foretopman

American  

[fawr-top-muhn, fohr-, fawr-tuhp-muhn, fohr-] / ˌfɔrˈtɒp mən, ˌfoʊr-, ˈfɔr təp mən, ˈfoʊr- /

noun

plural

foretopmen

1. a member of a ship's crew stationed on the foretop.

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Etymology

Origin of foretopman

First recorded in 1810–20; foretop + -man

Example Sentences

He was particularly animated later about a gift from someone:  a 1946 edition of Melville’s Billy Budd, Foretopman.

From The New Yorker

In brief, a good-natured young foretopman, Billy Budd, is falsely accused by the master-at-arms, John Claggart, of fomenting mutiny.

From Seattle Times

"I've heard tell of that before," remarked the tall foretopman.

From Project Gutenberg

The tall foretopman, who was standing near by, folded his heavy arms across his chest.

From Project Gutenberg

But for all the hammocks, cannons and ropes, the contrast between life below decks and life above is never there – there's nothing of Billy Budd's working life as a foretopman, for instance, or his death hanging from the yardarm, and little sense of the surrounding sea when Captain Vere takes charge of the attack on a French ship in the second act.

From The Guardian