snatch block

American  

noun

Nautical.

1. 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.

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snatch block British  

noun

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

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Etymology

Origin of snatch block

First recorded in 1615–25

Example Sentences

Lead aft to a snatch block fast to the aftermost ringbolts and forward free.

From Time Magazine Archive

Hence to haul the concrete cars up the grade by using a wire cable, it was necessary to anchor a snatch block at the center of the bridge.

From Concrete Construction Methods and Costs by Gillette, Halbert Powers

They carried a line from its drum through a snatch block ashore and jerked half a dozen logs crosswise before the scow in a matter of minutes.

From Big Timber A Story of the Northwest by Sinclair, Bertrand W.

The section was then hauled ahead by passing the main fall of the derrick through a snatch block on the first rib.

From Concrete Construction Methods and Costs by Gillette, Halbert Powers

Well, sometimes they have to anchor a snatch block to a stump an' run the main line through it at an angle to get a log out the way you want.

From Big Timber A Story of the Northwest by Sinclair, Bertrand W.