On the wooden tall ships, there is a wooden pin used to tie off ropes from the rigging. To quickly untie the ropes, the sailors pull the pin out of its holder. What is the proper term for the pin?
I think you are referring to a 'belaying pin'.
I think you're right. It also made for a great bludgeon in a deck fight. Possibly the origin of the contemporary term "Belay That"!
Gargoyle is correct -- it's called a belaying pin.
Webster concours
The term "Belay that" comes from the act of tying or fastening the rope to the belaying pin. Long John Silver says, "Belay that filthy tongue!" to the woman who gives him grief. She tells him, "Wash your face! It's as greasy as a launching beam, and twice as ugly!"
So telling someone to "belay that" means to tie it up, make it stop moving. Ie, your tongue, for instance.
Belay this thread, it's Radar's birthday! Happy birthday, Radar. :)
Quote from: Warbird on October 04, 2012, 02:26:03 AM
Belay this thread, it's Radar's birthday! Happy birthday, Radar. :)
+1 ;D
Happy Birthday, Terry!
Happy Birthday, my Friend. So now you are building a ship ???
Hmm, that would be fun! What kind of sailing ship, and what are you making it out of? At least one of my ancestors was a wooden ship builder. . . . ::)
Shoulda known y'all would know naughty terms.
Magic, It would be one of my long term life goals to build my own tall ship, by hand. I would have a hard time getting it to water though. Someone mentioned using the belay pin for a weapon, that is exactly the reason I asked the question. I have a gentleman wanting me to turn one for him and I needed reference pictures. I found by not knowing the proper term, I could not find pictures.
A good history lesson is always appreciated. 8) Now, belay this, where is my cake? ;D
Thanks everyone.
I wonder how many "belaying pin" hits that Google has had since this was posted. ???
Well, they got at least one.................
Where are you sailing off to ???
I suppose the term "belay " was probabley used first to refer to belaying pins which haven't been used since the square riggers sailed the high seas .It was adapted correctly or incorrectly to mean somewhat like forget my last order such as "belay " that last .
We didn't have any belaying pins on the submarine but I heard the word belay a lot of times as well as other words which really shouldn't be mentioned on an open forum . ;)
I guess that was the problem , all this time I thought that they were saying Delay
Funny how things get skewed over time. Like the old phrase "toe the line" has come to be "tow the line" ie, give it all you've got. And the phrase "if you think ______ , then you have another think coming" has come to be said, "if you think _______, then you have another thing coming." Belay becomes delay, or allay. "A leper can't change his spots" come to be "a leopard can't change his spots" and so on.
Quote from: Okrafarmer on October 04, 2012, 11:11:24 PM
"A leper can't change his spots" come to be "a leopard can't change his spots" and so on.
But a leprechaun can!
Happy Day !! So are you now 148 ? Say your prayers.
Not to be confused with a Fid. Also a handy attitude adjuster.
Quote from: Radar67 on October 04, 2012, 09:50:57 AM
Someone mentioned using the belay pin for a weapon, that is exactly the reason I asked the question.
Quote from: WDH on October 04, 2012, 08:41:07 PM
Where are you sailing off to ???
Possibly the land of knots and bruises :D. Not sure if the guy who wants the pins plans to use them on me, or someone else. ;D
Belaying pins are still used on some modern warships - for things such as the signal flag lines. However, they now tend to be brass rather than wood.
Quote from: Radar67 on October 04, 2012, 09:50:57 AM
Someone mentioned using the belay pin for a weapon, that is exactly the reason I asked the question. I have a gentleman wanting me to turn one for him and I needed reference pictures. I found by not knowing the proper term, I could not find pictures.
A good history lesson is always appreciated. 8) Now, belay this, where is my cake? ;D
Thanks everyone.
My image of a belaying pin comes from old sea movies as does the image of the pin being used in a fight. Possibly a movie like "Men Who Go Down to the Sea in Ships'.
What I remember of the pin is that the top or heavier part started with a hemispherical knob that tapered down a bit to a flange and below the flange a longer taper that would fit into a tapered socket in the rail of the ship. The lower taper would be pounded into the rail so that a line could be run under the rail and secured to the top of the pin with a cinch.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/12224/yhst-31755506130963_2229_115295177.jpg)
Guess I was wrong about the lower taper.
That was actually the first thing you turned in shop when I was in the 1oth grade. A mallet, or the 2 parts being the second. Never got hit by one though!