sheepshank
[ sheep-shangk ]
/ ˈʃipˌʃæŋk /
|
noun
a kind of knot, hitch, or bend made on a rope to shorten it temporarily.
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Nearby words
sheepish, sheepishly, sheeple, sheepman, sheepo, sheep-shank, sheepshead, sheepshearing, sheepskin, sheepswool sponge, sheeptick
Origin of sheepshank
First recorded in 1635–45; short for sheepshank knot; literal sense unclear
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for sheep-shank
Sheep-shank the stays and backstays, and set them hand-taut.
The Seaman's Friend|Richard Henry DanaThe purpose of a Sheep-shank is to take up slack or shorten a rope temporarily.
But when you come to that sheep-shank and bowline upon the bight, as you term them, it grows confusing.
Fighting in Cuban Waters|Edward StratemeyerIt is sometimes necessary to shorten a rope temporarily and not desirable to cut it, and the sheep-shank knot solves the problem.
On the Trail|Lina Beard and Adelia Belle Beard
British Dictionary definitions for sheep-shank
sheepshank
/ (ˈʃiːpˌʃæŋk) /
noun
a knot consisting of two hitches at the ends of a bight made in a rope to shorten it temporarily
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
Word Origin and History for sheep-shank
sheep-shank
also sheepshank, 1670s, "leg of a sheep," from sheep + shank (n.). A type of something lank, slender, or weak. Attested earlier in transferred sense of "type of sailor's knot used to shorten a rope without cutting it" (1620s).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper