bilboes
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
A slang term for the ship's irons or bilboes.
From The Sailor's Word-Book An Alphabetical Digest of Nautical Terms, including Some More Especially Military and Scientific, but Useful to Seamen; as well as Archaisms of Early Voyagers, etc. by Belcher, Edward, Sir
John Smith, of Medford, for ſwearing, being penitent, was ſet in bilboes.
From The Olden Time Series, Vol. 5: Some Strange and Curious Punishments Gleanings Chiefly from Old Newspapers of Boston and Salem, Massachusetts by Brooks, Henry M. (Henry Mason)
The bilboes is a bar of iron with fetters annexed to it, by which mutinous or disorderly sailors were anciently linked together.
From Folk-lore of Shakespeare by Thiselton-Dyer, Thomas Firminger
Ye’ve got the bilboes an, and they make it bad running.
From Commodore Junk by Fenn, George Manville
The bilboes were iron bars fixed to the deck a little abaft the main-mast.
From On the Spanish Main Or, Some English forays on the Isthmus of Darien. by Masefield, John