The Sailor's Word-Book Part 226

SNOOK. A fish of the family _s...o...b..idae_, _Thyrsites atun_, abundant in Table Bay, whence it is exported, when salted, to the Mauritius.

SNOTTER. The lower support of the _sprit_ (which see).

SNOW. A vessel formerly much in use. It differs slightly from a brig. It has two masts similar to the main and fore masts of a s.h.i.+p, and close abaft the main-mast a trysail-mast. Snows differ only from brigs in that the boom-mainsail is hooped to the main-mast in the brig, and traverses on the trysail-mast in the snow.

SNUBBING HER. Bringing a s.h.i.+p up suddenly with an anchor, and short range of cable, yet without jerking. [Said to be from the Icelandic _snubba_.]

SNUG. Under proper sail to meet a gale.

SNY. A gentle bend in timber, curving upwards: when it curves downwards, it is said to _hang_.

SO! An order to desist temporarily from hauling upon a rope, when it has come to its right position.

SOAK AND SEND! The order to pa.s.s wet swabs along.

SOAM. The dried air-bladder of herrings.

SOCKETS. The holes in which swivel-pintles, or the capstan or windla.s.s spindles move.

SOD-BANK. A peculiar effect of refraction sometimes seen in calm weather, showing all objects on the water multiplied or magnified. A poor name for a fine phenomenon.

SOFT-LAES. A term on our northern coast for the small coves and bays formed by the waves on the more friable parts of cliffs.

SOFT-PLANK. Picking a soft plank in the deck, is choosing an easy berth.

(_See_ PLANK IT.)

SOFT TOMMY, OR SOFT TACK. Loaves of bread served out instead of biscuit.

SOLAN-GOOSE. The gannet, _Sula ba.s.sana_, a well-known sea fowl, frequenting the coasts of many countries in the northern hemisphere in the summer to lay its eggs, and then migrating.

SOLANO. An oppressive wind, blowing from Africa into the Mediterranean; synonymous with _sirocco_.

SOLAR DAY. Is the interval which elapses between two successive meridian transits of the sun, and is the unit of time in common use.

SOLAR SPECTRUM. The coloured image of the sun produced by refraction through a prism.

SOLAR SPOTS. _See_ MACULae.

SOLAR SYSTEM. The sun, planets, and comets, which are a.s.sumed to form a system, independent of the surrounding fixed stars.

SOLDIER. One that has enlisted to serve his government in peace or war; receiving pay, and subject to the Mutiny Act and Articles of War.

SOLDIER-CRAB. A name for the _hermit-crab_ (which see).

SOLDIER'S WIND. One which serves either way; allowing a pa.s.sage to be made without much nautical ability.

SOLE. A common flat-fish, _Solea vulgaris_. Also, the decks of the cabin and forecastle in some s.h.i.+ps, respectively called the _cabin_ and _forecastle soles_. Also, the lining of the bilge-ways, rudder, and the like.

SOLENT SEA. The old name of the narrow strait between Hamps.h.i.+re and the Isle of Wight.

SOLE OF A GUN-PORT. The lower part of it, more properly called _port-sill_.

SOLE OF THE RUDDER. A piece of timber attached to its lower part to render it nearly level with the false keel.

SOLLERETS. Pieces of steel which formed part of the armour for the feet.

SOLSTICES. The epochs when the sun pa.s.ses through the solst.i.tial points.

SOLSt.i.tIAL COLURE. A great circle pa.s.sing through the poles and solst.i.tial points.

SOLSt.i.tIAL POINTS. The two points where the tropics meet the ecliptic, in longitude 90 and 270.

SOMA. A j.a.pan junk of burden.

SONG. The call of soundings by the leadsman in the channels. Songs are also used to aid the men in keeping time when pulling on a rope, where a fife is not available. They are very common in merchant s.h.i.+ps. The whalers have an improvised song when cutting docks in the ice in Arctic seas.

SON OF A GUN. An epithet conveying contempt in a slight degree, and originally applied to boys born afloat, when women were permitted to accompany their husbands to sea; one admiral declared he literally was thus cradled, under the breast of a gun-carriage.

SOPS. A northern term for small detached clouds, hanging about the sides of a mountain.

SORT. "That's your sort," means approval of a deed.

SORTIE. _See_ SALLY.

SOUGH. An old northern term for the distant surging of the sea; a hollow murmur or howling, or the moaning of the wind before a gale.

SOUND [Anglo-Saxon, _sund_]. An arm of the sea over the whole extent of which soundings may be obtained, as on the coasts of Norway and America.

Also, any deep bay formed and connected by reefs and sand-banks. On the sh.o.r.es of Scotland it means a narrow channel or strait. Also, the air-bladder of the cod, and generally the swimming-bladder or "soundes of any fysshes." Also, a cuttle-fish.

SOUND, VELOCITY OF. May be freely a.s.sumed at nearly 1142 feet in a second of time, when not affected by the temperature or wind; subject to corrections when great accuracy is required.

SOUND DUES. A toll formerly levied by the Danes on all merchant vessels pa.s.sing the sound or strait between the North Sea and the Baltic.

SOUNDING. The operation of ascertaining the depth of the sea, and the quality of the ground, by means of a lead and line, sunk from a s.h.i.+p to the bottom, where some of the ooze or sand adheres to the tallow in the hollow base of the lead. Also, the vertical diving of a whale when struck. It is supposed to strike the bottom, and will take 3 or 4 coils of whale-line, equal to 2000 feet.

SOUNDING-LEAD. _See_ LEAD.

SOUNDING-LINE. This line, with a plummet, is mentioned by Lucilius; and was the _sund-gyrd_ of the Anglo-Saxons.

SOUNDING-ROD. A slight rod of iron marked with feet and inches, which being let down by a line in a groove of the side of the pump, indicates what water there is in the well, and consequently whether the s.h.i.+p requires pumping out or not.

SOUNDINGS. To be in soundings implies being so near the land that a deep-sea lead will reach the bottom, which is seldom practicable in the ocean. As soundings may, however, be obtained at enormous depths, and at great distances from the land, the term is limited in common parlance to parts not far from the sh.o.r.e, and where the depth is about 80 or 100 fathoms. Also, a name given to the specimen of the ground brought up adhering to the tallow stuck upon the base of the deep-sea lead, and distinguis.h.i.+ng the nature of the bottom, as sand, sh.e.l.ls, ooze, &c.

SOUNDLESS. Places a.s.sumed formerly to be bottomless, but thousands of fathoms are now measured. Our elders little thought of a submarine telegraph across the Atlantic Ocean!

SOURCE. The spring or origin of a stream or river, or at least one of the tributaries of supply.

SOURS. An old word for a rise, or rapid ascent.