coast

coast (third-person singular simple present coasts, present participle coasting, simple past and past participle coasted)

coasts (present singular third-person)
coasting (participle present)
coasted (participle past)
coasted (past)

From Middle English costeien (“to travel along a border or coast; to go alongside (something), skirt; to accompany, follow; to travel across, traverse; to be adjacent to, to border;”) [and other forms], from Anglo-Norman [Term?], Old French costoier (“to be at the side of”) […] (modern French côtoyer (“to pass alongside; (figuratively) to rub shoulders”)), from Latin costicāre, from Latin costa (“rib; side, wall”); see further at etymology 1.

nb...

cost, costay, coste, costey, costie, coost, coostie, costen, costien

cog

The Ancients coasted only in their Navigations.

1727, John Arbuthnot, Tables of Ancient Coins, Weights and Measures. Explain'd and exemplify'd in several dissertations:

The bold little ships even broke through the Gates of Hercules to the open ocean, coasting then northward to take the gold of Ireland and the tin of Cornwall, as well as southward, around the bulge of Senegal, to remote Yorubaland and the distant marts of ivory, gold, and slaves.

1968, Joseph Campbell, The Hero with a Thousand Faces, 2nd edition, London: Fontana Press, published 1993, page 14:

(intransitive, nautical) To sail along a coast.


lay by

en-verb

lay by (third-person singular simple present lays by, present participle laying by, simple past and past participle laid by)

lays by (present singular third-person)
laying by (participle present)
laid by (participle past)
laid by (past)

(nautical) (of a sailing vessel) To remain stationary while heading into the wind; to come to a standstill; heave to; lay to.


lazaret

Borrowed from French lazaret, from Italian lazzareto (archaic), lazzaretto, lazzeretto; see further at lazaretto. Doublet of lazaretto.

(nautical) A place at the front of the tweendecks of a merchant ship where provisions are stored.


shifter

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

(nautical) An assistant to the ship's cook in washing, soaking, and shifting the salt provisions.


plain sailing

From plain (adjective) + sailing.
Sense 2 (“something that is easy, simple, or straightforward”) is attested slightly later than plain-sailing (adjective), and so could have been derived from it.

The navigation of waters free from hazards or unfavourable winds.

sujuva purjehdus

[…] I hired a Tonquineſe for about a Dollar to be my guide. This, tho but a ſmall matter, vvas a great deal out of my Pocket, vvho had not above 2 Dollars in all, vvhich I had gotten on board, by teaching ſome of our young Seamen Plain Sailing.

1699, William Dampier, Voyages and Descriptions. Vol. II. […], London: […] James Knapton, […], →OCLC, part I (His Voyage from Achin in Sumatra, to Tonquin, […]), page 90:

[…] Me[r]cators Sailing gives the correct Difference of Latitude and Longitude both; Middle Latitude Sailing, only the correct Difference of Longitude; Plain Sailing gives neither correctly; and therefore their Merits are in Proportion.

1735, Benjamin Martin, “The Use of Decimals in Plain Trigonometry, and Other Mathmatical Sciences Depending thereon”, in A New Compleat and Universal System or Body of Decimal Arithmetick, […], London: […] J[ohn] Noon, […], →OCLC, page 322:

I doubt as hovv I've ſteered by a vvrong chart, d'ye ſee—as for the matter of the ſciences, to be ſure, I knovv plain ſailing and mercator; and am an indifferent good ſeaman, […]

1760 January – 1761 December, [Tobias George Smollett], “In which the Knight Resumes His Importance”, in The Life and Adventures of Sir Launcelot Greaves. […], Dublin: […] James Hoey, junior, published 1762, →OCLC, page 78:

[W]e have determined to go by way of Lisbon, […] and so on our old route to Malta and Constantinople, if so be that Captain Kidd, our gallant commander, understands plain sailing and Mercator and takes us on our voyage all according to the chart.

1809 June 25, Lord Byron, “Letter XXXV. To Mr. Henry Drury.”, in Thomas Moore, editor, Letters and Journals of Lord Byron: With Notices of His Life, […], volume I, London: John Murray, […], published 1830, →OCLC, page 188:

Obsolete spelling of plane sailing (“a technique for navigation using the assumption that the journey occurs over a plane or flat surface rather than the actual curved surface of the Earth, which is sufficiently accurate over short distances”).


clubhauling

en-noun

clubhauling (usually uncountable, plural clubhaulings)

(nautical) A risky maneuver whereby a sail-boat tacks (turns into and through the wind) by dropping one of the front anchors, the intent being to turn the boat in a tighter space than would be possible using the rudder and sails alone, especially when difficult conditions such as light winds or heavy swell make tacking more difficult than usual.


spindrift

spindrift (countable and uncountable, plural spindrifts)

Oxford English Dictionary
Scottish National Dictionary

Borrowed from Scots spindrift; further etymology uncertain. The Oxford English Dictionary suggests it is a variant of spoondrift (archaic), apparently due to the pronunciation of this word in southwestern Scotland, which is derived from spoon + drift (“mass of matter driven or forced onward together in a body, etc., especially by wind or water”); spoon is a variant of spoom (“to sail briskly with the wind astern, with or without sails hoisted”). However, this is doubted by the Scottish National Dictionary because spoondrift is attested later than spindrift and it seems unlikely that the Scots spelling would have superseded the English one, and because the early use of the Scots word in the form spenedrift by James Melville (1556–1614) is unlikely to have derived from spoondrift.
The word was popularized in English from the late 19th century by its use in the novels of the Scottish-born author William Black (1841–1898): see, for example, the 1878 quotation.

compound

There was no snow as yet up here at Dare; but wild tempests shaking the house to its foundations; and brief gleams of stormy sunlight lighting up the grey spindrift as it was whirled shorewards from the breaking seas; […]

1878, William Black, “First Impressions”, in Macleod of Dare. […], volume II, London: Macmillan and Co., →OCLC, page 252:

The ocean waves are broken up by wind, ultimately producing the storm-wrack and spin-drift of the tempest-tossed sea.

1900, John E[dward] Marr, “Production of Dominant Forms”, in The Scientific Study of Scenery, New York, N.Y.: New Amsterdam Book Co.; London: Methuen & Co., →OCLC, page 22:

[T]ogether they watched the bobbing black specks as they crawled out of the estuary into the grey spindrift which marked the harbour mouth.

1921 August–September, John Buchan, “The Gorbals Die-hards Go into Action”, in Huntingtower, London; Edinburgh: Thomas Nelson and Sons, published July 1924, →OCLC, page 271:

The tide rocks were spouting spray and the wind drove the spindrift in their faces, and they scrambled awkwardly over and round the rock masses tumbled from the cliff face on the flat ledge at sea-level.

1938, Norman Lindsay, chapter XXI, in Age of Consent, London: T[homas] Werner Laurie […], →OCLC, page 225:

(nautical) Sea spray (clouds of water droplets) blown from the tops of waves by the wind and whipped along the surface of the sea.

водни пръски

sea spray blown from the tops of waves by the wind and whipped along the surface of the sea


puttock

From Middle English puttock, puttok, potok, puttoc, of uncertain origin; perhaps representing an unattested Old English *putta (“hawk”) + -ock; or perhaps from Old English *pūthafoc (literally “pout-hawk”), equivalent to pout (“a kind of fish”) + hawk. Compare also pout (“a young bird”), poult.


quahogger

From quahog + -er (occupational suffix) or + -er (relational noun suffix).

(US, nautical) A boat used to harvest quahogs.


LOS

en-noun

LOS (countable and uncountable, plural LOSs)

(transport) Initialism of level of service.


running mate

(nautical) One of a pair of ships with coordinated, often reciprocal, sailing schedules.

systerfartyg

one of a pair of ships with coordinated, often reciprocal, sailing schedules


navigation channel

navigation channel (plural navigation channels)

(nautical) A deeper channel cut into the sea or river bed, to enable larger ships to pass through to a port.

vaargeul

deeper channel cut into the sear or river bed


dogwatch

From dog + watch, perhaps a calque of German Hundewache.

[…] in the last dog-watch when the drawing near of twilight induced revery […]

1888–1891, Herman Melville, “[Billy Budd, Foretopman.] Chapter XII.”, in Billy Budd and Other Stories, London: John Lehmann, published 1951, →OCLC:

(nautical) Aboard a ship, either of the two short two-hour watches that take place between 4 p.m. and 8 p.m.

At that time, Captain Thomas G. Peyton, U.S. Navy, who had only served a dog watch as Captain of the Port at Noumea, New Caledonia, reported for this important billet.

1972, George Carroll Dyer, The Amphibians Came to Conquer, page 265:

(nautical) A very brief period of naval service.


closest point of approach

closest point of approach (plural closest points of approach)

(nautical, navigation) An estimated point in which the distance between two objects, of which at least one is in motion, will reach its minimum value; abbreviated CPA. The estimate is used to evaluate the risk of a collision of e.g. two ships.


fathometer

From fathom (“nautical length measurement used for depth”) + -meter.

suffix

A Fathometer is just a vertical echo-ranger; its pings would sound the same and could drive a submarine out of position just as effectively as horizontal echo-ranging and might even make a contact.

1977, Richard O'Kane, Clear the Bridge: The War Patrols of the U.S.S. Tang, Ballantine Books, published 2003, page 347:

(nautical) A depth finder that uses sound waves to determine the depth of water.


BBW

en-noun

BBW (countable and uncountable, plural BBWs)

Abbreviation.
* (big beautiful woman): Coined by Carole Shaw in 1979 in the first sense with the launch of BBW Magazine, a fashion and lifestyle magazine for plus-size women.

(automotive) Initialism of brake-by-wire.


fog lamp

(automotive) A bright red lamp (normally one of a pair) at the rear of a motor car that can be switched on during foggy weather so as to avoid collisions from cars approaching from behind

takasumuvalo

a bright red lamp at the rear of a motor car


light air

(meteorology, nautical) A light wind with wind speed between 0.3 and 1.5 m/s; a Force 1 wind strength on the Beaufort scale.


grappling iron

/ˈɡɹæp(ə)lɪŋ ˌaɪɚn/

(nautical) A metal hook, attached to the end of a line, used to hold two ships together.

entraushaka

metal hook used to hold two ships together


shore leave

shore leave (usually uncountable, plural shore leaves)

(military, nautical) Free time given to sailors of the military navy when they are off duty and allowed to disembark and spend time on land.


GY

(nautical, slang, obsolete) Initialism of galley yarn.


FI

FI (countable and uncountable, plural FIs)

(automotive) Initialism of fuel injection.


MY

(nautical) Initialism of motor yacht (diesel-driven yacht)


HN

(military, US, nautical) Abbreviation of hospitalman.


UZ

(rail transport) Initials of Ukrainian Railways or Ukrzaliznytsia.


CHH

(rail transport) The station code of Choi Hung in Hong Kong.


HID

(automotive) Initialism of high-intensity discharge.


NG

NG (countable and uncountable, plural NGs)

no good: attested in The Comprehensive Standard Dictionary of the English Language (1909) and in Students’ Edition of a Standard Dictionary of the English Language (1915).

(rail transport) Initialism of narrow gauge.


MCT

MCT (countable and uncountable, plural MCTs)

minimum connecting time
minimum connecting time#English

(aviation, travel) Initialism of minimum connecting time.

multi-clutch transmission
multi-clutch transmission#English

(automotive) Initialism of multi-clutch transmission.


roadstead

The shores of Protection island form on its south side, which is about two miles long, a most excellent roadstead, and a channel into port Discovery, near 2 miles wide on either side […]

1798, George Vancouver, chapter V, in A Voyage of Discovery to the North Pacific Ocean, and Round the World, volume I, London: G.G. and J. Robinson, page 248:

[…] I found we were lying in a roadstead among many low and rocky islets, hovered about by an innumerable cloud of sea-fowl.

1885, Robert Louis Stevenson, Fanny Van de Grift Stevenson, “Story of the Fair Cuban”, in More New Arabian Nights: The Dynamiter, London: Longmans, Green, and Co., →OCLC, page 171:

[…] that was the time when at the mast-heads of the three-deckers and seventy-fours moored in her own roadstead […] the blue-jackets, to be numbered by thousands, ran up with huzzas the British colors with the union and cross wiped out […]

1888–1891, Herman Melville, “[Billy Budd, Foretopman.] Chapter III.”, in Billy Budd and Other Stories, London: John Lehmann, published 1951, →OCLC:

Clusters of strong flowers rose everywhere above the coarse tussocks of bent. It was like a roadstead crowded with tall fairy-shipping.

1913, D[avid] H[erbert] Lawrence, Sons and Lovers, London: Duckworth & Co. […], →OCLC:

In 1620 junks began to arrive from China depositing hundreds of migrants, and with the resumption of China's official trade to Southeast Asia in 1683, the numbers of junks arriving annually in Batavia's roadstead grew from an average of three or four to about twenty.

1992, Leonard Y. Andaya, “Interactions with the Outside World and Adaptation in Southeast Asian Society, 1500-1800”, in Nicholas Tarling, editor, The Cambridge History of Southeast Asia, volume 1, Cambridge University Press, page 349:

(nautical) A partly sheltered anchorage; a stretch of water near the shore where vessels may ride at anchor, but with less protection than a harbour.

рейд

partly sheltered anchorage outside a harbour


FAN

(rail transport) The station code of Fanling in Hong Kong.


light rail

light rail (countable and uncountable, plural light rails)

The new Denver light rail runs along the Interstate highway.

(US, Canada, rail transport) A kind of passenger railway in urban and suburban settings typically characterized by a mixture of tram (or in North America streetcar) and metro features, crossing streets at grade crossings and normally powered by electricity.

lättbana

translation of "light rail"; of rare usage


parceling

(nautical) Alternative form of parcelling


parcelling

The wind continuing very light; all hands were sent aloft to strip off the chafing gear; and battens, parcellings, roundings, hoops, mats, and leathers, came flying from aloft, and left the rigging neat and clean, stripped of all its sea bandaging.

1840, Richard Henry Dana, Two Years Before the Mast: A Personal Narrative of Life at Sea, page 453:

This effectively prepares the way for the parcelling to produce a smooth finish, prior to serving.

2018, D.J. House, Seamanship Techniques: Shipboard and Marine Operations:

(nautical) One of the long, narrow slips of canvas daubed with tar and wound about a rope like a bandage, before it is served; used also in mousing on the stays, etc.


snow shed

The only snow shed in Great Britain is on the West Highland Railway, about 2 miles north of Rannoch Station. It is some 200 yd. long, and is situated in the deepest part of Cruach cutting, which is subject to heavy drifting during winter snowstorms.

1950 October, “The Why and the Wherefore: Snow Shed, West Highland Railway”, in Railway Magazine, page 719:

(rail transport, road transport) A tunnel-like structure that provides roads and railroad tracks with protection from avalanches and heavy snowfalls that cannot be easily removed.

Denver and Salt Lake Railway
Howard L. Fogg
Rollins Pass

galeria

tunnel-like structure protecting roads and railroad tracks from snow


tailfin

(automotive) A fin-like projection at the rear of a car, common on American cars of the 1950s.

stjärtfena

fin like projection at the rear of a car


leading light

(nautical, navigation) A light that helps to guide vessels into a port.


overblow

en-verb

overblow (third-person singular simple present overblows, present participle overblowing, simple past overblew, past participle overblown)

overblows (present singular third-person)
overblowing (participle present)
overblew (past)
overblown (participle past)

From Middle English overblowen, equivalent to over- + blow.

Finding it was like to overblow, we took in our Sprit-ſail, and ſtood by to hand the Fore-ſail; but making foul Weather, we look'd the Guns were all faſt, and handed the Miſſen.

1726 October 28, [Jonathan Swift], “A Great Storm Described, the Long-Boat Sent to Fetch Water, the Author Goes with It to Discover the Country. […]”, in Travels into Several Remote Nations of the World. […] [Gulliver’s Travels], volume I, London: […] Benj[amin] Motte, […], →OCLC, part II (A Voyage to Brobdingnag), page 151:

(intransitive, nautical, archaic) Of the wind: to blow very hard, often resulting in ships unable to carry full sail.


WTT

working timetable
working timetable#English

(rail transport, UK) Initialism of working timetable.


MOB

(nautical) Initialism of man overboard, used e.g. on the emergency button of a satellite navigator. By pushing the button the operator stores the coordinates of a man overboard incident for easy access.


HMAS

The Defence Abuse Response Taskforce (Dart)[…]accepted as true allegations of abuse made by 207 former young recruits of HMAS Leeuwin at Fremantle, Western Australia, however it stopped short of recommending a royal commission.

2014 June 17, Helen Davidson, “Blackballing and blanket beatings: decades of abuse at defence training school revealed”, in The Guardian, →ISSN:

(initialism, nautical, military, Australia) Her Majesty's Australian Ship. The designation of Australian ships and naval bases.

(initialism, nautical, military, Australia) His Majesty's Australian Ship.

(initialism, nautical, military, UK, obsolete) His Majesty's Auxiliary Ship

(initialism, nautical, military, UK, obsolete) Her Majesty's Auxiliary Ship

(initialism, nautical, military, UK, obsolete) His Majesty's Armed Schooner

(initialism, nautical, military, UK, obsolete) Her Majesty's Armed Schooner


WTS

(rail transport) The station code of Wong Tai Sin in Hong Kong.


CCGS

Canadian Coast Guard Ship
w:en:Canadian Coast Guard Ship

(nautical, military) Initialism of Canadian Coast Guard Ship.. The designation for vessels operated by the Canadian Coast Guard (CCG).


HMCS

(Canada, nautical, military) Initialism of Her (or His) Majesty's Canadian Ship; ship prefix of the Royal Canadian Navy

Her

(UK, nautical, military, historical) Initialism of Her (or His) Majesty's Colonial Ship.


bunkering

en-noun

bunkering (countable and uncountable, plural bunkerings)

The number of bunkerings at the port has been increasing.

Our company provides bunkering services throughout the region.

(nautical) The taking on board of bunker fuel.


funnel mark

(nautical) The identifying mark of a shipping company, displayed on the ship's funnel (smokestack).


puttocks

S. Davy: They look like puttocks; these should be they.

1611, Thomas Middleton, Thomas Dekker, The Roaring Girl:

The topmast shrouds were set up with deadeyes and lanyards, of which the lower deadeye was either connected to an iron plate at the rim of the top, and by that means to the puttocks (for so what is now called the futtock rigging was named) or else directly to the puttocks (Smith, 1653).

1912, Leonard George Carr Laughton, Roger Charles Anderson, William Gordon Perrin, The Mariner's Mirror - Volume 2, page 303:

The shrouds were set up in the usual way to the puttocks by means of a pair of deadeyes. According to the "Treatise on Rigging" there were iron cross-trees beneath the knee on the bowsprit and the puttocks came to them.

2012, R. C. Anderson, The Rigging of Ships: in the Days of the Spritsail Topmast, 1600-1720, →ISBN:

(nautical) A small shroud which goes from the shroud of the mainmast, foremast, or mizenmast, to the topmast shrouds


tackle fall

(nautical) The rope, or rather the end of the rope, of a tackle, to which the power is applied.


stocker

For a starter, a complete technical analysis of the winningest NASCAR stocker of all time, Richard Petty’s 1967 Plymouth Belvedere.

Ford Motor Company’s response to the Charger 500 was the 1969 Talladega and Cyclone Spoiler II, sleek, slippery stockers that forced Dodge designers back to the drawing board.

1993, Mike Mueller, Chrysler Muscle Cars →ISBN, MotorBooks/MBI Publishing Company, page 86

Any small-block Chevy engine, whether it be a stocker, street rod, or racer, will benefit from proper balancing.

2002, Jim Richardson, How to Build a Small-Block Chevy for the Street →ISBN, page 58

(automotive) A racecar in certain classes of auto racing whose origins are nominally or notionally related to factory-stock autos, such as stock car racing or super-stock drag racing.


airbill

(transport) A waybill for cargo being shipped by air.


fall down

en-verb

fall down (third-person singular simple present falls down, present participle falling down, simple past fell down, past participle fallen down)

falls down (present singular third-person)
falling down (participle present)
fell down (past)
fallen down (participle past)

(nautical) To sail or drift toward the mouth of a river or other outlet.


FNU

(travel, aviation) Initialism of first name unknown. (used on birth certificates or airline reservations)


light up

light up (third-person singular simple present lights up, present participle lighting up, simple past and past participle lighted up)

lights up (present singular third-person)
lighting up (participle present)
lighted up (participle past)
lighted up (past)

Phrasal verb from light (“to make less heavy”, verb) + up (“to a higher degree”, adverb).

affix

to light up the jib-sheets

(transitive, nautical) To loosen, slacken, or ease off.


fairleader

(nautical) A fitting used to guide a line, cable or sheet with minimal friction. Used for anchor lines, and for rigging on sailing ships.


jumper cable

Complete absence of multiple-unit jumper cables (this class is not fitted for working in multiple) lends a neatness to this area not usually possible on British diesels.

1962 March, Brian Haresnape, “Design in 1961—a Retrospect”, in Modern Railways, page 195:

(rail transport, road transport) an electrical cable providing a connection between rail or road vehicles


work up

en-verb

work up (third-person singular simple present works up, present participle working up, simple past and past participle worked up)

works up (present singular third-person)
working up (participle present)
worked up (participle past)
worked up (past)

(obsolete, nautical) To set at an irksome or needless task.


ballow

(nautical) Deep water inside a shoal or bar.


cockboat

Haue care, I pray, to guide the cock-bote well, / Least worse on sea then vs on land befell.

1590, Edmund Spenser, “Book III, Canto VIII”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC:

The Malabar, that huge sea monster, in whose capacious belly so many human creatures lived and suffered, had dwindled to a walnut-shell, and yet beside her bulk how infinitely small had their own frail cockboat appeared as they shot out from under her towering stern!

1874, Marcus Clarke, “Chapter V”, in For the Term of His Natural Life:

(nautical) A small rowing boat, especially one pulled behind a larger ship, or used to ferry goods between a ship and the shore.


lapper

(sailing) A headsail that overlaps the mast.


spring line

(nautical) A line stretched longways between a docked vessel and a cleat on the pier, or used during berthing to guide the vessel into its slip; a warp


EH

Eastern Hemisphere
Eastern Hemisphere#English

(travel, aviation) Initialism of Eastern Hemisphere (travel within or between IATA areas 2 and 3).


diesel engine

(automotive) an internal combustion engine which operates using diesel fuel


EV

en-noun

EV (countable and uncountable, plural EVs)

PHEVLER

plug-in hybrid electric vehicle with long electric range

But compared with gasoline or diesel-powered cars and trucks, E.V.s also require special or seriously modified components, and out-of-the-ordinary mechanical and physical attention (or inattention, as we’ll see below).

2021 February 4, Stephen Williams, “E.V.s Force Carmakers to Reinvent the Wheel, and Brakes, and Mirrors …”, in The New York Times:

Despite progress towards a 2045 zero-emission goal, the high price of EVs has created a headache for governments[.]

2023 August 26, Ajit Niranjan, “Europe hits roadblocks in the race to switch to electric cars”, in The Observer, →ISSN:

electric vehicle
electric vehicle#English

(automotive, countable) Initialism of electric vehicle (a type of road vehicle).


footplate

All the same, nearly eight hours on the footplate covering a distance of 320 miles, with an ambient temperature of up to 103° for much of the time, proved an ordeal which I would not lightly undertake again.

1960 October, P. Ransome-Wallis, “Modern motive power of the German Federal Railway: Part Two”, in Trains Illustrated, page 611:

After a while we left the engine, but not before André had examined the 4-6-4 very carefully, with hammer and torch, both outside and underneath. And that was the end of my footplate work on this particular weekend.

1961 March, Balmore, “Driving and firing modern French steam locomotives”, in Trains Illustrated, page 148:

This uncoupling done, Gimbert opened the regulator as Nightall climbed back onto the footplate, in order to pull the one burning wagon away from the rest of the bomb-laden train.

2022 January 12, Benedict le Vay, “The heroes of Soham...”, in RAIL, number 948, page 42:

(rail transport) The metal plate which forms the base platform of a steam locomotive and supports the boiler and the driver's cab, particularly in the United Kingdom.


footplate

en-verb

footplate (third-person singular simple present footplates, present participle footplating, simple past and past participle footplated)

footplates (present singular third-person)
footplating (participle present)
footplated (participle past)
footplated (past)

Hard work is required from men and machines as I was to experience later when footplating Lambton No 5 on five bogies battling its way up Newtondale.

1979 August, Michael Harris, “A line for all reasons: the North Yorkshire Moors Railway”, in Railway World, page 415:

(rail transport) To travel (or work) on the footplate of a locomotive.


handbrake

mechanical engineering
mechanical engineering

(mechanical engineering, automotive, rail transport) A brake in a vehicle, set by hand, and usually locking on until released by hand, enabling its use when parked.

(mechanical engineering, automotive, rail transport) The mechanism, particularly the locking hand-operated lever or foot-operated toggle lever in a motorcar or the hand-operated crank on a railcar, which is used to set and release such a brake.


forestaller

From Middle English forstaller, forstallor, forstallar, equivalent to forestall + -er.

Agent noun of forestall: one who, or that which, forestalls.

(rail transport, historical) A device that overrides an automatic brake signal.


dieselization

en-noun

dieselization (countable and uncountable, plural dieselizations)

(rail transport) The replacement of steam (or, more rarely, electric) locomotives with diesel locomotives.


standard transmission

standard transmission (plural standard transmissions)

manual transmission
manual transmission#English

(automotive) Synonym of manual transmission

transmisie standard

mechanical transmission which shifts gears by the action of the driver's hand on the gearstick or gear lever, rather than automatically; a manual gearbox


accommodation ladder

accommodation ladder (plural accommodation ladders)

(nautical) a flight of stairs or a ladder for lowering over the side of a ship for access to and from a small boat.


manual transmission

manual transmission (plural manual transmissions)

(automotive) A multi-speed vehicle transmission, where gear changes require the driver to manually select the gears by operating a gear stick and clutch (which is usually a foot pedal for cars, or a hand lever for motorcycles).


aport

(nautical, archaic) on the left side of the boat


staysail

(nautical) A fore-and-aft rigged sail whose luff can be affixed to a stay running forward from a mast to the deck, the bowsprit or to another mast.


flying jib

Next thing, rigging is heaved down directly over our heads, and a long-drawn cry and a rattling of hanks announce that the flying-jib has come in.

1840, R[ichard] H[enry] D[ana], Jr., “CHAPTER XXXV”, in Two Years before the Mast. […] (Harper’s Family Library; no. CVI), New York, N.Y.: Harper & Brothers […], →OCLC:

(nautical) The foremost of the jibs of a square-rigged sailing vessel.


Northwest Passage

Ah, for just one time / I would take the Northwest Passage / To find the hand of Franklin / Reaching for the Beaufort Sea

1981, Stan Rogers (lyrics and music), “Northwest Passage”, in Northwest Passage, Fogarty's Cove Music, →OCLC:

Canadian Arctic Archipelago
Canadian Arctic Archipelago

(geography, nautical) The sea route through the Canadian Arctic Archipelago in the Arctic Ocean, connecting the Atlantic and the Pacific oceans, between the Baffin Bay and the Beaufort Sea.

Noordwestelijke Doorvaart

Sea route connecting the Atlantic and the Pacific Ocean


AEV

article of extraordinary value
article of extraordinary value

(transport) article of extraordinary value; any transported item with a value exceeding 100 USD per imperial pound.


bogue

en-verb

bogue (third-person singular simple present bogues, present participle boguing, simple past and past participle bogued)

bogues (present singular third-person)
boguing (participle present)
bogued (participle past)
bogued (past)

Related to Spanish bogar (“to row”), Old French voguer (“to sway, move along”).

cog

(nautical) To fall off from the wind; to edge away to leeward.


CAN

Controller Area Network
w:en:Controller Area Network

(computing, manufacturing, automotive) Abbreviation of Controller Area Network., ISO standards 11898, 11898-1, 11898-2, and its predecessor standards.


CAN

en-noun

CAN (countable and uncountable, plural CANs)

(computing, manufacturing, automotive, countable) Abbreviation of controller area network.


shoofly

(US, railways) A device for throwing the track temporarily to one side for carrying out repairs, etc.


OHLE

(rail transport) Initialism of overhead line equipment. (overhead lines, and supporting infrastructure, that provide power to electric trains).


run on fumes

en-verb

run on fumes (third-person singular simple present runs on fumes, present participle running on fumes, simple past ran on fumes, past participle run on fumes)

runs on fumes (present singular third-person)
running on fumes (participle present)
ran on fumes (past)
run on fumes (participle past)

We were running on fumes by the time we arrived, but we made it to the next gas station.

(automotive) To operate a vehicle that is low on fuel.


ATC

automatic train control
automatic train control#English

(rail transport) Initialism of automatic train control.


starter motor

internal combustion engine
internal combustion engine

(automotive) An electrical motor, part of a modern car or truck, etc., which is used to initially turn the internal combustion engine of the vehicle to make it start.


unship

unship (third-person singular simple present unships, present participle unshipping, simple past and past participle unshipped)

unships (present singular third-person)
unshipping (participle present)
unshipped (participle past)
unshipped (past)

(nautical) To unload cargo from a ship or other vessel.

Dan sluiced the pen energetically, unshipped the table, set it up to dry in the moonlight, ran the red knife-blades through a wad of oakum, and began to sharpen them on a tiny grindstone […]

1897, Rudyard Kipling, Captains Courageous:

(nautical, transitive) To remove (an oar, a mast, etc.) from its normal position.


toast rack

There are an Atlantic locomotive of free-lance design and six toast-rack coaches.

1949 July and August, “Notes and News: Poole Miniature Railway”, in Railway Magazine, page 272:

(rail transport, usually informal) Any of several types of railway or tramway passenger vehicles with open sides and transverse benches that span the width of the vehicle body, such that it resembles a toast rack.


trailing points

en-noun

trailing points pl (normally plural, singular trailing point)

(rail transport, plural only) A set of points at which two routes converge in the direction of travel.


facing points

facing points pl (normally plural, singular facing point)

Harrison said he had such a horror of facing points that for many years in the 160 miles between York and Berwick there were, except in Darlington and Newcastle stations, only three examples. [...] For some years now facing points have been practically as safe as any other part of the track and are regularly taken at high speed.

1941 June, “Notes and News: Working and Locking Facing Points”, in Railway Magazine, pages 278–279:

(rail transport) A set of points at which two routes diverge in the direction of travel.


training wheel

From training (“relating to the moving of a firearm laterally so that it points in a different direction; relating to imparting and acquiring skills”) + wheel.

compound

(rail transport, archaic) Synonym of trailing wheel (“on a steam locomotive, an unpowered wheel or axle located behind the driving wheels”)

training wheels

anything designed to make something easier for a novice


first port of call

en-noun

first port of call (plural first ports of call)

After leaving from Southampton, our first port of call will be Gibraltar.

(nautical) The first port that a vessel calls in at after the start of a voyage


SSBN

(US, military, nautical) Sub-surface ballistic nuclear: a nuclear-powered submarine carrying and launching ballistic missiles armed with nuclear weapons.


SSGN

(US, military, nautical) Subsurface guided nuclear: a nuclear-powered submarine carrying and launching guided missiles


(nautical) A class of two-handed double-trapeze dinghy (from its maximum length of 16 feet, approx. 4900 millimetres).


keelboat

By and by the steamboat intruded. Then for fifteen or twenty years, these men continued to run their keelboats down-stream, and the steamers did all of the upstream business, the keelboatmen selling their boats in New Orleans, and returning home as deck passengers in the steamers.

1870, Mark Twain, chapter 3, in Life on the Mississippi:

(sailing) Any sailboat having a keel (as opposed to a centerboard or daggerboard).


Benz

It was a Benz, an unusual car in this neighborhood, blue with a thick white stripe bisecting the hood, the roof, and the trunk.

2007, Khaled Hosseini, A Thousand Splendid Suns, BLOOMSBURY PUBLISHING (2018), page 110:

(automotive, informal) Short for Mercedes-Benz.


UNDM

(rail transport, London Underground, in multiple unit formations) uncoupling non-driving motor


NDM

(rail transport, in multiple unit formations, initialism) non-driving motor


DEMU

(rail transport) Initialism of diesel-electric multiple unit.


driving motor

(rail transport) a car in a multiple unit which is motored and from which the train can be driven.


DMU

diesel multiple unit
diesel multiple unit#English

(rail transport) Initialism of diesel multiple unit.


bubble car

(rail transport, informal) a single-car multiple unit


driving van trailer

driving van trailer (plural driving van trailers)

driving van trailer abbreviated as DVT (canonical)
driving van trailers (plural)

Grand Union proposes to use Class 91s hauling up to nine coaches and a driving van trailer to operate the service.

2019 October, “Grand Union targets '91s' to Stirling”, in Modern Railways, page 11:

(rail transport) a purpose-built railway vehicle that allows the driver to operate a locomotive at the opposite end of a train.


multiple unit

Euston is so traditionally a part of the London scene that many will lament the passing of the old station when rebuilding is complete in readiness for the new electric service, which will probably be by multiple-units between Euston and Wolverhampton.

1960 February, R. C. Riley, “The London-Birmingham services - Past, Present and Future”, in Trains Illustrated, page 99:

(rail transport) A train consisting of one or more self-propelled cars capable of coupling with other units of the same or similar type and still being controlled from one cab.


headshunt

(rail transport, British) A short length of track, provided to release locomotives at terminal platforms, or to allow shunting to take place clear of main lines.


wheft

(nautical) A waft (flag used to indicate wind direction or, with a knot tied in the center, as a signal)


mean distance between failure

mean distance between failure (plural mean distances between failure)

(rail transport, road transport) A measure of reliability that expresses the average distance travelled by a type of lorry, bus, rolling stock, etc, before preventative or reparative maintenance is required.


bullhead rail

With secondhand bullhead rail almost unobtainable, the NYMR has been forced to go for new flat-bottom rail and orders are being placed; 58 fb rails are already en route to the railway.

1979 August, Michael Harris, “A line for all reasons: the North Yorkshire Moors Railway”, in Railway World, page 412:

Network Rail has donated two miles of replaced bullhead rail from the Middlesbrough-Whitby line to the North Yorkshire Moors Railway for reuse or onward sale.

2020 November 18, Howard Johnston, “Regional News: Eastern: Esk Valley”, in RAIL, page 26:

"When we upgraded the track, we couldn't use flat bottom rail, as some of the curves are too tight, so we are one of the few places still using bullhead rail.

2023 December 27, Ben Jones, “Inside Sellafield... by rail”, in RAIL, number 999, page 23:

(rail transport) A rail, most commonly used in the United Kingdom, with a head and foot nearly equal in cross-section, that is supported in cast iron chairs and secured by wedges or keys.


GOBLin

(British, rail transport, informal) Acronym of Gospel Oak to Barking Line, a railway line in north London.


RCN

Royal Canadian Navy
w:Royal Canadian Navy

Canadian Forces Maritime Command
Canadian Forces Maritime Command

(Canada, military, nautical) Initialism of Royal Canadian Navy, predecessor of the Canadian Forces Maritime Command (CF MARCOM), being the Canadian navy and royal under the British Crown.


IJN

Imperial Japanese Navy
w:Imperial Japanese Navy

(US, military, nautical) Initialism of Imperial Japanese Navy, the navy of Imperial Japan, predecessor of the Japanese Maritime Self Defence Force, usually in reference to WWII.


IJN

Coordinate term: JS

(US, military, nautical) Imperial Japanese Navy ship, informal ship prefix used for a warship of the Imperial Japanese Navy, usually in reference to WWII.


passenger liner

passenger liner (plural passenger liners)


ocean liner

(nautical) a narrow-beam passenger ship designed for high speed transoceanic travel


cruise liner

The storm has passed when I arrive at Southampton Central, but more fun is to come. The station platforms and waiting rooms are crammed with people, many toting enormous amounts of baggage as they have just come off a cruise liner.

2022 November 16, Paul Bigland, “From rural branches to high-speed arteries”, in RAIL, number 970, page 55:


bulker

The bulker began to swerve from side to side, as sharply as it could, creating large waves behind it, sending a churning wake towards the pirate boats.

(nautical) A person employed to ascertain the bulk or size of goods, in order to fix the amount of freight or dues payable on them.


saltie

Ah, but when will the first oceangoing boat arrive [in Duluth, Minnesota]? . . . In 2015, the first saltie to arrive was the Malta-flagged Kom, which arrived April 13 with a Bulgarian crew to load durum wheat headed for Italy.

“The season's first ships”, in (Please provide the book title or journal name), Midwest Weekends, 2015 April 16, archived from the original on 2015-04-29

(Canada, US, nautical) An ocean-going ship that enters the Great Lakes via the St. Lawrence Seaway.


underground railway

underground railway (plural underground railways)

It was advisable to avoid building an underground railway beneath private houses at the time, because the law would require you to buy those houses.

2012, Andrew Martin, Underground Overground: A passenger's history of the Tube, Profile Books, →ISBN, page 29:

(rail transport) Synonym of subway: a railway under the ground.


backwash

backwash (countable and uncountable, plural backwashes)

I looked back to a ferry passing the Statue of Liberty now, its backwash a curving line upon the bay.

1952, Ralph Ellison, Invisible Man, Penguin Books (2014), page 166:

(nautical) The backward flow of water from oars or propeller or breaking waves.


slip off

en-verb

slip off (third-person singular simple present slips off, present participle slipping off, simple past and past participle slipped off)

slips off (present singular third-person)
slipping off (participle present)
slipped off (participle past)
slipped off (past)

(nautical) To leave a port, anchorage or mooring


LBSCR

(rail transport, British) Initialism of London, Brighton and South Coast Railway.


Sprinter

diesel multiple unit
diesel multiple unit

(rail transport, British) A British diesel multiple unit of class 150, 153, 155, 156, 158 or 159.


ISA

en-noun

ISA (countable and uncountable, plural ISAs)

(Europe, transport) Initialism of intelligent speed assistance / adaptation.


hawse

Alteration of Middle English halse, from Old Norse hals (“neck”) (compare Icelandic háls (“neck”)).

(nautical) The part of the bow containing the hawseholes.

(nautical) The horizontal distance or area between an anchored vessel's bows and the actual position of her anchor(s).


hawse

(nautical) In a position relative to the course and position of a vessel, somewhat forward of the stem.


hawse

(nautical, of a vessel) Lying to two anchors, streamed from either bow.


hawse

en-verb

hawse (third-person singular simple present hawses, present participle hawsing, simple past and past participle hawsed)

hawses (present singular third-person)
hawsing (participle present)
hawsed (participle past)
hawsed (past)

(intransitive, nautical, of a vessel) To lie uneasily to an anchor, typically due to a weather tide.


plain line

pointwork

antonym(s) of “railway track without points”

(rail transport) a stretch of railway track that does not have any junctions, crossovers or points on it.


plain line

plain line (third-person singular simple present plain lines, present participle plain lining, simple past and past participle plain lined)

plain lines (present singular third-person)
plain lining (participle present)
plain lined (participle past)
plain lined (past)

(rail transport) to remove points and crossovers from a stretch of track.


head of navigation

(nautical) The farthest point above the mouth of a river that can be navigated by ships. This term can be somewhat subjective on many streams, as this point may vary greatly with the size of the ship being contemplated for navigation. On others it is quite objective, being caused by a waterfall, dam or lock.


latching

(nautical) A loop or eye formed on the head rope of a bonnet, by which it is attached to the foot of a sail.


foreplane

(nautical, aeronautics) A relatively flat surface located well forward of a vehicle's center of gravity used for stability and, when movable, used for steering and attitude control; common on submarines, also used on surface ships and aircraft.


bowplane

From bow (“forward part of marine craft”) + plane (“surface”).

(nautical) A surface, usually horizontal, near the bow of a marine vessel, used for stability or control.


backplate

(UK, automotive) A rigid metal plate inside the brake drum, which supports the wheel cylinder, brake shoes, and other parts of a drum brake.


sidewheel

(nautical) One of a pair of paddle wheels positioned one each side of a vessel


metacentre

From French métacentre or meta- + centre.

A ship's metacenter (M) is the virtual intersection of two successive lines of action of the force of buoyancy when the ship heels through a very small angle. The initial position of the metacenter is used as a reference in stability calculations. The distance from a ship's center of gravity (G) to its metacenter is known as the metacentric height (GM). GM is a measure of the vessel's ability to right itself when experiencing an overturning moment. For the same vessel, a higher GM value indicates a greater initial static stability.

2017 December 12, National Transportation Safety Board, “1.12 Stability Information - 1.12.1 Concepts”, in Marine Accident Report: Sinking of US Cargo Vessel SS El Faro, Atlantic Ocean, Northeast of Acklins and Crooked Island, Bahamas, October 1, 2015, archived from the original on 2022-05-15, page 132:

(physics, nautical) The point where a vertical line through a tilted vessel's center of buoyancy intersects the originally-vertical (but-now-tilted) line that passed through the center of buoyancy when the vessel was upright; it must be above the vessel's center of gravity for the vessel to have positive static stability (to tend to return to an upright orientation if rolled to one side, rather than to continue rolling to an inverted orientation).


sternwheeler

Williams's steamboat crossed paths with a boat that was at the start of its voyage upstream, a long, boxy sternwheeler with a funnel and pilothouse on its top deck.

1998, Adam Hochschild, King Leopold's Ghost, Pan, published 2012, page 140:

(nautical) A vessel (especially a paddle steamer) propelled by a single paddle wheel positioned at the stern


schoolship

(nautical) A vessel used for the education and training of sailors.

(nautical) A vessel used as a reformatory.


sternwheel

The current was more rapid now, the steamer seemed at her last gasp, the stern–wheel flopped languidly, and I caught myself listening on tiptoe for the next beat of the boat, for in sober truth I expected the wretched thing to give up every moment.

1899 March, Joseph Conrad, “The Heart of Darkness”, in Blackwood’s Edinburgh Magazine, volume CLXV, number MI, New York, N.Y.: The Leonard Scott Publishing Company, […], →OCLC, part II:

(nautical) A paddle wheel positioned at the stern of a vessel.


paddle wheel

(nautical) A large wheel, fitted with paddles, used to propel a vessel (especially a paddle steamer)


sidewheeler

(nautical) A vessel (especially a paddle steamer) propelled by a pair of paddle wheels positioned one on each side

siipiratasalus, jonka siipirattaat ovat aluksen kyljillä


ropework

en-noun

ropework (countable and uncountable, plural ropeworks)

(nautical) The making, repairing, knotting, splicing and storing of rope, and the manufacture of devices from rope, mostly by use of the marlinspike.


paddle steamer

In the second volume of his autobiography, he writes of a journey up the Padma by paddle steamer (built, as it happens, on the river outside my window), where the dry season had exposed many sandbanks...

2014 September 16, Ian Jack, “Is this the end of Britishness”, in The Guardian:

By the 1880s, the pretty harbour village of Lynmouth was enjoying an influx of holidaymakers brought by paddle steamers from the likes of Bristol and Swansea.

2021 January 13, Dr Joseph Brennan, “Spectacular funiculars”, in RAIL, issue 922, page 53:

(nautical) A steam-powered vessel propelled by one or two paddle wheels

caixell de paletes

steam-powered vessel propelled by paddle wheel(s)


capful

"I warrant you were frighted, wer'n't you, last night, when it blew but a capful of wind?"

1719, Daniel Defoe, Robinson Crusoe, page 9:

" Last night, at sunset, there were plenty of the most respectable wind-clouds, but now there isn't a capful."

1886, Peter Christen Asbjørnsen, translated by H.L. Brækstad, Folk and Fairy Tales, page 182:


double-header

If this pipe is broken while running as the second engine of a double-header nothing will be lost as the operation of the distributing valve is then similar to that of a triple valve,[…].

1929, Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen and Enginemen′s Magazine, volumes 86-87, page 132:

(rail transport) A train pulled by two locomotives.


manrope

Halting for an instant at the foot of the ladder, and with both hands grasping the ornamental knobs of the man-ropes, Father Mapple cast a look upwards, and then with a truly sailor-like but still reverential dexterity, hand over hand, mounted the steps as if ascending the main-top of his vessel.

1851 November 14, Herman Melville, Moby-Dick; or, The Whale, 1st American edition, New York, N.Y.: Harper & Brothers; London: Richard Bentley, →OCLC:

(nautical) Each of the ropes used in ascending the side of a sailing ship.


affreightment

(nautical) The act of hiring, or the contract for use of, a vessel, or some part of it, to convey cargo.


leeboard

From Middle English lebord, leburd, probably from Old Norse *hléborð, equivalent to lee + board. Cognate with Icelandic hléborð.

[…] on the port side a sofa bed was put up and fitted with a leeboard. On the starboard side a short seat with a folding cot above, which folded […]

1909, Thomas Fleming Day, The Rudder, page 24:

Forward of the mizzenmast was an iron box in which the mainsheets worked, and to port and starboard were the leeboard winches, hand-worked.

2014, Tristan Jones, A Steady Trade: A Boyhood at Sea, Open Road Media, →ISBN:

I lowered the starboard leeboard. I sent Kester up forward with the binoculars. 'Any buoy,' I told him, 'just yell and point.'

2015, Tom Cunliffe, In the Wake of Heroes: Sailing's Greatest Stories Introduced by Tom Cunliffe, Bloomsbury Publishing, →ISBN:

(nautical) A board, or frame of planks, lowered over the side of a sailboat to lessen its leeway.

laitaköli

board lowered over the side of a sailboat to lessen its leeway


frap

en-verb

frap (third-person singular simple present fraps, present participle frapping, simple past and past participle frapped)

fraps (present singular third-person)
frapping (participle present)
frapped (participle past)
frapped (past)

From Middle English frapen, from Old French fraper.

Next take two turns not round the spars at all but in between them round the rope itself. These turns are called "frapping" turns and must be very tight too.

1941, Boy Scout Tests and How to Pass Them, Boy Scouts Association, page 20:

(nautical) To draw together tightly; to secure by many turns of a lashing.


Wimbleware

Blend of Wimbledon + Edgware (from Edgware Road)

(rail transport, informal) The Wimbledon to Edgware Road service on the London Underground's District Line.


topgallant

en-adj

topgallant (comparative more topgallant, superlative most topgallant)

more topgallant (comparative)
most topgallant (superlative)

the topgallant yards, braces, etc.

(nautical) Situated above the topmast and below the royal mast.


topgallant

(nautical) The sail suspended from the topmost section of a mast.

(nautical) The topmost section of a mast; topgallant mast.


dead calm

Dead calm prevails over the Atlantic.

(nautical) The condition of a perfectly flat sea with no waves and no wind.


canaller

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


aquaplaning

(automotive, UK) The loss of contact with the road because of surface water. The act of aquaplaning.


breeching

en-noun

breeching (countable and uncountable, plural breechings)

/bɹiːt͡ʃiːŋ/

(nautical) A rope used to secure a cannon.


bustitution

bustitution (countable and uncountable, plural bustitutions)

(rail transport, sometimes derogatory) The (temporary or permanent) substitution of a bus service for a rail (train, tram, etc) or trolleybus service.


FRL

(rail transport) Initialism of fixed red light.


stopper knot

(nautical) A knot placed in a rope either to prevent the end from fraying, or to prevent it from passing through a hole.

nœud d’arrêt

knot to prevent a rope passing through a hole


SAE

Society of Automotive Engineers
w:SAE International

(automotive) Initialism of Society of Automotive Engineers.


buoy rope

(nautical) The rope that secures a buoy to an anchor on the seabed


bolt rope

Bolt rope, a rope sewed to the edges of a sail to strengthen them and prevent their splitting.

1858, P.L. Simmonds, A Dictionary of Trade Products, Commercial, Manufacturing, and Technical Terms, London, New York: G. Rutledge & Co., page 44:

(nautical) Rope sewn around the edges of a sail to prevent tearing or fraying.


heel over

en-verb

heel over (third-person singular simple present heels over, present participle heeling over, simple past and past participle heeled over)

heels over (present singular third-person)
heeling over (participle present)
heeled over (participle past)
heeled over (past)

(nautical, of a vessel) to tilt to one side


sponson

He and Gerald usually challenged the rollers in a sponson canoe when Gerald was there for the weekend; or, when Lansing came down, the two took long swims seaward or cruised about in Gerald's dory, clad in their swimming-suits ; and Selwyn's youth became renewed in a manner almost ridiculous,[…].

1907 August, Robert W[illiam] Chambers, chapter IX, in The Younger Set, New York, N.Y.: D. Appleton & Company, →OCLC:

(nautical, aviation, military) A projection from the side of an aircraft, watercraft, or land vehicle.


sponson

sponson (third-person singular simple present sponsons, present participle sponsoning, simple past and past participle sponsoned)

sponsons (present singular third-person)
sponsoning (participle present)
sponsoned (participle past)
sponsoned (past)

The belted cruiser Pamiat Azova or Remembrance of Azoff, is 377 feet long. She is an improved Dmitri Dontskoi, and carries her two 8-inch guns in sponsoned barbettes on either broadside

1899, John Scott-Keltie, editor, Statesman's Year-Book 1899:

(nautical, aviation, military, transitive, often with the particle "out") To mount on a projection on the side of a vessel.


CGN

(military, nautical) nuclear-powered guided-missile cruiser (warship)


HFC

(rail transport) The station code of Heng Fa Chuen in Hong Kong.


sternwards

en-adv

sternwards (comparative more sternwards, superlative most sternwards)

more sternwards (comparative)
most sternwards (superlative)


well deck

(nautical) A sunken deck between the forecastle and the poop


enricher

(automotive) The choke; the component that supplies a richer mixture of fuel to the engine when required.


sea legs

(idiomatic, nautical) The ability, when walking aboard a ship, to anticipate the motion of the deck so as to walk steadily without losing balance.


article of extraordinary value

en-noun

article of extraordinary value (plural articles of extraordinary value)

articles of extraordinary value (plural)

(transport) A transported item with a value exceeding 100 USD per imperial pound.


harpings

(nautical) The front part of the wales of a vessel, around the bow and fastened to the stem; used to provide protection from the seas.


fairlead

(nautical) A device to guide a line, rope or cable around an object or out of the way, or to stop it from moving laterally


below decks

[O]n the wind shifting and becoming more violent, the landsmen soon retired below decks.

1817, Maria Edgeworth, chapter 31, in Ormond:

Phaidor and I were taken below decks, where, still fast bound, we were thrown into a small compartment which contained a single port-hole.

1913 January–May, Edgar Rice Burroughs, “The Gods of Mars”, in The All-Story, New York, N.Y.: Frank A. Munsey Co., →OCLC; republished as “Under Arrest”, in The Gods of Mars, Chicago, Ill.: A[lexander] C[aldwell] McClurg & Co., 1918 September, →OCLC, page 117:

(nautical) In or into any of the spaces below the main deck of a vessel.


drop light

Ventilation was by louvres and brass grilles over the windows and by droplights in the end doors.

1965, Cuthbert Hamilton Ellis, Railway carriages in the British Isles: from 1830 to 1914, page 58:

The side doors to the cab have been replaced by droplights and the train will not start unless these are closed or within a few inches of the closed position.

1964, The Indian Railway Gazette, volume 62, number 6, page 142:

(railways) A window in a train carriage that is opened by pushing it downward into the door.


reefed

en-adj

reefed (comparative more reefed, superlative most reefed)

more reefed (comparative)
most reefed (superlative)

(nautical) Having part of a sail tied up in order to adapt the size of the sail to the force of the wind.


duco

From a 1920s trade name for automotive lacquer.

A green four-wheel drive, its duco iridescent in the winter sunlight like the carapace of some mythical beetle come to rest there, was parked by the side of a ripple-iron tank set back from the riverbank.

2002, Alex Miller, Journey to the Stone Country, Allen & Unwin, published 2003, page 35:

(Australia, automotive, colloquial) Automotive paint.


duco

en-verb

duco (third-person singular simple present ducos, present participle ducoing, simple past and past participle ducoed)

ducos (present singular third-person)
ducoing (participle present)
ducoed (participle past)
ducoed (past)

(Australia, automotive, colloquial, transitive) To paint with automotive paint.


ATB

(nautical) Abbreviation of articulated tug and barge.


victualling

The High Treasurer of the Armie […] hath […] the superintendencie of the victualling of the campe […]

1598, Robert Barret, The Theorike and Practike of Moderne Warres, London: William Posonby, Book 5, Dialogue 4, p. 164:

[…] Lieutenant Hirsch appeared with a sheaf of signals in his hand. He took these from the young man and read them through. Mostly they dealt with routine matters of the fuelling and victualling, but one from the Third Naval Member’s office was unexpected.

1957, Neville Shute, chapter 2, in On the Beach, New York: William Morrow & Co:

(especially nautical, military) The process of supplying food.

1624, Patrick Simson (editor), The Historie of the Church, London: John Bellamie, Book 2, Centurie VI, p. 361,
Zosymas a monke is commended […] for the miracle of the Lyon, who slew the Asse that caried his victualing to Caesarea, and likewise the Lyon by his mandate was compelled to beare that same burden which the Asse had borne to the portes of Caesarea.

He was oblig’d often to set upon the Enemy, and skirmish with them; for he wanted both Victualling for his Men, and Forage for his Horse […]

1693, George Smalridge, “Julius Caesar”, in Plutarch’s Lives, Translated from the Greek by Several Hands, volume 4, London: Jacob Tonson, page 459:

[…] as each man has a vote in all the affairs of his parish, and for his own sake must wish well to the public, the land is let in very small farms, which makes employment for a greater number of hands, and makes more victualling of all kinds be raised.

1796, Thomas Spence, The Meridian Sun of Liberty; or, the Whole Rights of Man Displayed and Most Accurately Defined, London: for the author, page 10:

(especially nautical, military) Provisions of food.


camelback

en-noun

camelback (countable and uncountable, plural camelbacks)

The camelbacks were designed to help with the visibility problems inherent in putting the driver behind the entire engine.

(countable, rail transport) A railway locomotive that has its cab in the middle as opposed to at the end.


rack rate

(travel) The published full price for a room in a hotel that has not been pre-booked.


rackie

A diminutive ( + -ie) formed from Middle English rak, rack, rakke (“parrel”), from Old English racca (“parrel”), from Proto-West Germanic *rakkō, from Proto-Germanic *rakkô (“rope, cord”), from Proto-Indo-European *reǵ- (“to tie, bind”). Cognate with dialectal Norwegian rakke (“parrel”).


parrel

From French appareil. Doublet of apparel.

Excavating with the suction dredge, the field crew located a parrel, and a second parrel was found a short distance away.

1998, Donna J. Souza, The Persistence of Sail in the Age of Steam: Underwater Archaeological Evidence from the Dry Tortugas, Springer, page 76:

The batten parrels are best made of large diameter polypropylene line because it slides well.

2007, Derek Van Loan, The Chinese Sailing Rig: Design and Build Your Own Junk Rig, 2nd edition, Paradise Cay Publications, page 64:

The earliest form of parrel was probably a rope loosely lashed about the mast and yard.

2012, Henry B. Culver, The Book of Old Ships: From Egyptian Galleys to Clipper Ships, Dover Publications, page 229:

(nautical) A sliding loop of rope or metal, around the mast of a ship, to which a yard or gaff is fitted.

rackie

sliding loop to which yard or gaff is fitted


raftage

(nautical) The beams used in the rigging of a ship

(nautical) Rafts considered as a group; the use of rafts


raft-up

(nautical) The roping together of a number of small vessels to form a raft-like structure.


moorer

(nautical, rare) The person who moors a vessel


longue-vue

From French longue-vue; Literally, “long view”. From longue (“long”)+vue (“view”).

(nautical) A ship's navigational monocular spyglass telescope


KPI

(automotive) Initialism of kingpin inclination.


traverse

From Middle English traversen, from Old French traverser, from Latin trans (“across”) + versus (“turned”), perfect passive participle of Latin vertere (“to turn”).

(nautical) The zigzag course or courses made by a ship in passing from one place to another; a compound course.

The whole care of the vessel rested, therefore, upon me, and I was obliged to direct her by my former experience, not being able to work a traverse.

1789, Olaudah Equiano, chapter 7, in The Interesting Narrative, volume I:


BIC

en-noun

BIC (countable and uncountable, plural BICs)

(shipping) Initialism of Bureau International des Containers (the International Container Bureau)


SWIFT

(sciences, transport) Acronym of Stratospheric Wind Interferometer For Transport Studies.


four-stroking

(automotive) Abnormal operation of a two-stroke internal combustion engine, such that the cylinder only fires every second cycle (like a four-stroke engine). This occurs when the exhaust scavenging and inlet charging leaves a mixture in the cylinder which does not ignite, but needs a second scavenge/charge to produce an adequate mix.


side valve

(automotive) A type of internal combustion engine design which has the inlet and exhaust valves in the cylinder block beside the piston. The cylinder head is then a simple dome extending across the valves and piston.


overhead cam

(automotive) A type of internal combustion engine design which has the inlet and exhaust valves in the cylinder head and has the camshaft(s) up above the valves too.


over square

An over square or short stroke engine occurs when the cylinder bore diameter is greater than its stroke length, giving a bore/stroke ratio greater than 1:1. An over square engine allows for larger valves in the cylinder head because the wider bore creates a broader combustion chamber.

2012, Donny Peterson, Donny's Unauthorized Technical Guide to Harley-Davidson, 1936 to Present:

(automotive) Of an internal combustion engine design, in which the diameter of the piston is greater than its stroke distance.


overhead valve

(automotive) A type of internal combustion engine design which has the inlet and exhaust valves in the cylinder head (and therefore above the piston). The camshaft can be beside the pistons (with pushrods and rockers operating the valves) or above the valves, with the latter usually referred to as overhead cam.


under square

(automotive) Of internal combustion engine designs, having piston diameter less than its stroke distance.


Dogger Bank

From 1660s; origin obscure, but see Dutch dogger (“fishing boat for cod or haddock”) and bank (“shallow part of sea near coast”). Compare Dutch Doggersbank, Danish Doggerbanke, German Doggerbank.

der

(nautical) A large sandbank, and associated fishing ground, in the North Sea between Great Britain and Denmark.


station throat

(rail transport) the often constricted area at the end of a railway station where running lines divide into platform tracks.


fire iron

No. 21C9 was in need of a boiler washout and though she was carefully and assiduously fired and use made of the fire-irons during the run, it was not possible to maintain steam, which often fell as low as 210 lb.

1944 March and April, E. S. Waterhouse, “Two Footplate Rides on "Merchant Navy" Locomotives”, in Railway Magazine, page 88:

There was no need to use the fire-irons after we pulled out of Calais, for the fire was well burnt through and came to life at once.

1961 February, ""Balmore"", “Driving and firing modern French steam locomotives - Part One”, in Trains Illustrated, page 112:

(rail transport) One of a set of tools kept on a steam locomotive for a similar purpose.


verge staff

(nautical) A flag pole that protrudes from a low deck off the back of a ship.


fin keel

(nautical) A type of keel common in sailing yachts, its shape resembling the fin of a fish.


rideable

en-adj

rideable (comparative more rideable, superlative most rideable)

more rideable (comparative)
most rideable (superlative)

We have had some splendid rideable weather this last week, and we doubt not that the pedal-pushers of this district have not failed to take advantage of it.

1885 June 20, “Our Cycling Corner”, in The Croydon Advertiser and Surrey County Reporter, number 863, page 3, column 6:

(of a path, road, or the like) Fit to be traveled on bicycle, horseback, etc.


radio officer

(nautical) The person, on board ship, who sends and receives radio messages


OSI

Other Supplementary Information
Other Supplementary Information#English

(aviation, travel industry) Initialism of Other Supplementary Information. A message sent to an airline by an agent, in a standardised format, advising relevant information such as being a VIP, language difficulty, or passport information.


(automotive) A four-wheeled vehicle with four-wheel drive and four-wheel steering.


RWD

rear-wheel drive
rear-wheel drive#English

(automotive) Abbreviation of rear-wheel drive.


EFI

(automotive) Initialism of electronic fuel injection.


SRS

en-noun

SRS (countable and uncountable, plural SRSes)

supplemental restraint system
supplemental restraint system#English

secondary restraint system
secondary restraint system#English

(automotive) Initialism of supplemental restraint system or secondary restraint system (car airbags).


coxless four

(nautical) A boat, used in competitive rowing, having four rowers, each with a single oar


single scull

(nautical) A light, narrow rowing boat, especially one used in competitive rowing, in which a single rower has two oars


quadruple scull

quadruple scull (plural quadruple sculls)

(nautical) A light, narrow rowing boat, especially one used in competitive rowing, in which a four rowers each have two oars


coxless pair

(nautical) A boat, used in competitive rowing, having two rowers, each with a single oar


rowing boat

(British, nautical) Alternative form of rowboat


double scull

(nautical) A light, narrow rowing boat, especially one used in competitive rowing, in which two rowers each have two oars


soogee-moogee

(nautical, slang, dated) A type of strong cleaning product for wood and paint on board a boat.


soogee

en-verb

soogee (third-person singular simple present soogees, present participle soogeeing, simple past and past participle soogeed)

soogees (present singular third-person)
soogeeing (participle present)
soogeed (participle past)
soogeed (past)

(nautical, transitive) To clean with soogee.


(automotive, engineering) Alternative form of V-twin


railroad spike

(rail transport, US) A type of large nail that fixes a railway line to a sleeper.


railroad switch

en-noun

railroad switch (plural railroad switches)


rear admiral (lower half)

rear admiral (lower half) (plural rear admirals (lower half))

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Corps

Public Health Service Commissioned Corps

rear admiral (upper half)
rear admiral (upper half)

(US, military, nautical) A commissioned officer in the United States Navy, Coast Guard, NOAA Corps, or PHS Corps of a grade superior to a captain and junior to a rear admiral (upper half). A rear admiral (lower half) is equal in grade or rank to an Army, Marine Corps, or Air Force brigadier general.

(US, military, nautical) A naval officer of equivalent grade or rank in the navy of other countries, such as commodore.


rear admiral (upper half)

rear admiral (upper half) (plural rear admirals (upper half))

United States Coast Guard
United States Coast Guard

rear admiral (lower half)
rear admiral (lower half)

(US, military, nautical) A flag officer in the United States Navy, United States Coast Guard, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Corps, or Public Health Service Commissioned Corps of a grade superior to a rear admiral (lower half) and junior to a vice admiral. A rear admiral (upper half) is equal in grade or rank to an Army, Marine Corps, or Air Force major general. A rear admiral (upper half) wears a two star insignia on most uniforms and a gold stripe above a broad gold stripe on the sleeve of certain dress uniforms.

(US, military, nautical) A naval officer of equivalent grade or rank in the navy of other countries.


MTB

MTB (countable and uncountable, plural MTBs)

motor torpedo boat
motor torpedo boat#English

(military, nautical) Initialism of motor torpedo boat.


draisine

Named after Baron Karl Drais (1785–1851), who invented a predecessor to the bicycle.

named-after

(rail transport) A light auxiliary rail vehicle (train) or tram.


ghost ship

When Hayes turned to Jephson's contribution, he found that it commenced with a description of the famous ghost ship, the Marie Celeste, being towed into Gibraltar harbor.

2014, Valerie Martin, The Ghost of the Mary Celeste, Hachette UK, →ISBN:

(nautical) An abandoned ship, or (science fiction, by extension) spaceship, that is haunted and possibly adrift.

vaixell fantasma

abandoned, possibly adrift ship that is haunted


bumkin

(nautical) A short outrigger projecting from the side of the aft part of a square-rigged sailing ship, used as an attachment point for a rope (brace) used to set a yard-arm at different angles to a mast so to allow the ship to sail at different angles to the wind.


ANPR

(UK, Australia, transport) Initialism of automatic number plate recognition.


bodyshell

(rail transport) The metal body of a rail vehicle, minus seats, doors and other fittings.


vigia

From Spanish vigía (“lookout; reef”), from Portuguese vigia, ultimately from Latin vigilare.

(nautical) A warning on a navigational chart indicating a reef or other hazard which has been reported but which has not been confirmed to exist, or whose exact location is unknown.


cloff

(historical, shipping) An allowance of two pounds in every three hundredweight after the tare and tret are subtracted; now used only in a general sense, of small deductions from the original weight.


suttle

(shipping) The weight of a commodity shipment after deduction of the weight of the container, before allowance of tret.


tret

From Old French traire, from Latin trahēre.

(obsolete, shipping) An allowance to purchasers, for waste or refuse matter, of four pounds on every 104 pounds of suttle weight, or weight after the tare is deducted.


RAIB

(British, rail transport) Initialism of Rail Accident Investigation Branch.


allocentric

en-adj

allocentric (comparative more allocentric, superlative most allocentric)

more allocentric (comparative)
most allocentric (superlative)

The adjective is derived from allo- (prefix meaning ‘different; other’) + -centric (suffix meaning ‘having a specified object at the centre, or as the focus of attention’). Sense 3 (‘of a tourist: tending to be adventurous’) was coined by the American travel researcher Stanley C. Plog in a paper presented to the Southern California Chapter of the Travel Research Association on 10 October 1972, which was later published in February 1974.
The noun is probably derived from the adjective.

coinage

[Stanley C.] Plog (1974, 1990, 1991b) delineated personality types along a continuum ranging from allocentrism to psychocentrism. The psychocentric personality type tends toward territory boundedness, insecurity, and powerlessness. Psychocentric individuals also tend to have non-active lifestyles and are non-adventurous. In contrast, allocentric individuals tend to be self-confident, intellectually curious, and feel in control of their lives.

1995, Robert Madrigal, “Personal Values, Traveler Personality Type, and Leisure Travel Style”, in Journal of Leisure Research, volume 27, number 2, Arlington, Va.: National Recreation and Park Association, →DOI, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2021-08-14, page 128:

[P]sychocentrics could conceivably vacation in essentially allocentric destinations (with the exception of people with extremely low incomes). For instance, a psychocentric may travel to a remote area under the security of a completely planned, fully escorted tour.

1999, K. K. Sharma, “Tourism Psychology and Motivation”, in Tourism and Culture, New Delhi: Prabhat Kumar Sharma for Sarup & Sons, published 2004, →ISBN, page 189:

Remember that whether a tourist is more psychocentric or more allocentric depends on the different motivations and the different destinations chosen by the tourist. The tourist may also oscillate between both psychocentric and allocentric choices. For example, a tourist may choose an allocentric holiday in December to a remote game reserve, but have a psychocentric short break in July to Singapore, where he or she may prefer a package tour and will stick to the touristy areas of town.

2003, “Tourism Motivation and Behaviour”, in Berendien Lubbe, editor, Tourism Management in Southern Africa, Cape Town, Western Cape: Pearson Education South Africa, published 2005, →ISBN, part 2 (The Demand for Tourism), page 38, column 2:

[Stanley C.] Plog recognised that personalities change over time, and given time, the psychocentrics may become allocentric in their choice of holiday destination and activity as they gain experience of travel.

2020, J. Christopher Holloway, Claire Humphreys, “The Demand for Tourism”, in The Business of Tourism, 11th edition, London, Thousand Oaks, Calif.: SAGE Publications, →ISBN, part 1 (Defining and Analysing Tourism and Its Impacts), page 75:

At the one extreme, psychocentrics are those travellers that are not adventurous, and seek amenities and culture similar to their home environment. At the other end of the continuum, an allocentric tourist is very adventurous, seeks and embraces different cultures, local food, and requires only basic tourism infrastructure.

2020, Peter Robinson, Michael Lück, Stephen L. J. Smith, “Responsible Tourism Management”, in Tourism, 2nd edition, Wallingford, Oxfordshire, Boston, Mass.: CABI, →ISBN, part 5 (Tourism Development), page 366, column 1:

(also tourism) Of a tourist: tending to be adventurous and preferring novel and unfamiliar experiences.


allocentric

According to [Stanley C.] Plog (1991b), psychocentrics tend to prefer a high degree of familiarity in their travel and, as a result, enjoy group or "packaged" tours. In contrast, allocentrics enjoy vacations to exotic and unique destinations, and prefer to travel independently (i.e., not as part of group tours).

Simply put, psychocentrics are at ease only when within their comfort zone, while allocentrics are driven to leave their comfort zone on a regular basis.

[2001, Doris S. Davidoff, Philip G. Davidoff, Donald M. Davidoff, Douglas G. Davidoff, “The Classic Motivation Mistake”, in Parenting the Office, Gretna, New Orleans, La.: Pelican Publishing Company, →ISBN, page 209:

Another typology of tourists was introduced by [Stanley C.] Plog (1991), who used psychographic analysis to create a continuum of tourist types. While Plog's model is a continuum with indefinite points, he was able to divide tourists into five main groups: psychocentrics, near psychocentrics, midcentrics, near allocentrics, and allocentrics.

(psychology, tourism) A tourist who tends to be adventurous and to prefer novel and unfamiliar experiences.


broken-backed

en-adj

broken-backed (comparative more broken-backed, superlative most broken-backed)

more broken-backed (comparative)
most broken-backed (superlative)

(nautical, of a ship) Drooping at each end because of a damaged spine.


BGM

Belagavi railway station
w:Belagavi railway station

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


dualie

(automotive) a pickup truck with four wheels on the rear axle, two on each side.


wastegate

mechanical engineering
mechanical engineering

(mechanical engineering, automotive, aviation) A valve that allows exhaust gases to bypass an engine's turbocharger, in order to keep from overspeeding the turbocharger rotor or driving the boost pressure high enough to risk engine knocking or detonation.


foul anchor

One stone in particular attracts me. It bears a beautiful ‘foul anchor’ and the simple inscription: Dummy 1879-1918.

1978, Iris Murdoch, The Sea, The Sea, Vintage, published 1999, page 13:

(nautical) An anchor which has become entangled or caught up in something, or an image of this.


caique

Borrowed from French caïque, from Italian caicco, from Ottoman Turkish قایق (kayık), from Proto-Turkic *kiayguk (“boat, oar”). Cognate with modern Turkish kayık.

Shipping of every sort, from passenger liners to ferry steamers, tramps to tugs and trailing barges, feluccas to speedboats and yachts, from warships to caiques, chugs, hoots, glides or churns its way in all directions.

1950 July, J. C. Mertens, “By the "Taurus Express" to Baghdad”, in Railway Magazine, page 435:

(nautical) A small wooden trading vessel, brightly painted and rigged for sail, traditionally used for fishing and trawling.


intake silencer

en-noun

intake silencer (plural intake silencers)

(automotive) A device that reduces the noise in an intake system.


intake system

(automotive) The subsystem of an engine that takes in air from the environment and delivers it to the combustion chamber.


intake manifold

intake manifold (plural intake manifolds)

(automotive) The part of an engine that supplies the fuel and air mixture to the cylinder.

進氣歧管

part of an engine that supplies the fuel/air mixture to the cylinder


exhaust system

Meronyms: exhaust pipe (head pipe, mid-pipe, tailpipe), exhaust pipe (tailpipe), tailpipe, manifold, header, sidepipe, silencer, muffler, catalytic converter

(automotive) The subsystem of an engine that takes the products of the combustion chamber through a catalytic converter and silencer to the final pipe that releases the gases to the air.

систе́ма ви́пуску відпрацьо́ваних га́зів


passenger kilometer

passenger kilometer (plural passenger kilometers)

A 747 could generate more than 75 million passenger kilometers per month.

(transport) A kilometer traveled by a passenger, used as a unit of measure.


futtock plate

(nautical) A plate (usually metal) attached horizontally near the top of the lower mast of a square rigged ship in order to secure the topmast. Rigging runs both upwards (topmast rigging) and downwards (futtock shrouds) to maintain stability.


futtock shroud

[H]e laid hold of the first ratline with his right hand, then sprung to the second, with his left, and so on alternately, right and left, up to the last, close to the futtock shrouds.

1808–10, William Hickey, Memoirs of a Georgian Rake, Folio Society 1995, p. 80

(nautical) Any of a set of ropes, wires or chains that brace the futtock plate from a band on the lower mast.


outerchange

From outer + change by analogy with interchange.

The five minute walk between Northwick Park and Kenton tube stations is a valid outerchange.

(British, chiefly London, rail transport) A connection between two stations within walking distance of each other but which are not physically connected; used especially where a journey involving such a connection can be done on a single ticket.


taken aback

en-adj

taken aback (comparative more taken aback, superlative most taken aback)

more taken aback (comparative)
most taken aback (superlative)

From taken + aback, first attested in 1840.

(nautical) Said of a ship, when the wind, suddenly changing, forces the sails aft against the mast.


dress down

en-verb

dress down (third-person singular simple present dresses down, present participle dressing down, simple past and past participle dressed down)

dresses down (present singular third-person)
dressing down (participle present)
dressed down (participle past)
dressed down (past)

Dan could bait up trawl or lay his hand on any rope in the dark; and at a pinch, when Uncle Salters had a gurry-sore on his palm, could dress down by sense of touch.

1897, Rudyard Kipling, Captains Courageous:

(nautical) To prepare (caught fish) by gutting them, removing the heads and backbones, etc.


jackstaff

en-noun

jackstaff (plural jackstaffs or jackstaves)

(nautical) a short spar, at the bows of a ship, that serves as a flagpole to fly a flag (a jack)


graveyard watch

graveyard watch (plural graveyard watches)

(nautical) The middle watch on a ship, from midnight to 4 am.


dygogram

Blend of dynamic + goniometric + diagram

blend

(nautical) A chart showing the horizontal variation in the magnetic force acting on a ship's compass needle by the iron within the ship, as a function of course steered


sheeted

This load must be well roped and sheeted to be safe.

[...] Brush No. D5504 was first seen in charge of a rake of sheeted mineral wagons at midday on July 6, [...].

1960 September, “Motive Power Miscellany: London Midland Region: Western Lines”, in Trains Illustrated, page 564:

(road haulage, rail transport) Secured by a special tarpaulin.


minesweeping

en-noun

minesweeping (usually uncountable, plural minesweepings)

(nautical) The detection and safe disposal of mines.


crossjack

(nautical) On a mizzenmast, the lowest square sail


mizzen course

(nautical) On a mizzenmast, the lowest sail


CCS

Combined Charging System
Combined Charging System#English

(automotive) Initialism of Combined Charging System.


swept path

(nautical) The width of the lane swept by a minesweeper


WAC

(rail transport) The station code of Wan Chai in Hong Kong.


weatherboard

(nautical) The windward side of a vessel.

(nautical) A plank placed over an opening to keep out driven water.


pre-dreadnought

(nautical, military, historical) A late 19th-century or early 20th-century battleship with a small number of big guns (typically no more than four) and a large number of quick-firing medium-caliber guns. It was made largely obsolete in 1906 by the dreadnought type of battleship.

Japanese battleship Mikasa
Pre-dreadnought battleship

קְדַם דְּרֶדְנוֹט

late 19th or early 20th century battleship


FS

(military, nautical, exonym) Initialism of French ship (a ship of the military of the Fifth Republic of France (used as a ship prefix)).


CAI

CAI (countable and uncountable, plural CAIs)

(automotive) Initialism of cold air intake.


cleaning shoe

After every test (except those at 30 mph) the wheel was cleaned by making two stops with cleaning shoes from a speed of 40 miles per hour.

1913, Pennsylvania Railroad Test Dept., Brake Tests, page 245:

(rail transport, machinery) A brake shoe used to clean a wheel


railcard

(rail transport) A card allowing reduced fares for travelling by train.


N/S

Alternative forms: NS, N.S., N. S.

(nautical) Initialism of nuclear ship: a ship's prefix for shipnames of nuclear-powered ships.


upshift

From Middle English upshiften, upschyften (“to raise”), equivalent to up- + shift.

For example, the vehicle starts off in second gear or an upshift takes place at lower engine speeds.

1999, Kurt Neuffer, Kurt Engelsdorf, “Transmission Control”, in Ronald K. Jurgen, editor, Automotive Electronics Handbook, page 323:

(automotive, cycling) A shift to a higher gear


upshift

en-verb

upshift (third-person singular simple present upshifts, present participle upshifting, simple past and past participle upshifted)

upshifts (present singular third-person)
upshifting (participle present)
upshifted (participle past)
upshifted (past)

You can upshift to second gear once the car is moving.

(automotive, cycling) To shift to a higher gear


tops'l

(nautical) Alternative spelling of topsail


twincharger

From twin + charger. From there being two "-chargers", a turbocharger and a supercharger. "Twin" is taken to mean "two", and does not mean identical, just two similar items.

(automotive) A combination of a supercharger and a turbocharger.


turbosupercharger

(automotive, aviation, dated) A turbocharger, an exhaust-powered turbine used to power increased air intake to an internal combustion engine; an exhaust-turbine powered (in place of engine-powered) supercharger.

(automotive) A twincharger, a combination of a supercharger and a turbocharger.


clutch pedal

(automotive) A pedal in a manual transmission car that modulates the clutch mechanism, via clutch plate pressure.


column shifter

(automotive) A shift lever used to change gears, mounted on the steering column.


steering column

en-noun

steering column (plural steering columns)

(automotive) a column originating in the dashboard and ending at the steering wheel


torpedo tube

The Canet torpedo tube, mounted on a movable carriage of a special type, somewhat like that mounted on the decks of ships, can be usefully employed for the defence of narrow channels and rivers.

1889, C. Sleeman, Torpedoes and Torpedo Warfare: Containing a Complete Account of the Progress of Submarine Warfare; […], 2nd edition, Portsmouth: Griffin, page 200:

The armament consists of a torpedo tube, which is provided with five Whitehead torpedoes.

1901 June 22, “Launch of the Submarine Torpedo Boat ‘Fulton’”, in Scientific American, volume 84, number 25, New York: Munn, page 388:

A new feature which has not before been adopted in the United States navy is the submerged torpedo tube, of which the “Missouri” will carry two. The dangers of above-water torpedo tubes were well exemplified in the Spanish war and in the battle of the Yalu between China and Japan. In both wars a vessel which carried above-water tubes was completely wrecked by the detonation of its own torpedoes–the result of their being hit by the enemy's shell fire.

1902 January 11, “The Launch of the Battleship ‘Missouri’”, in Scientific American, volume 86, number 2, New York: Munn, page 20:

(nautical) A metal tube mounted in a submarine or surface warship into which a torpedo may be loaded and launched through the hull or from the deck; a torpedo launcher.

魚雷管

tube through which torpedoes are launched


SWATH

(nautical) Acronym of small waterplane area twin hull: a ship design philosophy for reducing pitching and rolling, and increasing stability, in all sea states.


azipod

A trademark, from a blend of azimuth thruster + pod

(nautical) An azimuth thruster, an engine and ships' propeller in an underslung pod that is azimuth adjustable, to replace a fixed-azimuth propeller and rudder configuration.


azimuth thruster

azimuth thruster (plural azimuth thrusters)

A propulsive thruster located in an adjustable-azimuth mounting.

(nautical) A ship's engine and propeller in an underslung adjustable-azimuth pod, used to replace a fixed-azimuth propeller and rudder configuration.


ESC

ESC (countable and uncountable, plural ESCs)

electronic stability control
electronic stability control#English

(automotive) Initialism of electronic stability control.


bow thruster

A propulsion unit mounted in or on the bow of a vehicle.

(nautical) A sideways-pointing thruster mounted in a tunnel in the bow or under the bow in a pod, for increased maneuverability.

keulapotkuri

nautical: sideways thruster at the bow of a vessel


TCS

traction control system
traction control system#English

(automotive) Initialism of traction control system: an electronic control system that prevents wheelspin to improve traction.


fog light

(automotive) One of a pair of lights, mounted at the front of a car, below the headlights, usually white or yellow in colour, for increased visibility ahead in foggy driving conditions.

霧燈

one of a pair of lights, mounted at the front of a car


stand off

en-verb

stand off (third-person singular simple present stands off, present participle standing off, simple past and past participle stood off)

stands off (present singular third-person)
standing off (participle present)
stood off (participle past)
stood off (past)

Here were ſome marks of the ſavages along the ſhore ; for the ſhip ſtood off and on a good way down ; but no drift-wood, beaſts or fiſh were found, nor any thing uſeful except a few fowls, one of which they shot.

1768, Edward Cavendish Drake, A New Universal Collection of Authentic Voyages and Travels, page 321:

A boat was then dispatched to sound the channel, and attempt and entrance; but returned without success, there being a tremendous swell, and breakers. Signal guns were fired again in the evening, but equally in vain, and once more the ship stood off to sea for the night.

1836 October, Washington Irving, chapter XII, in Astoria, or Anecdotes of an Enterprise beyond the Rocky Mountains. […], volume II, Philadelphia, Pa.: [Henry Charles] Carey, [Isaac] Lea, & Blanchard, →OCLC, page 108:

When the tropic night closed down upon the battered Renown, as she stood off the land under easy sail, just enough to stiffen her to ride easily over the Atlantic rollers that the trade wind, reinforced by the sea breeze, sent hurrying under her bows, Buckland sat anxiously discussing the situation with his new first lieutenant.

1952, C. S. Forester, chapter 8, in Lieutenant Hornblower:

(nautical, dated) To move away from shore.


snowmachine

(vehicles) A vehicle that can travel through snow.


length overall

(nautical) Length of a ship from bow to stern.


alloy wheel

I see that he blinged it up a bit by ordering the package with the spoiler and the alloy wheels.

(automotive) A wheel made from an alloy other than steel (a lighter and more expensive one), as for example one of aluminium alloy or magnesium alloy, and (usually) styled so as to draw attention to its sportiness and desirability.


aplustre

(historical, nautical) An ornamental appendage of wood at the stern of a Roman ship, usually spreading like a fan and curved like a bird's feather.

צֶפֶת הַיַרְכָתַיִם

an ornamental appendage of wood at the stern of a Roman ship


harborage

en-noun

harborage (countable and uncountable, plural harborages)

(US, nautical) A place for refuge for a vessel.


Flying Dutchman

(nautical folklore) A mythical Dutch-flagged ghost clipper that is very fast sailing, and never makes it to port, seen on the high seas, where upon being hailed, occupants request information on persons long dead, or leave messages for said people. In European naval folklore, it was considered to portend bad luck.


harbormaster

(US, nautical) An official responsible for the enforcement of regulations in a port.


HOV

/eɪt͡ʃ əʊ ˈviː/

Ultimately, Ms. Bottone said she just wanted to know whether she could keep driving in the H.O.V. lane for the remainder of her pregnancy, as she said she had in her previous pregnancies, long before the overturning of Roe.

2022 July 12, Luke Vander Ploeg, “Can You Drive Alone in the H.O.V. Lane if You’re Pregnant? A Post-Roe Quandary.”, in The New York Times, →ISSN:

high-occupancy vehicle
high-occupancy vehicle#English

(US, automotive) Initialism of high-occupancy vehicle.

human-occupied vehicle
human-occupied vehicle#English

(nautical) Initialism of human-occupied vehicle.


PCC

(travel) Initialism of pseudo-city code (a short alpha-numeric code used to represent the location that a GDS is operated from.)


flag carrier

(military, nautical) An aircraft carrier serving as a flagship


ride out

en-verb

ride out (third-person singular simple present rides out, present participle riding out, simple past rode out, past participle ridden out)

rides out (present singular third-person)
riding out (participle present)
rode out (past)
ridden out (participle past)

(transitive, nautical) To survive in a storm (about a ship) and keep afloat.


outstable

outstable (third-person singular simple present outstables, present participle outstabling, simple past and past participle outstabled)

outstables (present singular third-person)
outstabling (participle present)
outstabled (participle past)
outstabled (past)

(rail transport, transitive) To park (a rail vehicle) in a station, siding or other location away from the (main) depot.


outstabled

(rail transport, of a rail vehicle) stabled other than at the (main) depot


power steering

(automotive) A system for reducing the driver's effort to steer, by using a power source to assist in turning the wheels.


wagon-lit

As an extreme example, the charge for dinner in the "Northern Irishman" from Euston to Stranraer Harbour (for the Larne boat) has been increased to as much as 16s 6d, because of the small demand; this is coming close to the level of Wagons-Lits charges abroad.

1962 February, “Talking of Trains: Dearer meals in B.R. trains”, in Modern Railways, page 78:

(rail transport) A sleeping car, often used in international trains in continental Europe; the Wagons-Lits company also ran dining cars.


DDI

en-noun

DDI (countable and uncountable, plural DDIs)

(road transport) Initialism of diverging diamond interchange.


bird strike

(transport, by extension) Any collision between a bird and a vehicle.


platforming

Advantage has been taken of the rationalised platforming to produce a new-style departure sheet for the West Side of Liverpool Street.

1961 January, “The North-East London electrification of the Great Eastern Line”, in Trains Illustrated, page 21:

(rail transport) The platforms at a railway station.


unwired

Clarke said that this 'total cost' approach should be used across unwired routes in combination with route profit and loss figures from the Great British Railways Transition Team, to give a more rounded picture of costs and benefits.

2024 May 1, Philip Haigh, “Network News: RIA argues for battery electrics to replace diesel trains”, in RAIL, number 1008, page 10:

(rail transport) Of an unelectrified line or route, without overhead wiring to supply current to electric trains via pantographs.


PLAN

People's Liberation Army Navy
w:People's Liberation Army Navy

People's Republic of China
People's Republic of China#English

(nautical, military) Abbreviation of People's Liberation Army Navy. The national navy of the People's Republic of China.


BND

Bhandup railway station
w:Bhandup railway station

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


twinset

(railways) A pair of cars or locomotives that are permanently coupled and treated as a single unit.


PLB

(Hong Kong, transport) Initialism of public light bus.


emergency position indicating radio beacon (plural emergency position indicating radio beacons)

(communication, nautical) An emergency location radio beacon, used on ships.

emergency position indicating radiobeacon

emergency position indicating radio-beacon


unsurfaced

The master plan for the site includes 3.3km of new surfaced and unsurfaced walking routes, more than 1km of new bridleways and cantering routes, and retention of the 2.3km Old Shire Lane bridleway.

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

(road transport, etc.) Not having a tar macadam (asphalt) or other paved surface.


groaner

/ˈɡɹəʊnə(ɹ)/

From Middle English groner, gronar, equivalent to groan + -er.


unroadworthy

en-adj

unroadworthy (comparative more unroadworthy, superlative most unroadworthy)

more unroadworthy (comparative)
most unroadworthy (superlative)

Coordinate term: roadworthy

When an unroadworthy vehicle causes an accident, it opens up a complex legal situation.

2023 August 23, “The Dangers of Unroadworthy Automobiles and the Legal Implications”, in Robert J. DeBry:

(automotive, road transport) Describing a vehicle which is not safe for use on the road.


circulator

You can ride the airport circulator to the next terminal.

(transport) A local transit system that provides regular service within a closed loop


TSR

UK railway signalling#Speed restrictions

(rail transport) Initialism of temporary speed restriction.


bluewater

From blue + water, from the blue of deep oceanic waters.

Almost every maritime country has some kind of bluewater navy.

(nautical) Oceangoing, capable of travelling in rough seas.


dually

Whatever you do, don't buy a dually. A dually is a big, diesel truck with four wheels in the back that costs three figures to fill up.

2011, Michael Levatino, Audrey Levatino, The Joy of Hobby Farming, page 34:

(automotive) A pickup truck with four wheels on the rear axle.


hatchwork

The sailors must be familiar with the cargo and hatchwork.

(uncountable, shipping) The apparatus around the hatches of a vessel, particularly the cargo hatch


storm jib

(nautical) A small jib, used in a storm to reduce the sail area to the minimum required for maintaining manoeuvrability of the vessel.


run afoul

en-verb

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

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

At last we hove in sight of the Pacific, and run afoul one of those villainous head winds which you know often set into the west end of the Straits.

1857, Thomas Jefferson Farnham, Life, Adventures, and Travels in California, page 407:

Propellers can run afoul in heavy seaweed, and ships are said to be afoul when they collide.

1995, James Laurence Pelletier, Mariner's Employment Guide, page 514:

(transitive, intransitive, nautical) To become entangled or in conflict with.