blow the grampus

There was the goggle-eyed daughter a blowing the Grampus with the platter-faced planter, whenever he caulked [slept] upon deck; […]

1829, William Nugent Glascock, Sailors and Saints: Or Matrimonial Manœvres, page 179:

"[…] why then we must blow the grampus."
He then discharged the contents of the water-jug on her face and neck, and she opened her eyes, and would have screamed, had not the prompt Horatio clapped his hand over her mouth.

1840, Edward Howard, Jack Ashore, page 127:

(nautical, slang, obsolete) To throw water on a sleeping person, generally as a practical joke.


ground signal

(rail transport) A dwarf railway signal, mounted close to the ground.


crane engine

Great Western Railway 0-6-4 pannier-tank crane engine No. 18, "Steropes" built in 1903, at Swindon in September, 1927

1951 October, H. C. Casserley, “Crane Engines”, in Railway Magazine, page 660, photo caption:

crane locomotive
crane locomotive#English

(rail transport, obsolete) Synonym of crane locomotive.


carshop

(railways) A workshop for building and repairing railway carriages.


rear wheel

(automotive, vehicles) Any wheel located at the back of a motor vehicle.


siderod

I recall in particular the amazing speed of the siderods of our elegant little Caledonian 4-6-0 and the vivid contrast between its polished blue livery and the red-funnelled mail steamers and white-hulled yachts crowding Oban Bay; […].

1951 October, R. S. McNaught, “Lines of Approach”, in Railway Magazine, page 705:

(rail transport) A coupling rod on each side of a locomotive.


front wheel

(automotive, vehicles) Any wheel located at the front of a motor vehicle.


road service

Unfortunately, even in the palmiest days of the old Cockermouth, Keswick & Penrith Railway Company, passengers were few and far between at Troutbeck, and since the advent of the motor bus road services they are rarer than ever, and never likely to increase.

1951 October, “Notes and News: The Harmonium at Troutbeck”, in Railway Magazine, page 709:

(transport) A service provided by a vehicle, such as a bus, along roads, as opposed to a rail service, a service by train.


disk wheel

(automotive) A wheel consisting of a solid convex or concave surface extending from its hub to rim.


open-wheel

(vehicles, automotive, motor racing) Referring to a vehicle in which the wheels are outside the vehicle's main body, and usually having only one seat.


smokeplate

An unusual mishap on the Deeside line is described by Mr. C. J. Bowller. He writes that as the Class "B12" 4-6-0 No.1552 was entering Banchory Station on August 27, one of the smokeplates of the footbridge became detached, and struck the boiler of the engine, damaging the safety valves, and the roof of the cab.

1951 October, “Notes and News: Locomotive Notes: Scottish Region”, in Railway Magazine, page 715:

(rail transport, obsolete) A plate fitted to the underside of a footbridge deck to deflect the smoke from a steam locomotive passing underneath.


barrow crossing

en-noun

barrow crossing (plural barrow crossings)

As the ends of the up and down platforms are not opposite each other, it is not possible to provide the ordinary type of barrow crossing, and the full churns were too heavy to be man-handled up and down the stairs of the footbridge.

1951 October, “The Why and the Wherefore: Milk Platform at Beccles”, in Railway Magazine, page 717:

(rail transport, UK) A crossing provided between railway platforms across the tracks at rail level, originally for movement of barrows loaded with parcels, mailbags, etc. from one platform to another. Many have now been removed, but some have been retained for use by passengers, especially wheelchair users. Originally crossings were boarded, but paving is now used.


braking time

(automotive, vehicles) The approximate duration of time required for a vehicle to come to a complete stop after applying the brakes.


lve.

(transport) Abbreviation of leave (“depart”).


gaff-rigged

(nautical) Of a sailing vessel, constructed with one or more gaff sails.


stays'l

"Guess she'd lie easier under stays'l, Salters," said Disko, as though he had seen nothing.

1897, Rudyard Kipling, Captains Courageous:


mains'l

Bend, oh, bend your mains'l, we're back to Yankeeland

1896 November – 1897 May, Rudyard Kipling, “Captains Courageous”, Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday & Company, published 1897, →OCLC:


actual flying time

actual flying time (countable and uncountable, plural actual flying times)

(business, travel, aviation) The total amount of time that an aircraft is in the air, excluding its time on the ground.


traffic stop

(law, automotive) A temporary detention of a driver of a vehicle and its occupants by police to investigate a possible crime or a minor violation of the law.


LOFR

Coordinate term: LOF

(automotive) Initialism of lube, oil and filter (change) and (tyre) rotation.


riding-bitts

riding-bitts pl (normally plural, singular riding-bitt)

(nautical) The bitts to which a ship's cable is secured when riding at anchor.


cruising lane

(automotive) On a multilane road, the right lane, intended for driving at a slower pace.


high-occupancy vehicle lane

high-occupancy vehicle lane (plural high-occupancy vehicle lanes)

(road transport, automotive) A restricted traffic lane reserved for the exclusive use of vehicles with a driver and at least one passenger, including carpools, vanpools, and transit buses.


long sell

en-verb

long sell (third-person singular simple present long sells, present participle long selling, simple past and past participle long sold)

long sells (present singular third-person)
long selling (participle present)
long sold (participle past)
long sold (past)

(transitive, ditransitive, intransitive, aviation, travel, dated) (in a GDS) To reserve a flight by typing the required computer commands with the itinerary details together and entering the command once, rather than selecting from displayed availability.


monohedron

The beginner may be confused by old hands learnedly discussing the rival merits of monohedron and warped bottoms, so this matter will be cleared up first.

1961, John Teal, Fast Boats; a Guide to Speed Under Sail and Power, page 34:

(nautical) A type of hull that has a constant deadrise.


foregaff

Schooner Gracie M. Filer lost foregaff in a blow on Lake Michigan.

1880, United States. Army. Signal Corps, Annual Report (page 744)

The foresail went over with a bang, and the foregaff stabbed and ripped through the stay-sail, which, was of course, prevented from going over by the mainstay.

(nautical) The gaff (spar that controls a gaff-rigged sail) that controls a gaff-rigged foresail.


track width

(automotive) Synonym of track (the distance between two opposite wheels on a same axletree).


porous portal

The Down line portal will measure 220 metres in length, while the Up line portal will be 135 metres long. Known as 'porous portals', they will (as the name suggests) be punctuated with holes. These holes or vents slow the build-up of pressure created by trains within the tunnels. The resulting pressure wave, if left unchecked, can produce a phenomenon known as 'tunnel boom', which is created by the piston effect. Porous portals have been used on other high-speed rail networks in Japan and France, but this is the first time they are being used in the UK.

2024 March 20, Chris Howe, “High speed underneath the Chilterns...”, in RAIL, number 1005, page 33:

(rail transport) A type of extended and perforated tunnel portal on high-speed railways, designed to reduce the build-up of pressure when a train enters a tunnel at high speed.


shipmanship

[…] her rôle was not to encumber the party with easels, but to sit and admire our shipmanship on seas high or low as the case might be.

1952, Blackwood's Magazine, volume 272, page 24:

[…] the marine superintendent, for which ex-shipmanship can be a requirement […]

2013, Costas Grammenos, The Handbook of Maritime Economics and Business, page 591:

(nautical) The role or skills of a shipman.


electric train

(rail transport) A railway train driven by electric motors powered by electricity supplied via overhead lines or third rails, or sometimes from rechargeable batteries. (This entry is a translation hub.)


hogboat

(nautical, dated, historical) A type of small, fishing boat of a broad body, consisting of a narrow transom, leeboards, and a two-masted spritsail rig.


hog chain

From hog + chain. First use appears c. 1841 in the Missouri Republican.

(nautical) A chain or a tie rod passing from the bow of a vessel to its stern, used in a ship in order to prevent hogging.


active braking time

en-noun

active braking time (countable and uncountable, plural active braking times)

(automotive, road transport) The amount of time elapsed between the moment when the braking force takes effect and the point in time at which it ceases.


release time

release time (countable and uncountable, plural release times)

(automotive, road transport) The amount of time elapsed between the moment when the actuating time for release commences and the moment when the braking force ceases.


clearance time

clearance time (countable and uncountable, plural clearance times)

On a street with a median at least 6 feet in width, it may be desirable to allow only enough pedestrian clearance time on a given phase to clear the crossing from the curb to the median.

1971, Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices for Streets and Highways, page 340:

The pedestrian clearance time should be sufficient to allow a pedestrian crossing in the crosswalk who left the curb or shoulder during the WALKING PERSON ( symbolizing WALK ) signal indication to travel at a walking speed of 1.2 m ( 4 ft ) per second, to at least the far side of the traveled way or to a median of sufficient width for pedestians to wait.

2009, David R.P. Gibson, Bao Lang, Bo Ling, Uma Venkataraman, James Yang, “Detecting Pedestrians”, in Public Roads, volume 73, number 2, page 3:

However, as for crossing speed recommendation, taking clearance time into account, it is an important stipulation that the duration of a green light should guarantee pedestrians can cross at least half of the crosswalk [10].

2020, Elżbieta Macioszek, Nan Kang, Grzegorz Sierpiński, Nodes in Transport Networks – Research, Data Analysis and Modelling, page 143:

The amount of time it takes from the initiation of a process until it is completed.

(road transport) The amount of time it takes for a pedestrian to reach the other side of a crosswalk.

There should be a maximum clearance time of 45 minutes for any passenger on any international arriving flight on any day of the year at any time of the day.

1988, United States. Congress. House. Committee on Appropriations. Subcommittee on the Treasury, Postal Service, and General Government Appropriations, Treasury, Postal Service, and General Government Appropriations for Fiscal Year 1989, page 132:

(travel, aviation) The amount of time it takes to get through customs.

Econometric models have been developed for incident clearance time, which will help freeway incident management agencies to rationalize the deployment of their incident-response resources.

1997, Samer Madanat, Ahmed Feroze, Prediction Models for Incident Clearance Time for Borman Expressway, Volume 1, page 15:

The study finding will prove useful for any agency or company involved in the direct removal of nonhazardous traffic incidents that seeks legislative or interagency support removal activites or a description of alternative removal strategies to minimize clearance time.

2003, Walter M. Dunn, Safe and Quick Clearance of Traffic Incidents, page 9:

On the other hand, WSP measured clearance time based on when all lanes were clear.

2011, Integrating Business Processes to Improve Travel Time Reliability, page 21:

The amount of time it takes to empty something out.

(road transport, automotive) The amount of time to clear a road from traffic after an incident.

The clearance time of a vehicle starting from within a queue can generally being composed of two time intervals.

2002, Gary Long ·, Clearance Time Requirements at Railroad-preempted Traffic Signals:

If not so, the signal turns to red without extending green light time for north-bound and clearance time passes.

2012, Alan Chamberlain, Automation and Robotics in Construction XI, page 58:

(road transport, automotive) The amount of time to clear a traffic queue when a signal changes.


daily-able

en-adj

daily-able (comparative more daily-able, superlative most daily-able)

more daily-able (comparative)
most daily-able (superlative)

Most supercars are not as daily-able as your average four-door sedan.

(automotive, informal) Being usable as a daily driver.


hawse-plug

(nautical, dated) A stopper designed to prevent water from entering the hawsehole during heavy weather.


range extender

auxiliary power unit
auxiliary power unit

battery electric vehicle
battery electric vehicle

(automotive) A fuel-based auxiliary power unit that extends the range of a battery electric vehicle by driving an electric generator that charges the vehicle's battery.


MMEA

Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency
w:Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency

(Malaysia, law enforcement, nautical) Initialism of Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (“Agensi Penguatkuasaan Maritim Malaysia”).


plane mile

(transport) A mile travelled by an individual airplane, used as a statistical unit in transport calculations.


time charter

(business, aviation, nautical) A contract securing the cargo space of a ship or aircraft for a fixed time period.


time trade

(business, shipping) The request of a shipper to exchange a batched shipment with another shipper.


seakindliness

(nautical) The quality or degree of being seakindly.


dual-braked

But on April 13 it 'scrambled' a rake of Mk 2s and dual-braked 'Black 5' 45212 to start its lucrative summer money-spinner two days later.

2024 May 1, “Network News: West Coast Railways runs 'Jacobite' with Mk 1 and Mk 2 combination”, in RAIL, number 1008, page 9:

(rail transport) Of locomotives and rolling stock, fitted for operation of both vacuum and air braking systems.


handling time

en-noun

handling time (countable and uncountable, plural handling times)

(business, shipping) The total number of business days from the moment one receives payment for an item and the moment when the package is processed or scanned at a shipping carrier.


show time

show time (countable and uncountable, plural show times)

(aviation, travel) The time prior to the departure of a scheduled aircraft in which the passenger service representatives at an airport terminal may begin the roll call for assigning seats.


storage time

storage time (countable and uncountable, plural storage times)

(business, shipping)The total amount of time that a product spends in materials storage, in inventory that is in-process, or in an inventory of finished goods.


detention time

detention time (countable and uncountable, plural detention times)

(road transport, automotive) The total amount of time that a truck and its driver must wait at a shipping or receiving facility to load or unload their truck beyond the scheduled appointment time.


anchor-hoy

(nautical, historical) A kind of boat for retrieving and transporting anchors.


route mile

In June, 1950, therefore, the Railway Board prepared a tentative regrouping scheme, which contemplated the formation of six new railway systems, each serving a specific zone, and consisting of approximately 5,000 to 6,000 route-miles of line, the total mileage being 33,000.

1952 January, “Notes and News: The Indian Regrouping Scheme”, in Railway Magazine, pages 62-63:

(rail transport) A mile of track on a route between places.


self-parking

Most cars with self-parking capability can't actually do it all themselves. These systems can locate a parallel (and in some cases a perpendicular or diagonal) parking spot upon activation by utilizing proximity sensors on the front, side, and rear of the vehicle; often, the tech requires activating a turn signal to indicate what side of the road it should look for a space.

2020 April 8, Duncan Brady, “Self-Parking Cars Explained: How Does Automatic Park Assist Work?”, in MotorTrend:

(automotive) A system that allows a vehicle to park automatically.


Mohring effect

Named after economist Herbert Mohring who identified the effect in 1972.

(uncommon, transport) The observation that, if the frequency of a transit service (e.g., buses per hour) increases with demand, then a rise in demand shortens the waiting time of passengers at stops and stations.


ignition timing

internal combustion engine
internal combustion engine

(automotive, engineering) Of a spark ignition internal combustion engine, the timing, relative to the current piston position and crankshaft angle, of the release of a spark in the combustion chamber near the end of the compression stroke.


variable valve timing

variable valve timing (countable and uncountable, plural variable valve timings)

(automotive, engineering) The process of altering the timing of a valve lift event in an internal combustion engine, and is often used to improve performance, fuel economy or emissions.


permissive working

(UK, railways) A system allowing more than one train at a time to be on the same line in a block section, a signal section, or a dead-end platform line.


car attendant

A bell circuit, fed from the train lighting battery, is connected to a push in each berth and functions in conjunction with a luminous indicator mounted over the door and in association with a cancellation push, for use by the car attendant.

1952 February, “New Third Class Sleeping Cars”, in Railway Magazine, page 87:

(rail transport) An employee placed in charge of a single coach, sleeping car or lounge car on a medium-to-long-distance passenger train.


honorary steam locomotive

honorary steam locomotive (plural honorary steam locomotives)

All of the motive power shown is steam, with the exception of three Alco PA units, which seem generally to have been elevated to the position of honorary steam locomotives.

1968 September 12, George W. Hilton, TRAINS, pages 54-55:

The refurbished motor roars to life, practically an honorary steam locomotive when it's cold.

2014 April 6, Sumpter Valley News, “720 Progress...”, in Sumpter Valley Railroad News:

(rail transport, informal) A diesel locomotive that outputs a large amount of exhaust, to the point it resembles the exhaust from a steam locomotive, particularly those produced by the American Locomotive Company.


ore-bulk-oil carrier

ore-bulk-oil carrier (plural ore-bulk-oil carriers)

(nautical) A ship designed to be capable of carrying wet or dry cargoes.


air-port

An air-port, which is only 6 inches in diameter when closed, cannot be expected to afford sufficient light in an apartment even so small as those allowed to ward-room and steerage, whether for purposes of reading, writing, or the examination of patients and recruits. This fact and the forced resort to artificial light explain the cause of premature loss of vision which is so common among the officers in our service. The large rectangular air-ports seem to be the remedy indicated.

1881, Sanitary and Statistical Report of the Surgeon-General of the Navy, volume 5, page 257:

(nautical) Alternative spelling of air port.


RBN

(Brunei, military, nautical) Initialism of Royal Brunei Navy (“Tentera Laut Diraja Brunei”).


air port

Coordinate term: gun port

About 12 feet from the stern, and 4 feet above the water line, one 5-inch or 6-inch projectile pierced the plating at an angle of about 45° from the stern. This projectile came out through an air port on the starboard side, as observed before the vessel sank.

1898, Annual Reports of the Navy Department for the Fiscal Year, page 590:

As a result of experience in World War II, indicating that air ports and their covers are likely to be badly damaged by explosions of projectiles and bombs, many air ports have been removed from ships in commission and omitted from ships under construction.

1950, “Hull Fittings” (chapter 12), in Bureau of Ships Manual:

(nautical) An opening in the side of a ship to let in air and light.


runaway truck ramp

runaway truck ramp (plural runaway truck ramps)

(automotive, road transport) A traffic device that enables vehicles which are having braking problems to stop safely.


single up

en-verb

single up (third-person singular simple present singles up, present participle singling up, simple past and past participle singled up)

singles up (present singular third-person)
singling up (participle present)
singled up (participle past)
singled up (past)

(Naval, maritime) To remove one loop of a double-loop rope connecting a ship to a pier in preparation for departure.


harden up

harden up (third-person singular simple present hardens up, present participle hardening up, simple past and past participle hardened up)

hardens up (present singular third-person)
hardening up (participle present)
hardened up (participle past)
hardened up (past)

(nautical, UK) To tighten up a sailboat's sheets in order to prevent luffing.


rainbow era

From the varied, colorful appearance of multiple liveries in one consist.

Amtrak's Rainbow Era was the first few years where consists were multi-colored because many legacy carriers' former rolling stock was mixed together and not yet painted for Amtrak.

2012 February 15, Tadman, “Ocean View in Rainbow Era”, in Railroad.net:

We have come a long way since that “rainbow era” of using hand-me-down equipment.

2021, “A Brief History of Amtrak Paint Schemes and Liveries”, in Amtrak:

That was the rainbow era when much of Amtrak was still running in the original roads’ paint until 1974.

2022 May 30, markm, “Amtrak in a movie”, in AZL Forum:

(rail transport, informal, US) A period in the early 1970s when Amtrak operated a fleet of used equipment that still carried the paint schemes of their previous owners.


fetch about

fetch about (third-person singular simple present fetches about, present participle fetching about, simple past and past participle fetched about)

fetches about (present singular third-person)
fetching about (participle present)
fetched about (participle past)
fetched about (past)

(nautical, US, of a ship) To come onto a new tack.


ramp along

ramp along (third-person singular simple present ramps along, present participle ramping along, simple past and past participle ramped along)

ramps along (present singular third-person)
ramping along (participle present)
ramped along (participle past)
ramped along (past)

(intransitive, nautical) To sail on a tack that as all sails filled.


draw ahead

draw ahead (third-person singular simple present draws ahead, present participle drawing ahead, simple past drew ahead, past participle drawn ahead)

draws ahead (present singular third-person)
drawing ahead (participle present)
drew ahead (past)
drawn ahead (participle past)

(nautical, of a wind) To shift to blow in the direction a ship is moving.


clew down

clew down (third-person singular simple present clews down, present participle clewing down, simple past and past participle clewed down)

clews down (present singular third-person)
clewing down (participle present)
clewed down (participle past)
clewed down (past)


run in with

run in with (third-person singular simple present runs in with, present participle running in with, simple past ran in with, past participle run in with)

runs in with (present singular third-person)
running in with (participle present)
ran in with (past)
run in with (participle past)

The ship is running in with the shore.

(nautical) To take a course near to; to take a course nearer to.


research ship

. Experience also shows that a research ship spends from one quarter to one half of her sea time on scientific station when the sustained speed seldom exceeds 3.5 knots.

1960, Lester Rosenblatt, The Design of Modern Oceanographic Research Ships, page 213:

(nautical) A ship that is designed and used for research.


JN

Alternative form: Jn

(rail transport, India) Abbreviation of junction.


KAN

Khana Junction railway station
w:Khana Junction railway station

(rail transport) The station code of Khana Junction railway station in India.

Kananook railway station
w:Kananook railway station

(rail transport) The station code of Kananook railway station in Australia.


STAR

Special Task and Rescue
w:Special Task and Rescue

(Malaysia, law enforcement, nautical) Acronym of Special Task and Rescue.


half-decked

(nautical) Of or pertaining to a vessel consisting of a deck covering about half of its length or surface area.


ball off

ball off (third-person singular simple present balls off, present participle balling off, simple past and past participle balled off)

balls off (present singular third-person)
balling off (participle present)
balled off (participle past)
balled off (past)

(archaic, nautical) To spin rope-yarns into balls, in preparation for making spun yarn.


caulk off

caulk off (third-person singular simple present caulks off, present participle caulking off, simple past and past participle caulked off)

caulks off (present singular third-person)
caulking off (participle present)
caulked off (participle past)
caulked off (past)

(intransitive, dated, slang, nautical) To go to sleep; to sleep instead of working.


basic ignition timing

en-noun

basic ignition timing (usually uncountable, plural basic ignition timings)

(engineering, automotive) The position of the crankshaft in relation to the top dead center when the piston is located at the top of the compression stroke.


sequential valve timing

sequential valve timing (countable and uncountable, plural sequential valve timings)

(automotive, engineering) An automobile variable valve timing technology in which the timing of the intake valves is varied by using hydraulic pressure to rotate the camshaft.


dynamic ignition timing

dynamic ignition timing (countable and uncountable, plural dynamic ignition timings)

(engineering, automotive) A computational process that calculates the optimal ignition timing for an engine.


computer-controlled timing

computer-controlled timing (countable and uncountable, plural computer-controlled timings)

(engineering, automotive) Any type of timing in a vehicle, machine, or other experiment aided by an internal timer.


continuous variable valve timing

continuous variable valve timing (countable and uncountable, plural continuous variable valve timings)

continuous variable valve timings (plural)

(engineering, automotive) A system allowing for the perpetual adjustment of valve timing in an engine in order to optimize it for all engine speeds and conditions.


signal timing

signal timing (countable and uncountable, plural signal timings)

(road transport, automotive, engineering) A technique which traffic engineers use to distribute right of way at a signalized intersection.


intake valve

(engineering, automotive) A valve in the cylinder head of an internal combustion engine that controls the passage of fluid to to be drawn into the cylinder.


RRV

The importance of track workers obeying site rules has been stressed after a man was hospitalised after being hit by a moving road-rail vehicle (RRV) and falling into the 'four foot' between the rails.

2024 June 26, “Network News: RAIB stresses importance of road-rail vehicle vehicle safety procedures”, in RAIL, number 1012, page 17:

road-rail vehicle
road-rail vehicle#English


EUB

Euabalong West railway station
w:Euabalong West railway station

(rail transport) The station code of Euabalong West railway station in Australia.


road-rail vehicle

road-rail vehicle (plural road-rail vehicles)

(rail transport) A vehicle that can be driven along roads to a place where retractable railway wheels can be lowered onto railway track to allow it to be used on the railway, often used for maintenance and construction purposes.


nail sick

(roofing, nautical) Of a house, a roof, or a ship, exhibiting degraded or corroded nails, or otherwise unsound fastenings.


snowflake wheel

snowflake wheel (plural snowflake wheels)

(automotive) A replica of the original Y spoke wheel design for the Chevrolet, GMC, and Cadillac Escalade trucks and SUVs.


Down Easter

(US, nautical) A type of clipper with a deeper, fuller shape.


great cabin

(nautical) An enclosed space on a ship spanning the width of the stern, containing large windows, generally reserved for the captain or commanding officer.


shipcarver

The art of the shipcarver was steeped in a tradition of civic celebration that communicated messages of national allegiance, community pride, and personal success.

1992, SL Lahvis, “Icons of American Trade: The Skillin Workshop and the Language of Spectacle”, in Winterthur Portfolio:

(nautical) Someone who creates the decorative wooden elements for ships, such as figureheads, catheads, and so on


canaler

(nautical, chiefly Canada) A vessel of a design modified for use in a particular canal.


up bubble

(nautical) Having an upward trim (of a submarine); where the bow is higher than the stern.


lose the bubble

en-verb

lose the bubble (third-person singular simple present loses the bubble, present participle losing the bubble, simple past and past participle lost the bubble)

loses the bubble (present singular third-person)
losing the bubble (participle present)
lost the bubble (participle past)
lost the bubble (past)

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-lose the bubble.wav

(nautical, idiomatic) To cave in under pressure, or to lose situational awareness, control or understanding.


day beacon

(nautical, navigation) An unlighted nautical seamark.


chimney's afire

Success would show itself as a geyser of crimson blood gushing from the whale’s blowhole, which caused whalemen to cry out, ‘Chimney’s afire!’

2015 December 12, Nathaniel Philbrick, “How Nantucket Came to Be the Whaling Capital of the World”, in Smithsonian Magazine:

(nautical) A phrase shouted when blood gushes out of a whale's blowhole after a killing blow is struck with a lance


headlight fluid

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-headlight fluid.wav

Perhaps first attested in 1986 (see quotations), from headlight (“a bright light, with a lens and reflector, on the front of a motor vehicle to illuminate the road when driving at night”) + fluid (“a liquid”). By analogy with blinker fluid (“fictional automotive product”), itself referencing real automative items and products such as brake fluid (“a special fluid for operating hydraulic brakes and clutches”) and diesel exhaust fluid (“a liquid used to reduce controlled emissions from the exhaust of diesel engines”). Later further popularised as an Internet meme after 2003 by an episode of the web series Red vs. Blue.

compound

My perception was different. Like when the Malibu broke down that first time and I got out and stuck my head under the hood and pretended to understand what I was looking at. Lots of people find themselves in similar situations … but they still hang in there, they still try to do their job, they still try to be helpful. And so they say, "It's your torque converter," or, "It's your internal rotator," or, "It's your headlight fluid." And 999,999 times out of a million they're ignored.

1986, T. M. Wright, The Waiting Room, Tor Books, →ISBN, pages 271–272:

In an attempt to redistribute the weight in my 1984, I have decided to move the battery to the trunk. I have a GNB sealed battery and access to a lot of cable, but need some help on the specifics.
1. Is this a good idea in the first place?
[…]
5. Should I change my headlight fluid while [I've] got the headliner off?

1994 May 16, Ray Zrinsky, “Are those batteries in your trunks or are you just happy to see me?”, in rec.autos.vw (Usenet):

Nope, it means that the last time you had it serviced, they put blinker fluid in your headlight fluid reservoir. (I couldn't resist.)

1996 April 16, Robert A. King, “Headlight blinking?!?”, in rec.autos.makers.ford.mustang (Usenet):

DJ Spike: Hi, Michelle, Alan here from Midas Auto Care. […] We've found a few more problems here […] preventative maintenance, gonna run it by you, see what you think.
Michelle De Palma: Okay.
[…]
DJ Spike: First of all, the headlights. The-
Michelle De Palma: Uh-huh, the headlights?
DJ Spike: Yeah, the headlight fluid's a little low. Er, we're gonna need to top that off.

2001 May 12, Spike, “Clueless Auto Repair” (0:11–0:33 from the start), in Mojo in the Morning, Channel 955:

Captain Dick Simmons: We've got a very important mission for you. You think you can handle it?
Rookie Franklin Delano Donut: Absolutely!
Simmons: We need you to go to the store, and get two quarts of elbow grease.
Captain Dexter Grif: Yeah and, uh, pick up some... headlight fluid for the Puma too.

2003 April 18, “The Rookies” (1:50–2:03 from the start), in Burnie Burns, director, Red vs. Blue, Rooster Teeth:

You: Hey, Favorite Uncle […] Is there anything you want me to do to help, huh?
Uncle Fred: Uh, yeah. Why don't you, er, go over to my toolbox and, uh, get me a can of headlight fluid. I think we're a little low here.

2005, Roger Welsch, edited by Darwin Holmstrom, From Tinkering to Torquing: A Beginner's Guide to Tractors and Tools, MBI Publishing Company, →ISBN, page 213:

There was a neighbor kid who always hung around wanting to help us as we worked on our cars. To get rid of him, we would tell him to go the store and buy us some headlight fluid or a left-handed monkey wrench, and off he'd go.

2008, Roger Butler, Confessions of a Baby Boomer, Tate Publishing & Enterprises, →ISBN, page 64:

I check my headlight fluid about once a month. My truck doesn't really use that much surprisingly... Especially considering I have HIDs

2013 March 11, 09DBLCAB09, “Muffler Bearing Question”, in Tacoma World:

Friendly reminder to check your headlight fluid as the weather gets colder. Don't want it freezing up on you 👍🏻❄❄

2016 December 16, @AustinRC246, Twitter:

Titles are likely to mislead the uninitiated. A career counselor would be stunned to hear Job Simulator coaching a neophyte auto mechanic to top up a car's "headlight fluid" in a cartoonish world run by robots; similarly, The Lab is about a lot of things, but the scientific method is not among them.

2019, Kenneth J. Varnum, editor, Beyond Reality: Augmented, Virtual, and Mixed Reality in the Library, American Library Association, →ISBN, page 64:

Have you been replacing your headlight fluid regularly? At what intervals?

2024 July 3, u/lolpan, “2023 Sport touring hatchback passenger headlight went out”, in r/civic, Reddit:

(originally Canada, US, automotive slang, now also Internet slang, humorous) A fictional ostensible automotive product, used in jokes, to prank someone into searching for the nonexistent item (a snipe hunt), or to gauge how inept someone is in basic auto mechanics.


passenger compartment

en-noun

passenger compartment (plural passenger compartments)

driver's compartment
driver's compartment

(automotive) The part of a road vehicle partitioned from the engine compartment, trunk or boot, etc., designed to hold the passengers and usually the driver; but in limousines and some taxis, buses and goods vehicles, the driver is separated in a cab or driver's compartment.


Jewish overdrive

Alluding to the stereotype of Jews being miserly.

(slang, derogatory, offensive, automotive, trucking, heavy industry) Synonym of angel gear

trucking; heavy industry; trucking; heavy industry


Polish overdrive

Alluding to a dated stereotype of Poles being foolish.


no outlet

(road transport, US) Wording placed on a sign at the entrance to a road, or network of roads, indicating that there is no other way by which to leave the road or network.


creeper gear

So called because the vehicle creeps in the mechanical sense of that word: it moves very slowly, such that a person on foot can outwalk it, for example.

Near-synonym: low gear

(automotive, trucking, agriculture, heavy industry) The lowest gear on a vehicle: especially, a dedicated super-low gear, available in some trucks and tractors, that is even lower than the usual low gear, which is labeled as first gear.


liftglass

(automotive) A windshield panel at the rear of a vehicle that can be raised to provide space for protruding objects, intended for when opening the entire liftgate is not necessary.


penalty turn

(sailing) In a race, a penalty incurred for a foul, consisting of making one (or more) 360-degree turns of the boat.


FHWA

Federal Highway Administration
w:Federal Highway Administration

(US, road transport) Abbreviation of Federal Highway Administration.


signal passed at danger

(rail transport) An event on a railway where a train passes a stop signal without authority.


drive stick

en-verb

drive stick (third-person singular simple present drives stick, present participle driving stick, simple past drove stick, past participle driven stick)

drives stick (present singular third-person)
driving stick (participle present)
drove stick (past)
driven stick (participle past)

I learned to drive stick at a young age.

He can't borrow my car because he can't drive stick.

(chiefly Canada, US, automotive, colloquial) To drive a stickshift vehicle.


cow pusher

Small boys in 1963 could have traction engines with real steam coming out of the funnel, and Old Western locos had flashing lights, hooters and cow-pushers.

1971, Gwen White, Antique Toys And Their Background, page 94:


higher-speed rail

(rail transport, chiefly US) A type of railway system based on existing infrastructure upgraded to allow passenger train speeds typically between 80 and 120 miles per hour.


bilgeboard

(sailing) A lifting foil used in a sailboat, which resembles a cross between a centerboard and a leeboard.


lay system

He preferred the lay system because there was a chance that he could really clean up if the luck held out.

(maritime) The system of remuneration in which fishermen or merchant mariners are paid a lay (a share of the vessel's profit) plus the value of room and board derived from being shipboard and eating in the mess.


trainwoman

(rail transport) A woman who works on trains on a railway / railroad.


strap rail

Coordinate term: flat rail

(rail transport) A flat railroad laid containing a metal strap, and placed upon a wooden rail.


flat rail

Coordinate term: strap rail

(rail transport) A metal pole or simple flat bar that is laid horizontally on the ground.


cox'n

No cox'n will ever be hanged; he will always have "half-inched" the rope from the hangman first.

1942 December 9, “Rope”, in Punch, page 501:


West Indiaman

In Joshua Kelly's Treatise on Navigation, of the former date [1757], an instance is related of a West Indiaman drifted, during two days of dead calm, forty-six miles northward, across the mouth of the British Channel.

1815, James Rennell, “Some Farther Observations on the Current That Often Prevails to the Westward of the Scilly Islands”, in Abstracts of the Papers Printed in the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London, volume 2, page 18:

[P]iloted down the Thames, drifting with the tides along that central highway of trade, she floated past West Indiamen loaded with sugar and rum from the Caribbean[.])

2023, David Grann, chapter 1, in The Wager, Doubleday:

(18th and 19th century, nautical) A merchant vessel trading between Europe and the West Indies (including the Americas). Generally smaller than the similar East Indiamen.


AtoN

aid to navigation
aid to navigation#English

(nautical, communication) Acronym of aid to navigation.


ATON

(nautical) Alternative letter-case form of AtoN


custom car

(automotive) A passenger vehicle that has been altered to improve its performance, modify its aesthetics, or combine both.


MIATA

Back-formation from Miata as a backronym. From Old High German miata (“reward”). Referring to the fact that the answer to what car to choose is always the Mazda MX-5 Miata. From the drivability and popularity of the sports car. Phrase has been in use in car afficiando circles since the 1990s.

(automotive) Acronym of Miata is always the answer.


coasting vessel

en-noun

coasting vessel (plural coasting vessels)

First, the undertaking depended to a great extent on the smooth working of Arbroath Harbour, and when, as happened from time to time in winter months, the seas were too rough for the colliers and other coasting vessels to operate, an immediate fall occurred in the up traffic in coal and lime.

1953 February, S. G. E. Lythe, “Early Days of Arbroath & Forfar Railway—2”, in Railway Magazine, page 131:

(nautical) A ship employed solely in trade between the ports of one country.


public utility vehicle

public utility vehicle (plural public utility vehicles)

(Philippines, road transport) a vehicle that does public transport


public utility van

public utility van (plural public utility vans)

(Philippines, road transport) a van that does public transport


public utility bus

public utility bus (plural public utility buses)

(Philippines, road transport) a bus that does public transport


public utility jeepney

public utility jeepney (plural public utility jeepneys)

(Philippines, road transport) a jeepney that does public transport


PUB

public utility bus
public utility bus#English

(Philippines, road transport) Initialism of public utility bus.


R/S

Alternative forms: RS, R.S., R. S.


R. S.

(nautical) Alternative form of R/S (“research ship”)


MARINA

Maritime Industry Authority
w:Maritime Industry Authority

(Philippines, nautical) Acronym of Maritime Industry Authority.


AHTS

AHTS (countable and uncountable, plural AHTSs or AHTSes)

anchor-handling tug supply vessel#English

(nautical) Abbreviation of anchor-handling tug supply vessel. and ship prefix


AHV

AHV (countable and uncountable, plural AHVs)

anchor-handling vessel
anchor-handling vessel#English

(nautical) Abbreviation of anchor-handling vessel.


on the beach

Ericson had been axed from the navy in 1927, after ten years’ service: he had been on the beach for two hard years[.]

1951, Nicholas Monsarrat, chapter 1, in The Cruel Sea, London: Cassell:

[O]fficers received only half pay when not on active service. Even Horatio Nelson spent five years “on the beach”[.]

2023, Evan Wilson, The Horrible Peace: British Veterans and the End of the Napoleonic Wars, University of Massachusetts Press:

(idiomatic, nautical) Removed or retired from an active shipboard position in the navy or merchant navy.