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

Seth looked on at the fun, chewing the end of a capstan bar, and Oscar kept on rolling Spunkie in the scuppers, but when McBain joined the group order was somewhat restored.

From Project Gutenberg

But he helped himself to a capstan bar, and that is of great length and very heavy.

From Project Gutenberg

His coat is short, and of a slatey-blue; his tail is as straight and strong as a capstan bar.

From Project Gutenberg

Before that day was gone, they had half her load out of the Sally; and at full tide that night, with every hand tugging at a line or breasting a capstan bar, they hauled her off.

From Project Gutenberg

The way we worked was something like this, we had two endless ropes passing round the ends of short capstan bars and round two double purchase crabs placed upon opposite sides of the pile, about six or eight men worked at each crab, four or five winding, and two or three hauling in the slack, one rope being passed through a sufficiently deep upper slot in the capstan bar end so that it did not slip, also one in the lower slot same end.

From Project Gutenberg