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fly-by-night
fly-by-night, the name given to an additional sail which acted as a sort of studding sail. It was set by naval sloops, which were not issued with studding sails, during the 18th and early 19th centuries. It was normally a square sail set on a temporary yard when the wind came from directly astern, but was occasionally a spare jib set from the topmast head and sheeted by tack and clew to the upper yardarms.
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Cite this article
"fly-by-night." The Oxford Companion to Ships and the Sea. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. 31 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "fly-by-night." The Oxford Companion to Ships and the Sea. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. (May 31, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O225-flybynight.html "fly-by-night." The Oxford Companion to Ships and the Sea. 2006. Retrieved May 31, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O225-flybynight.html |
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fly-by-night
fly-by-night • adj. unreliable or untrustworthy, esp. in business or financial matters: cheap suits made by fly-by-night operators. • n. (also fly-by-nighter) an unreliable or untrustworthy person. |
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Cite this article
"fly-by-night." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. 31 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "fly-by-night." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. (May 31, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-flybynight.html "fly-by-night." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Retrieved May 31, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-flybynight.html |
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