pay, to

The Oxford Companion to Ships and the Sea | 2006 | 530 words | Copyright

pay, to, a verb used during the days of sail, which had three meanings.

1. To pour hot pitch into a deck or side seam after it had been caulked with oakum, in order to prevent the oakum getting wet.

2. To dress a mast or yard in a sailing vessel with tar or varnish, or with tallow in the case of masts on which sails were frequently hoisted or lowered.

3. To cover the bottom of a vessel with a mixture of sulphur, rosin, and tallow. It is also still sometimes used in the sense of applying antifouling paint. See also breaming.

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