Spanish windlass

British  

noun

1. a stick used as a device for twisting and tightening a rope or cable

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Example Sentences

Oh, that," said Penn proudly, "is a Spanish windlass.

From Captains Courageous by Kipling, Rudyard

I then procured a handspike and heaver, and went to work setting up the rigging by a "Spanish windlass."

From Jack in the Forecastle or, Incidents in the Early Life of Hawser Martingale by Sleeper, John Sherburne

Oh, that," said Penn, proudly, "is a Spanish windlass.

From Captains Courageous by Kipling, Rudyard

For parchment the 'linings' are tied in a frame by strings fastened round grooved pegs, on the same principle as a Spanish windlass....

From Highways and Byways in Cambridge and Ely by Conybeare, Edward

The lever of the Spanish windlass is fastened with a cord or with a galvanized nail in order to prevent the windlass from unwinding and the whole covered with melted paraffin.

From Northern Nut Growers Association, Report Of The Proceedings At The Tenth Annual Meeting. Battle Creek, Michigan, December 9 and 10, 1919 by Northern Nut Growers Association