gaff topsail
Americannoun
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Also called fore-and-aft topsail. a jib-headed fore-and-aft sail set above a gaff.
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a quadrilateral fore-and-aft sail set above the spanker of a bark, between the gaff of the spanker and an upper gaff.
noun
Etymology
Origin of gaff topsail
First recorded in 1785–95
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.
A belt of smoky red spread swiftly along the horizon, he heard the high gaff topsail flap, booms rattled and then the yacht got quiet.
From Project Gutenberg
"Has this sail been kept on the yacht all night?" said I, looking up at the wide spread of mainsail and gaff topsail.
From Project Gutenberg
The sharp crack of a shot from the six-pounder was the reply, and simultaneously, holes appeared in the gaff topsail and the main topgallant staysail.
From Project Gutenberg
Used aboard yachts for bending on the gaff topsail halliards.
From Project Gutenberg
The big gaff topsail was next hauled down and carefully stowed away, and finally the mainsail was lowered, stowed, and the coat put over it.
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.
