deadeye
Americannoun
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deadeyes
plural
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Nautical. either of a pair of disks of hardwood having holes through which a lanyard is rove: used to tighten shrouds and stays.
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an expert marksman.
noun
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nautical either of a pair of disclike wooden blocks, supported by straps in grooves around them, between which a line is rove so as to draw them together to tighten a shroud Compare bull's-eye
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informal an expert marksman
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of deadeye
1740–50; dead + eye; as nautical term, probably ellipsis from deadman's eye, Middle English dedmaneseye deadeye
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.
See Examples For:
The Big Ten Boilermakers have weapons all over the court in likely NBA lottery pick Jaden Ivey, 6-10 Trevion Williams, deadeye 3-point shooter Sasha Stefanovic and Edey.
From Seattle Times ● Mar. 24, 2022
The sound of a ball hitting his bat, the thrill of making a deadeye throw — every part of the game made him feel it was exactly where he belonged.
From New York Times ● Feb. 28, 2022
Even deadeye sharpshooter Reggie Miller clapped his wrists when releasing the ball.
From Forbes ● Aug. 26, 2014
Jon Scheyer, the deadeye shooter who essentially replaced J.J.
From Washington Post ● Mar. 4, 2010
That was my role: the dutiful son, the All-American boy with an All-American fifteen-foot deadeye jump shot and an All-American 3.5 GPA.
From "All American Boys" by Jason Reynolds
Coach Ranko Zeravica threw down the gauntlet after his Yugoslav deadeyes trounced Italy, 86-77, for the gold medal.
From Time Magazine Archive
Instead they seized the rusty deadeyes that held the shrouds, found toeholds in the closed gunports, and pulled themselves up within reach of the gunwales.
From Caribbee by Thomas Hoover
Everything on the decks was brightly revealed, every ringbolt, the pins in the rails, deadeyes, sails, gear, aye, every rope in the rigging was boldly etched against the glowing background.
From The Blood Ship by Norman Springer
Below, Lee Goom and Toyama were lowering skylight covers and screwing up deadeyes.
From The Night-Born by Jack London
It consists of a small line reeved back and forth through the holes in the "deadeyes," A; the ends are then seized to the standing rigging to prevent slipping.
From Knots, Splices and Rope Work A Practical Treatise by A. Hyatt (Alpheus Hyatt) Verrill
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.
