to freshen the hawse

2 definitions found

to freshen the hawse - Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 :

  Freshen \Fresh"en\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Freshened; p. pr. &
     vb. n. Freshening]
     1. To make fresh; to separate, as water, from saline
        ingredients; to make less salty; as, to freshen water,
        fish, or flesh.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     2. To refresh; to revive. [Obs.] --Spenser.
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     3. (Naut.) To relieve, as a rope, by change of place where
        friction wears it; or to renew, as the material used to
        prevent chafing; as, to freshen a hawse. -- Totten.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     To freshen ballast (Naut.), to shift Or restore it.
  
     To freshen the hawse, to pay out a little more cable, so as
        to bring the chafe on another part.
  
     To freshen the way, to increase the speed of a vessel.
        --Ham. Nav. Encyc.
        [1913 Webster]

  Hawse \Hawse\ (h[add]z or h[add]s; 277), n. [Orig. a hawse hole,
     or hole in the bow of the ship; cf. Icel. hals, h[=a]ls,
     neck, part of the bows of a ship, AS. heals neck. See
     Collar, and cf. Halse to embrace.]
     1. A hawse hole. --Harris.
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     2. (Naut.)
        (a) The situation of the cables when a vessel is moored
            with two anchors, one on the starboard, the other on
            the port bow.
        (b) The distance ahead to which the cables usually extend;
            as, the ship has a clear or open hawse, or a foul
            hawse; to anchor in our hawse, or athwart hawse.
        (c) That part of a vessel's bow in which are the hawse
            holes for the cables.
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     Athwart hawse. See under Athwart.
  
     Foul hawse, a hawse in which the cables cross each other,
        or are twisted together.
  
     Hawse block, a block used to stop up a hawse hole at sea;
        -- called also hawse plug.
  
     Hawse piece, one of the foremost timbers of a ship, through
        which the hawse hole is cut.
  
     Hawse plug. Same as Hawse block (above).
  
     To come in at the hawse holes, to enter the naval service
        at the lowest grade. [Cant]
  
     To freshen the hawse, to veer out a little more cable and
        bring the chafe and strain on another part.
        [1913 Webster] hawsehole