SCURRY. Perhaps from the Anglo-Saxon _scur_, a heavy shower, a sudden squall. It now means a hurried movement; it is more especially applied to seals or penguins taking to the water in fright.

SCUTTLE. A small hole or port cut either in the deck or side of a s.h.i.+p, generally for ventilation. That in the deck is a small hatchway.

SCUTTLE, TO. To cut or bore holes through part of a s.h.i.+p when she is stranded or over-set, and continues to float, in order to save any part of her contents. Also, a trick too often practised by boring holes below water, to sink a s.h.i.+p, where fict.i.tious cargo is embarked and the vessel insured beyond her value. (_See_ BARRATRY.)

SCUTTLE OR SCUTTLED b.u.t.t. A cask having a square piece sawn out of its bilge and lashed in a convenient place to hold water for present use.

SCUTTLE-HATCH. A lid or hatch for covering and closing the scuttles when necessary.