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:
Behind the square jaw, deadeye stare and Marine Corps growl, former special counsel Robert S. Mueller III does have a soft spot when it comes to answering tough questions in congressional hearings.
From Washington Post ● Jul. 21, 2019
Each is deadeye with a gun — a good skill to have when rattlesnakes make their way into your home.
From New York Times ● Jun. 12, 2018
Even deadeye sharpshooter Reggie Miller clapped his wrists when releasing the ball.
From Forbes ● Aug. 26, 2014
Kentucky was a deadeye 35-of-37 at the line, compared to 13-of-17 for the Hoosiers.
From Seattle Times ● Mar. 24, 2012
My dad, however, was a deadeye when it came to spotting the outlaw class.
From "Hole in My Life" by Jack Gantos
Coach Ranko Zeravica threw down the gauntlet after his Yugoslav deadeyes trounced Italy, 86-77, for the gold medal.
From Time Magazine Archive
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
Below, Lee Goom and Toyama were lowering skylight covers and screwing up deadeyes.
From The Night-Born by Jack London
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
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
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.
