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beat, to

The Oxford Companion to Ships and the Sea | 2006 | 322 words | Copyright

beat, to.
1. To sail to windward by a series of alternate tacks across the wind.

2. To beat to quarters, the order given to the drummers on board a sailing man-of-war to summon the crew to their stations for action against an enemy. In the British Navy the drums were beaten to the rhythm of ‘Heart of Oak’.

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