marlinspike
1
9.9
- noun
- /ˈmɑr.lɪnˌspaɪk/
- Specialized
Examples
-
These two were the only knots that he ever knew; they were the extent of his knowledge of marlinspike seamanship.
Academic text (1997) -
He saw the Yorktown unblemished, clean, marlinspike.
Fiction book (1994) -
Moxie Marlinspike and David Hulton's Divide and Conquer
Blog text (32) -
The very thing for driving marlinspikes... knocking sense into green seamen's heads... and particularly good for tapping kegs of rum... if you get my meaning, Captain.
-
A marlinspike, a crowned nassa, a branched murex, a lined bullia, small voyagers navigating the current-packed ridges of sand.
Fiction book (2001) -
The sailor expertly used a marlinspike to splice the thick ropes together.
-
When preparing the boat, he reached for the marlinspike to separate the cable strands.
-
She always kept a marlinspike on hand for any splicing tasks that needed to be done.
Synonyms
1
9.9
A pointed metal tool for separating rope strands when joining ropes
A pointed metal tool used to separate rope strands before joining them
Surface Forms
Morphology
marlinspike = marline + spike (semi-transparent) = marline +
Formed from 'marline' (an obscure sailor's term) + 'spike'; while 'spike' is clear, the first element is rare and may be mistaken for the fish 'marlin'.
Etymology
Marlinspike comes from the old sea word marline, meaning 'small rope' or twine, plus spike, meaning 'pointed tool'. So a marlinspike is the pointed tool sailors use to separate strands and splice rope.