GLOSSARY OF WORDS AND PHRASES. 
311 
head of the boat toward any object by 
means of the steering -oar. 
Lay off; or lay the boat off. — Is to turn the 
head of the boat from any object, by means 
of the steering -oar. 
Leaning blubber. — To cut the flesh, or lean 
meat, etc., from it. 
Leaning -knife. — A large knife used in cutting 
the flesh, or other tissue destitute of oil, 
from the blubber, preparatory to trying it 
out. 
Lipper. — A piece of thin blubber cut into an 
oblong square, and punctured, so as to 
admit a man's fingers to hold it, when 
used in wiping up the gurry from the 
decks, etc. 
Lipper off the decks. — Is to wipe the gurry 
off with Uppers. 
Lobtailing, or loptailing. — The action of a 
whale when it raises its flukes high out of 
water, and strikes them down with great 
force upon the surface. 2d. A whale beat- 
ing the surface of the water with its caudal 
fin. 
Loose irons. — Harpoons which are darted into 
a whale with no line attached. 
Mate. — This word is used by whalers to signify 
a partnership between two vessels in pur- 
suing whales. 
Mill.— To turn in an opposite direction, or 
nearly so; as, "The whale was running to 
windward, but 'milled,' and ran to lee- 
ward. " 
Mincing -knife.— A thin, broad steel implement, 
sharp on one edge, with a handle on each 
end, which is used in cutting the blubber 
into thin slices, preparatory to being boiled 
or tried out. For illustration, see page 238. 
Mux, or muxing. — To perform work in an 
awkward or improper manner; as, "He 
made a mux of it, and missed the whale," 
i. e., by improper management a whale was 
not struck, which otherwise might have been 
secured. 
Noddle -end.— The anterior and upper portion 
of a Sperm "Whale's head. 
Nib -end. — The anterior and upper portion of 
a whalebone whale's head. 
Nisket. — The anus of a whale. 
Oil-hose.— A stout hose made of grained leather, 
for the purpose of conducting the oil from 
a vessel's deck into empty casks in the hold. 
Piece. — This word is frequently used for brief- 
ness, instead of the word blanket-piece. 
Pike. — A pointed iron or steel implement fixed 
to the end of a pole, and used in pitching 
or handling the pieces of blubber, etc. For 
illustration, see plate xxv. 
Raising whales —When first seeing a whale 
from the mast-head, or other place, it is 
termed "raising a whale." It is also used 
to express the fact of seeing any object, as, 
"We raised the land, sixty miles distant." 
Recruits. — Fresh provisions and supplies for a 
whale -ship. 2d. Various articles put on 
board the ship to purchase recruits with 
(at remote islands or coasts), such as cloth- 
ing, calicoes, tobacco, and a variety of other 
domestic articles. 
Ridge — The upper portion of a whale's "small." 
Ripple. — The agitation of the surface of the 
water by a whale when swimming near it, 
but still not visible, as, "I can not see the 
whale, but can see its ripple." 
Rounding, or rounding out. — The attitude of 
a whale when curving its small in order to 
descend below the surface of the water. 
Rugged. — The state of the sea when agitated. 
A rough sea, accompanied with blowin"- 
weather, is termed by whalers ' ' rugged 
weather." 
Sampson -post.— A heavy upright timber, firmly 
secured in the deck (and extending about 
two feet above it), to which the fluke -chain, 
or fluke -rope, is made fast. 
Scooping —This term is applied to the action 
of whalebone whales when feedino- 
Scrap -hopper.— A flaring wooden box which is 
placed beside the try -works to receive the 
scraps when skimmed from the try -pots. 
It has holes in the bottom through which 
the oil that drips from the scraps runs into 
a tub called a " strainer -cooler." 
Scraps. — The residue of the blubber after the 
oil is extracted by boilino- 
Scrimshawing, or to scrimshaw, or skim- 
shander, as sometimes termed. — Is to ex- 
ecute any j^ece of ingenious mechanical 
work. It is applied particularly to polishing 
and engraving upon whalebone or whale's 
teeth, or manufacturing fancy articles from 
the same materials. 
Skimmer. — A broad scoop composed of copper, 
iron, and wood. The utensil is about seven 
