pin rail

American  

noun

1. Theater. a rail on a fly gallery, wall, etc., holding two rows of pins or cleats for securing lines attached to scenery.

2. Nautical. a strong rail at the side of the deck of a vessel, for holding the pins to which some of the running rigging is belayed.

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pin rail British  

noun

1. nautical a strong wooden rail or bar containing holes for belaying pins to which lines are fastened on sailing vessels Compare fife rail

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Etymology

Origin of pin rail

First recorded in 1875–80

Example Sentences

Rope is looped around metal dowels called belaying pins that sit in a horizontal steel bar called a pin rail.

From Washington Post