The Sailor's Word-Book Part 128

HIPPER, OR HIPPING-STONES. Large stones placed for crossing a brook.

HIPPOCAMPUS. A small fish, so termed from the head resembling that of a horse. They live among reeds and long fuci, to which they cling with prehensile tails.

HIPPODAMES. An old word for sea-horses.

HIPSY. A drink compounded of wine, water, and brandy.

HIRE, TO. To take vessel or men on service at a stipulated remuneration.

HIRECANO. An old word for hurricane.

HIRST. The roughest part of a river-ford. A bank.

HITCH. A species of knot by which one rope is connected with another, or to some object. They are various; as, clove-hitch, racking-hitch, timber-hitch (stopped), rolling-hitch, running-hitch, half-hitch, blackwall-hitch, magnus-hitch, marline-spike hitch, harness-hitch, &c.

(_See_ BEND and KNOT.) It also signifies motion by a jerk. Figuratively, it is applied to an impediment. A seaman often _hitches up_ his trowsers, which "have no lifts or braces."--_To hitch_ is to make fast a rope, &c., to catch with a hook. Thus of old, when a boat was to be hoisted in, they said--"Hitch the tackles into the rings of the boat."

HITCHER. An old term for a boat-hook.

HO! OR HAY! An exclamation derived from our Danish ancestors, and literally meaning _stop!_

HOAKY. A common petty oath--"By the hoaky!" by your hearth or fire.

HOAM. The dried fat of the cod-fish.

HOASTMEN. An ancient guild at Newcastle dealing in coals.

HOAY, OR HOY! a word frequently added to an exclamation bespeaking attention, as "Main-top, hoay!" and is chiefly used to persons aloft or without the ship.

HOB-A-n.o.b. To drink cosily; the act of touching gla.s.ses in pledging a health. An early and extensive custom falling into disuse.

HOBBLE. A perplexity or difficulty.--_Hobbles_, irons or fetters.

HOBBLER. A coast-man of Kent, a bit of a smuggler, and an unlicensed pilot, ever ready for a job in either of these occupations. Also, a man on land employed in towing a vessel by a rope. Also, a sentinel who kept watch at a beacon.

HOBITS. Small mortars of 6 or 8 inches bore mounted on gun-carriages; in use before the howitzer.

HOBRIN. A northern designation of the blue shark, _Squalus glaucus_.

HOC. The picked dog-fish, _Squalus acanthias_.

HOCK-SAW. A fermented drink along the coasts of China, partaking more of the nature of beer than of spirit, and therefore less injurious than _sam-tsin_.

HOD. A hole under a bank or rock, forming a retreat for fish.

HODDY-DODDY. A west-country name for a revolving light.

HODMADODS. The name among early navigators for Hottentots.

HODMANDODS. _See_ DODMAN.

HODOMETRICAL. A method of finding the longitude at sea by dead-reckoning.

HOE. _See_ HOWE.

HOE-MOTHER, OR HOMER. The basking shark, _Squalus maximus_.

HOE-TUSK. _Squalus mustela_, smooth hound-fish of the Shetlanders.

HOG. A kind of rough, flat scrubbing broom, serving to sc.r.a.pe a ship's bottom under water, particularly in the act of _boot-topping_ (which see); formed by inclosing a mult.i.tude of short twigs of birch, or the like, between two pieces of plank, which are firmly attached to each other; the ends of the twigs are then cut off even, so as to form a brush of considerable extent. To this is fitted a long staff, together with two ropes, the former of which is used to thrust the hog under the ship's bottom, and the latter to guide and pull it up again close to the planks, so as to rub off all the dirt. This work is usually performed in the ship's boat.

HOG-BOAT. _See_ HECK-BOAT.

HOGGED. A significant word derived from the animal; it implies that the two ends of a ship's decks droop lower than the midship part, consequently, that her keel and bottom are so strained as to curve upwards. The term is therefore in opposition to that of _sagging_.

HOG-IN-ARMOUR. Soubriquet for an iron-clad ship.

HOGO. From the French _haut-gout_, a disagreeable smell, but rather applied to ill-ventilated berths than to bilge-water.

HOISE. The old word for hoist.

HOIST. The perpendicular height of a sail or flag; in the latter it is opposed to the fly, which implies its breadth from the staff to the outer edge: or that part to which the halliards are bent.

HOIST, OR HOISE, TO. To raise anything; but the term is specially applied to the operation of swaying up a body by the a.s.sistance of tackles. It is also invariably used for the hauling up the sails along the masts or stays, and the displaying of flags and pendants, though by the help of a single block only. (_See_ SWAY, TRACING-UP, and WHIP.)

HOISTING-TACKLE. A whip, a burton, or greater purchase, as yard-arm tackles, &c.

HOISTING THE FLAG. An admiral a.s.suming his command "hoists his flag,"

and is saluted with a definite number of guns by all vessels present.

HOISTING THE PENDANT. Commissioning a ship.

HOLD. The whole interior cavity of a ship, or all that part comprehended between the floor and the lower deck throughout her length.--_The after-hold_ lies abaft the main-mast, and is usually set apart for the provisions in ships of war.--_The fore-hold_ is situated about the fore-hatchway, in continuation with the main-hold, and serves the same purposes.--_The main-hold_ is just before the main-mast, and generally contains the fresh water and beer for the use of the ship's company.--_To rummage the hold_ is to examine its contents.--_To stow the hold_ is to arrange its contents in the most secure and commodious manner possible.--_To trim the hold_ (_see_ TRIM OF THE HOLD). Also, an Anglo-Saxon term for a fort, castle, or stronghold.--_Hold_ is also generally understood of a ship with regard to the land or to another ship; hence we say, "Keep a good hold of the land," or "Keep the land well aboard," which are synonymous phrases, implying to keep near the land; when applied to a ship, we say, "She holds her own;" _i.e._ goes as fast as the other ship; holds her wind, or way.--_To hold._ To a.s.semble for public business; as, to hold a court-martial, a survey, &c.--_Hold!_ An authoritative way of separating combatants, according to the old military laws at tournaments, &c.; stand fast!

HOLD A GOOD WIND, TO. To have weatherly qualities.

HOLD-ALL. A portable case for holding small articles required by soldiers, marines, and small-arm men on service.

HOLD-BEAMS. The lowest range of beams in a merchantman. In a man-of-war they support the orlop-deck. (_See_ ORLOP-BEAMS.)

HOLDERS. The people employed in the hold duties of a ship.

HOLD-FAST. A rope; also the order to the people aloft, when shaking out reefs, &c., to suspend the operation. In ship-building, it means a bolt going down through the rough tree rail, and the fore or after part of each stanchion.

HOLDING-ON. The act of pulling back the hind part of any rope.

HOLDING ON THE SLACK. Doing nothing. (_See_ EYELIDS.)

HOLDING WATER. The act of checking the progress of a boat by holding the oar-blades in the water, and bearing the flat part strongly against the current alongside, so as to meet its resistance. (_See_ BACK ASTERN, OAR, and ROW.)