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Extent of superficies or volume; bulk; bigness; magnitude; as, the size of a tree or of a mast; the size of a ship or of a rock.

ly the whole substance of the web filed away, to adapt it to avoid the wards of a lock; a master key; -- used for opening locks to which it has not been especially fitted. -- Skeleton leaf, a leaf from which the pulpy part has been removed by chemical means, the fibrous part alone remaining. -- Skeleton proof, a proo…

The master of a fishing or small trading vessel; hence, the master, or captain, of any vessel.

nea. -- Slave catcher, one who attempted to catch and bring back a fugitive slave to his master. -- Slave coast, part of the western coast of Africa to which slaves were brought to be sold to foreigners. -- Slave driver, one who superintends slaves at their work; hence, figuratively, a cruel taskmaster. -- Slave hu…

face of another, as distinguished from rolling friction. -- Sliding gunter (Naut.), a topmast arranged with metallic fittings so as to be hoisted and lowered by means of halyards. -- Sliding keel (Naut), a movable keel, similar to a centeboard. -- Sliding pair. (Mech.) See the Note under Pair, n., 7. -- Sliding rul…

A vessel having one mast and fore-and-aft rig, consisting of a boom-and-gaff mainsail, jibs, staysail, and gaff topsail. The typical sloop has a fixed bowsprit, topmast, and standing rigging, while those of a cutter are capable of being readily shifted. The sloop usually carries a centerboard, and depends for stability…

To smear with slush or grease; as, to slush a mast.

To break short, or at once; to part asunder suddenly; as, a mast snaps; a needle snaps. But this weapon will snap short, unfaithful to the hand that employs it. Burke.

A square-rigged vessel, differing from a brig only in that she has a trysail mast close abaft the mainmast, on which a large trysail is hoisted.

king predictions. A damsel, possessed with a spirit of divination . . . which brought her masters much gain by soothsaying. Acts xvi. 16.

of horses when similar in color, form, and action. Span blocks (Naut.), blocks at the topmast and topgallant-mast heads, for the studding-sail halyards. -- Span counter, an old English child's game, in which one throws a counter on the ground, and another tries to hit it with his counter, or to get his counter so nea…

A general term any round piece of timber used as a mast, yard, boom, or gaff.

To play the spark, beau, or lover. A sure sign that his master was courting, or, as it is termed, sparking, within. W. Irwing.

n an undertaking; favorable issue; success. "For common speed." Chaucer. O Lord God of my master Abraham, I pray thee, send me good speed this day. Gen. xxiv. 12.

rried on by one person or gang relieving another; as, a spellat the pumps; a spell at the masthead. A spell at the wheel isc called a trick. Ham. Nav. Encyc.

A fore-and-aft sail, abaft the foremast or the mainmast, hoisted upon a small supplementary mast and set with a gaff and no boom; a trysail carried at the foremast or mainmast; -- named after its inventor, Knight Spencer, of England [1802]. Spencer mast, a small mast just abaft the foremast or mainmast, for hoisting th…

m wood, bone, or other solid substance; a thin piece; a sliver; as, splinters of a ship's mast rent off by a shot.

ation; -- called also spotted lens. -- Spot rump (Zoöl.), the Hudsonian godwit (Limosa hæmastica). -- Spots on the sun. (Astron.) See Sun spot, ander Sun. -- On, or Upon, the spot, immediately; before moving; without changing place. It was determined upon the spot. Swift.

To crack or split; to bend or strain so as to weaken; as, to spring a mast or a yard.

A small boom, pole, or spar, which crosses the sail of a boat diagonally from the mast to the upper aftmost corner, which it is used to extend and elevate.