prick, to

The Oxford Companion to Ships and the Sea | 2006 | 700+ words | Copyright

prick, to.
1. To sew an additional central seam between the two seams which were normally employed to join the cloths of a sail. This was normally only done when the sails were worn and the original stitching weakened by long wear. See sailmaker's stitching.

2. To roll up leaf tobacco in canvas and serve it with tarred twine to compress it as solidly as possible; when matured and cut with a knife it was a favourite smoke or chew of old tars. Those prepared to sacrifice a portion of their grog ration in which to soak the tobacco before it was served always professed to enjoy it even more. A quantity of tobacco in its canvas and serving was known as a prick, qualified by the weight of leaf tobacco thus treated, as a half-pound prick, pound prick, etc.

Cite this article
Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography.

MLA
Chicago
APA

"prick, to." The Oxford Companion to Ships and the Sea. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. 28 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

"prick, to." The Oxford Companion to Ships and the Sea. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. (May 28, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O225-prickto.html

"prick, to." The Oxford Companion to Ships and the Sea. 2006. Retrieved May 28, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O225-prickto.html

Learn more about citation styles