snatch block

noun Nautical.

a fairlead having the form of a block that can be opened to receive the bight of a rope at any point along its length.

Origin of snatch block

First recorded in 1615–25

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for snatch block

It is called a snatch-block and often employed for drawing water from wells, or for hoisting light weights.
The Library of Work and Play: Mechanics, Indoors and Out|Fred T. Hodgson
Turn that snatch-block, Cully, and tighten up the watch-tackle.
Tom Grogan|F. Hopkinson Smith
Davy, the boy, led the warp through a snatch-block fixed to the mast-hole on to the capstan.
The Deemster|Hall Caine
It was Danny Fayle's duty to lead the warp through a snatch-block fixed to the mast-hole on to the capstan.
She's All the World to Me|Hall Caine

A snatch-block is a single block having a notch in one cheek to receive the bight of a fall.
The Gunner's Examiner|Harold E. Cloke

British Dictionary definitions for snatch block

snatch block

noun

nautical a block that can be opened so that a rope can be inserted from the side, without threading it through from the end

Word Origin for snatch block

C17: so called because the rope can be inserted quickly: figuratively, the block snatches it. See snatch

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

snatch block

noun Nautical.

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Origin of snatch block

Examples from the Web for snatch block

snatch block

noun

Word Origin for snatch block