fore-and-after

[ fawr-uhnd-af-ter, ahf-, fohr- ]

/ ˈfɔr əndˈæf tər, ˈɑf-, ˈfoʊr- /

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noun

Nautical.

a sailing vessel with a fore-and-aft rig.
a beam running fore and aft across a hatchway to support hatch covers laid athwart the hatchway.
a vessel having a sharp stern; a double ender.

deerstalker (def. 2).

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of fore-and-after

First recorded in 1815–25; fore-and-aft + -er¹

Words nearby fore-and-after

fordless, fordo, fordone, fore, fore-and-aft, fore-and-after, fore-and-aft rig, fore-and-aft sail, forearm, forearm smash, forebear

How to use fore-and-after in a sentence

These were well named, as the two ends of the wagon inclined upward, like the bow and stern of a fore-and-after.
Tenting on the Plains|Elizabeth B. Custer
Hence a schooner is often called a "fore-and-after;" and a ship, a "square-rigger."
Practical Boat-Sailing|Douglas Frazar
It caught the sails of the new fore-and-after, and the little craft fell over on another tack and shot away.
Billy Topsail & Company|Norman Duncan
A fore-and-after is a vessel without square sails like a sloop or schooner.
On Yacht Sailing|Thomas Fleming Day

But alter as you please, the fore-and-after is still a bad runner when winds blow strong and seas run high.
On Yachts and Yacht Handling|Thomas Fleming Day

British Dictionary definitions for fore-and-after

fore-and-after

noun nautical

any vessel with a fore-and-aft rig

a double-ended vessel

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012