fore-and-after
Americannoun
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Nautical.
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a sailing vessel with a fore-and-aft rig.
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a beam running fore and aft across a hatchway to support hatch covers laid athwart the hatchway.
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a vessel having a sharp stern; a double ender.
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noun
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any vessel with a fore-and-aft rig
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a double-ended vessel
Etymology
Origin of fore-and-after
First recorded in 1815–25; fore-and-aft + -er 1
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.
Indeed, I believe that only the first mate and the doctor had ever before handled a fore-and-after.
From Project Gutenberg
The black proved a fore-and-after—pawed out ladylike blows with slender forefeet, then lofted his heels in a way that jarred the human aboard him more than the wary target.
From Project Gutenberg
"Well, she was a fore-and-after and had figures painted on her sails to make us believe that she was a pilot boat," answered Jack, somewhat surprised at his brother's earnestness.
From Project Gutenberg
It caught the sails of the new fore-and-after, and the little craft fell over on another tack and shot away.
From Project Gutenberg
“Small fore-and-after, sir, with sails down and sweeps out, close under the land.”
From Project Gutenberg
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.