capstan bar

American  

noun

1. a long lever for turning a capstan by hand.

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capstan bar British  

noun

1. a lever, often wooden, for turning a capstan

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Etymology

Origin of capstan bar

First recorded in 1620–30

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

capstan bar

Upon the capstan bar sat a sailor in oilskin clothes, who had probably been on shore the previous night and not closed his eyes, and who was making great efforts to keep awake.

From The Pilot and his Wife by Lie, Jonas Lauritz Idemil

I spoke to the cap’en, but it was of no use—not a bit; you might just as well have expected a capstan bar to hear reason!

From Picked up at Sea The Gold Miners of Minturne Creek by Hutcheson, John C. (John Conroy)

He was a little, shrewd man, and knew a handspike from a capstan bar.

From A Sailor of King George by Bevan, A. Beckford

Carey gave a hearty cheer, while Bostock threw down his capstan bar with a rattle on the deck.

From King o' the Beach A Tropic Tale by Greene, J. B.

A trimmed sapling served as a capstan bar, against which the two women threw their weight, while Jacques fitted the bone ends neatly together and applied the splints.

From The Promise A Tale of the Great Northwest by Hendryx, James B. (James Beardsley)