snatch block

nounNautical.

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

Words Nearby snatch block

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use snatch block in a sentence

Maybe you noticed the boys used the snatch block two or three times this afternoon?
Big Timber | Bertrand W. Sinclair
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
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
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
Davy, the boy, led the warp through a snatch-block fixed to the mast-hole on to the capstan.
The Deemster | Hall Caine

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

Origin of 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

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