chafing gear
- noun
- /ˈtʃeɪfɪŋ ɡɪr/
- Jargon
- To prevent wear from friction, always use chafing gear on your sailboat lines.
Examples
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Ensure the chafing gear is properly secured to prevent damage to the mooring lines.
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Worn chafing gear should be replaced to maintain the integrity of the equipment.
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The sailors added extra chafing gear to the ropes near the dock.
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The sailor checked the chafing gear before setting sail.
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You should replace the chafing gear regularly.
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The sailor wrapped the chafing gear around the edge of the spar to protect it during rough seas.
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Before setting off, she ensured each line was covered with chafing gear to avoid damage over time.
Synonyms
Things you use for a certain activity, like hiking or sports
Surface Forms
Morphology
A learner who knows 'chafing' (rubbing/soreness from friction) and 'gear' (equipment) can infer this is equipment related to chafing, so the basic relation is compositional. However, the precise sense — a specialized protective covering used on lines or spars in nautical contexts to prevent wear — is domain-specific and not fully predictable from the constituents alone, so it is only partially transparent.
Etymology
Chafing gear is named from chafing, meaning 'rubbing' that wears things away, and gear for equipment. Sailors wrap canvas or extra rope around a line where it rubs on a dock or post so the rope will not wear out. That's why chafing gear means material used to protect a line from rubbing and damage.