The Baltic Prize

Glossary

akvavit – a clear liquor flavoured with caraway seeds much esteemed by Scandinavians

a-low – the opposite of aloft

barkers – slang for firearms

blaggard – ‘blackguard’

breeches – garment worn by gentlemen before pantaloons and ending at the knee

burgoo – porridge

Carrick bend – a knot to join two hawsers when intended to render around a capstan

Chouse – make sport of

Coach- that part of the captain’s quarters aft used as an office

Colours – the distinguishing national ensign flown by a ship

Conn – the men and equipment responsible for directing the ship on her course

Continental System – a system of economic warfare, essentially a blockade of Europe against the British by Bonaparte

Cyrillic – alphabet of the Slavic tongues

dame school – basic village school run by a lady of mature years

deal – a length of timber ready planed and finished in use for a building

dirk – a small poignard modelled after the Scottish dirk and worn by midshipmen in place of a full-sized sword

division – the sectioning of a warship’s company into a self-sufficient unit for special duties or combat

dog watches – in the Royal Navy a half-watch about sunset to give an uneven number of watches to be served at different times

douanier – French Customs official

double tides – working all day long, i.e. for both tides instead of one

figgy duff – pudding made with suet and raisins

fish-scut – the faeces of fish

flam – to trick

footling – trivial

glacis – a slope extending down from a fortification to slow an assault

griff – how things are done

gunwale – the uppermost strake of a boat

gyre – a swirling vortex; that which causes gyrations

Holger Danske – legendary Danish hero who sleeps in the crypt of Kronborg Castle ready to rise when Denmark is in peril

hove to – result of a manoeuvre to halt a vessel by backing its sails

Johnny Raw – a new-pressed or joined sailor on his first trip to sea

jolly boat – smallest boat aboard used for casual duties

kanonchalup - the larger type of gunboat. Armed with two 24-pound cannons and four four-pound howitzers; seventy men

kanonjolle - the smaller type of gunboat with one 24-pound cannon and two four-pound howitzers; forty men

Kem - mayor of Russian town in imperial times

Kronstadt – main island base of Russian Navy, to seaward of St Petersburg

Larbowlines – those men in the larboard watch

League of Armed Neutrality – early attempt of neutrals to combine to resist British searches for contraband on the high seas

lee shore – downwind from the vessel, dangerous in bad weather

lop – small wave with enough curl to cause cresting

mole – a long pier made of masonry to form and protect a harbour

mountebank – a flamboyant charlatan

negus – a hot toddy of wine and lemon

noon sight – the midday reading of the apparent altitude of the sun to derive latitude

pawky – derisively small

perruquier – wig-maker

pinnace – carvel-built boat smaller than a cutter used for communication between ships

Pomor – medieval-origin Russian settlers in the extreme north

powder monkey – seaman, usually a youngster, carrying powder from the magazine to the gun

quoin – wedge-shaped piece of wood to raise or lower the breech of a gun to give elevation or depression

rake – the firing into an enemy down the length of a ship instead of into the side

ratlines – small line strung across the shrouds to form a ladder for climbing into the tops

rencontre - an encounter with lethal intent

rosin – a form of varnish to preserve a ship’s side and appear attractive

seigneury – the lordship of an estate granted in fee-simple

shrouds – the ropes each side of a mast in support of it

skerry – semi-submerged rocks off a coast

sough – the soft sound of wind in the rigging

stave – of a cask, the constituent side components; in gunnery, the staff bearing the rammer

stock-jobbing – activity of the middleman in a purchase of securities

supercargo – one charged with the commercial affairs of a merchant ship

tarry breeked – trousers that are smeared with tar betraying the owner as a sailor

tomp – to tamp, to compress from loose

volunteer first class – a child placed aboard ship to gain sea-time before becoming a midshipman

worm – a double corkscrew iron implement on a stave for withdrawing an unfired charge