splice the main brace
1splice the main brace — ► splice the main brace Brit. historical (in the navy) serve out an extra tot of rum. Main Entry: ↑splice …
2splice the main brace — historical (in the navy) serve out an extra tot of rum. [perh. from the issue of a tot of rum after the actual splicing of the main brace.] → main brace …
3To splice the main brace — Splice Splice (spl[imac]s), v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Spliced} (spl[imac]st); p. pr. & vb. n. {Splicing}.] [D. splitsen, splitten; akin to G. splissen, Sw. splissa, Dan. splisse, and E. split; from the dividing or splitting the ends into separate… …
4splice the main brace — drink an alcoholic drink (at the end of a day of work) …
5splice the main brace — phrasal : to give out or drink spirits on a special occasion or after great hardship or effort …
6main brace — noun the brace attached to the main yard of a sailing ship. Phrases splice the main brace historical (in the navy) serve out an extra tot of rum. [perh. from the issue of a tot of rum after the actual splicing of the main brace.] …
7Splice the mainbrace — is an order given aboard naval vessels to issue the crew with a drink. Originally an order for one of the most difficult emergency repair jobs aboard a sailing ship, it became a euphemism for authorized celebratory drinking afterward, and then… …
8splice the mainbrace — to drink intoxicants The mainbrace was the rope which held the mainsail in position, and a vessel was in peril if it broke. In rough weather splicing it, or mending it by joining up the severed parts, was a hazardous operation and the… …
9splice — ► VERB 1) join (a rope or ropes) by interweaving the strands at the ends. 2) join (pieces of timber, film, or tape) at the ends. 3) Genetics join or insert (a gene or gene fragment). ► NOUN ▪ a spliced join. ● get spliced Cf. ↑ …
10Splice — (spl[imac]s), v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Spliced} (spl[imac]st); p. pr. & vb. n. {Splicing}.] [D. splitsen, splitten; akin to G. splissen, Sw. splissa, Dan. splisse, and E. split; from the dividing or splitting the ends into separate strands. See… …