Search the Dictionary

oakum into the seams between the planks of (a ship, boat, etc.), to prevent leaking. The calking is completed by smearing the seams with melted pitch.

One who calks.

A calk on a shoe. See Calk, n., 1.

The act or process of making seems tight, as in ships, or of furnishing with calks, as a shoe, or copying, as a drawing. Calking iron, a tool like a chisel, used in calking ships, tightening seams in ironwork, etc. Their left hand does the calking iron guide. Dryden.

See 2d Calk, v. t.

See Cawk, Calker.

See Calk.

See Calker.

oakum into (seams or chinks) with a chisel , the point of a knife, or a chinsing iron; to calk slightly. Chinsing iron, a light calking iron.

A small stage hung over a vessel's side, for workmen to stand on in calking, etc.

To roughen or sharpen, as the nail heads or calks of horseshoes, so as to fit them for frosty weather.

A small or shallow tub; esp., one used for holding materials for calking ships, or one used for washing dishes, etc.

A tool somewhat like a chisel with a groove in it, used by calkers of ships to finish the seams after the oakum has been driven in.

The process of picking out the oakum from the seams of a vessel which is to be recalked. Meaking iron (Naut.), the tool with which old oakum is picked out of a vessel's seams.

material obtained by untwisting and picking into loose fiber old hemp ropes; -- used for calking the seams of ships, stopping leaks, etc.

thick, black, lustrous, and sticky substance obtained by boiling down tar. It is used in calking the seams of ships; also in coating rope, canvas, wood, ironwork, etc., to preserve them. He that toucheth pitch shall be defiled therewith. Ecclus. xiii. 1.

A string of oakum used in calking.

To open (the seams of a vessel's planking) for the purpose of calking them. Reeming iron (Naut.), an iron chisel for reeming the seams of planks in calking ships.

Shod with shoes armed with points or calks; as, a roughshod horse. To ride roughshod, to pursue a course regardless of the pain or distress it may cause others.

To render impervious or solid by driving with a calking iron; as, to stave lead, or the joints of pipes into which lead has been run. To stave and tail, in bear baiting, (to stave) to interpose with the staff, doubtless to stop the bear; (to tail) to hold back the dog by the tail. Nares.