S M A 



6(57 



SNE 



trous-h of grindstones after the grinding 

 of edged-tools ; any finely-ground mate- 

 rial of an insoluble kind, diffused in 



water. 4. A twig separated from, the 



main stock for planting out as a set. 



SLIT DEAL. Inch- and quarter deal, cut 

 into two boards. 



SLIT'TINO MILL. A mill or machine 

 where iron-bars are slit into nail-rods, &c. 



SLOAM. Layers of clay between those 

 of coal. 



SLOAT. A narrow piece of timber which 

 stretches between and holds together 

 larger pieces, as the sloats of a cart, called 

 in some parts slat, as the slats of a chair. 



SLOOP, Dut. slocp, sloepschip, Dan. slup- 

 pe. A small one-masted vessel, the main- 

 sail of which is attached to a gaff above, 

 and to a long boom below. The name is 

 popularly applied to any small ship. 



SLOPE. The name given to any inclina- 

 tion, but applied more particularly to 

 those of excavations and embankments ; 

 the term gradient being adopted for the 

 inclinations of the rails upon railways. 



SLOPS. The name among seamen for 

 all species of wearing apparel, bedding, 

 &c., belonging to or supplied to a ship's 

 crew. 



SLOUGH. 1. In natural history, the skin 

 which a serpent casts off at its periodical 



renovation. 2. In surgery, the portion 



that, separates from a foul sore. 



Sirs. In naval usage, to slue is to turn 

 round a cylindrical piece of timber with- 

 out shifting it from its place. 



SLUG. A popular name common to all 

 those gasteropods of the Pulmonean order, 

 which are not provided with any apparent 

 shell. They form the genus Limax, Lin. 



SLUICE, Dut. sluys. A water-gate: called 

 tautologically a sluice-gate. The common 

 sluice is a description of sliding valve, 

 set in a frame of timber, stone, or other 

 matter, and is worked by a rack and pin- 

 ion. It is used in hydraulic works, either 

 to prevent the passage of water, or to 

 allow it to escape, as may be required, 



SLUR. In music, a mark like the arc of 

 a circle, drawn over two or more notes, 

 indicating that they are to be sung to the 

 same syllable, or made into one continued 

 breath of a wind instrument, or played 

 with one stroke of a stringed instrument. 



SMACK. A vessel with one mast- com- 

 monly rigged as a sloop; used in the 

 coasting trade. 



SMALL-POX. Variola. An eruptive dis- 

 ease, characterised by acute fever. Red 

 pimples appear on the third day ; these 

 contain pus on the eighth day, and sub- 

 sequently fall off in crusts. Before the 

 discovery of vaccination, small-pox was 

 one of the greatest scourges of Europe. 



SMALL WARES. The name given to 

 textile articles, such as tapes of various 

 on*, braid, plaited sash cord, fringe, &c. 



SMALT, 'i Powder-blue. A vitreous sub- 



S M A LTZ, > stance obtained by melting 



SMALTS. ) together zaffre, potash, and 

 siliceous matter, and grinding the pro- 

 duct to a tine powder. It is of a deep and 

 beautiful blue colour, not affected by fire, 

 and is consequently much employed in 

 painting earthenware, &c. It is chiefly 

 manufactured in Germany and Norway. 



SMARAG'DINE. The colour of smaragd 

 or emerald : a pure green colour. 



SMART TICK'ET. A certificate of a sea- 

 man's having been disabled. 



SMELT'INO. The operation by which 

 the ores of iron, copper, lead, &c., are 

 reduced to the metallic state. 



SMIL'ACINE. An alkaline principle ob- 

 tained from the root of the Smilax sarsa- 

 parilla, or sarsaparilla of the shops. See 

 SASSEPARINE. 



SMI'LAX. Rough bindweed. An exten- 

 sive genus of plants. Dicecia Hexandria. 

 Natural order Sarmentacece. Name iruuXot^, 

 from rcu/Utiw, to cut, on account of the 

 roughness of its leaves and stalk. The 

 China-root tree and the sarsaparilla plant 

 are species of this genus. 



SMOKE SAIL. A small sail hoisted to 

 screen the quarter-deck from smoke. 



SMOR'ZATO, Ital. extinguished. In music, 

 signifies that the violin bow is to be drawn 

 to its full extent, but gradually lighter 

 till the sound be nearly lost. 



SMUT. In husbandry, a disease of corn, 

 in which a foul black substance forms on 

 the grains. Sometimes the whole ear is 

 blasted and converted into smut (foul 

 matter) . The disease often attacks maize, 

 sometimes wheat, rarely oats. 



SMTR'NIUM. Alexanders. A genus of 

 perennial plants. Pentandria Digynia. 

 Name from trftvfva, myrrh, the smell o/ 

 the seed resembling'much that of myrrh. 

 Temperate climates. 



SNAKE. 1. A popular name for the 



smaller species of ophidians. 2. Among 



seamen, to snake a rope is to wind a small 

 rope round it spirally, the small rope 

 laying between the strands of the main 

 rope. This is also called worming. 



SNAKE'ROOT. In botany, a name common 

 to two plants, the Aristolochia serpentaria, 

 and the Polygala soiega. See SSRPENTARIA 

 and SENECA. 



SNAKE STONES. A popular name of those 

 fossils otherwise called Ammonites. 



SNAKE'- WOOD. Colubrinum lignum. The 

 wood of the Strychnos colubrina, a tree 

 which grows on the Isle of Timor, and 

 some other parts. It is said to be a specific 

 for the bite of the hooded serpent. 



SNATCH-BLOCK. A block having an 

 opening in one of its sides, wherein to 

 catch the bight of a rope. It is also tamed 

 a rouse-about-block. 



SNEEZE'WORT. An indigenous speciet of 



