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scrimshaw
scrimshaw, the name given to the carving done by sailors of whaling ships on the jawbone or teeth of whales or the tusks of walrus. The origin of the word is not certain but the art was developed by the American whalemen of the early 19th century, but there is no evidence that the word derived from an Admiral Scrimshaw as some have suggested. Herman Melville remarks of the whaler's crew in his novel Moby-Dick: ‘Some of them have little boxes of dentistical-looking implements specially intended for the shrimshandering business. But in general they toil with the jack-knives alone.’
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Cite this article
"scrimshaw." The Oxford Companion to Ships and the Sea. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. 31 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "scrimshaw." The Oxford Companion to Ships and the Sea. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. (May 31, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O225-scrimshaw.html "scrimshaw." The Oxford Companion to Ships and the Sea. 2006. Retrieved May 31, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O225-scrimshaw.html |
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scrimshaw
scrim·shaw / ˈskrimˌshô/ • v. [tr.] adorn (whalebone, ivory, shells, or other materials) with carved or colored designs. • n. a piece of work done in such a way. ∎ the art or technique of producing such work: craftsmen demonstrate sailmaking and scrimshaw. |
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Cite this article
"scrimshaw." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. 31 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "scrimshaw." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. (May 31, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-scrimshaw.html "scrimshaw." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Retrieved May 31, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-scrimshaw.html |
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scrimshaw
scrimshaw (sl.) handicrafts practised by sailors on long voyages. XIX. of unkn. orig.
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Cite this article
T. F. HOAD. "scrimshaw." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. 31 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. T. F. HOAD. "scrimshaw." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. (May 31, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-scrimshaw.html T. F. HOAD. "scrimshaw." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Retrieved May 31, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-scrimshaw.html |
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scrimshaw
scrimshaw
•Bradshaw • seashore
•kickshaw, rickshaw
•scrimshaw • trishaw • dogshore
•alongshore, longshore
•foreshore
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Cite this article
"scrimshaw." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. 31 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "scrimshaw." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. (May 31, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-scrimshaw.html "scrimshaw." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Retrieved May 31, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-scrimshaw.html |
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