capstan bar
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of capstan bar
First recorded in 1620–30
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
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)
Of course, place the men as near to the end of the capstan bar as convenient for work.
From Scamping Tricks and Odd Knowledge Occasionally Practised upon Public Works by Newman, John Henry
His quick eye spied a capstan bar which he snatched up as a cudgel.
From Blackbeard: Buccaneer by Schoonover, Frank Earle
He must live so far fr'm th' sea that he don't know a capstan bar fr'm a sheet anchor.
From Mr. Dooley: In the Hearts of His Countrymen by Dunne, Finley Peter
About midnight the admiral again signalled, by rocket and flares, “Haul up,” and immediately, with capstan, bar, and steam, the obedient crews began to coil in their tails.
From The Lively Poll A Tale of the North Sea by Ballantyne, R. M. (Robert Michael)
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
