whale-fishery 
whale-fishery (hwal'fish'er-i), n. 1. The oc- 
cupation or industry of taking whales ; also, the 
men, vessels, etc., engaged in this pursuit. — 2. 
A locality that is or may be resorted to for the 
taking of whales; a place where whale-fishing 
is conducted, or where whales abound. 
whale-fishing (hwal'fish'ing), u. The act or 
occupation of taking whales ; whaling. 
whale-flea (hwal'fle). «. Same as whale-loufie. 
whale-food (hwal'fod), Jt. Same as whale-brit. 
See hrit-, 2, uhale^, n., and cuts under CHone 
and Limacinu. 
whale-head (hwal'hed). n. A remarkable gral- 
latorial bird of Africa, related to the herons 
and storks: so called on account of the size of 
the head and monstrous shape of the beak ; the 
whale-headed stork, or shoebill, Balseniccps rex, 
the only representative of the family Balxtii- 
cipidee. See cut under Baleeiticipidx. 
whale-headed (hwal'lied'ed),a. Having a large 
heavy head suggestive of a whale's: noting the 
shoebill. See whale-head. Encijc. Brit., III. 759. 
whale-hunter (hwal'hun'ter), H. A whaleman. 
Octher . . . said that ... lie was come as far towards 
the north as commoDly the uhale-huiiiirs vse to trauell. 
llakluyt's Voyaijes, I. 4. 
whale-lance (hwal'lans), n. The lance used 
in striking a whale, it may be either a hand-lance 
or a bomb-lance, but the term i^ more frequently applied 
to the (onner. 
whale-line (hwal'lin), n. Rope from 2 to 3 
inches in circumference, made with great care 
from selected material, and used for harpoon- 
lines in the whale-fishery, it forms the tow-line 
of a whale-boat, with which a whale la made fast to tbe 
boat by means of the toggle-iron. 
Whale-line is three-stranded rope, 2^ inches in circum- 
ference, composed of the finest hemp, 32 yams per strand. 
Hm-ijc. Drit., XXIV. 626. 
whale-louse (hwal'lous), u. Any small exter- 
nal parasite of a whale : a fish-louse or epizoic 
crustacean infesting whales; especially, a la?- 
modipod of the family Ci/aiiiiilie, as Vtjamus cell 
and other species of this genus. See cut under 
Cyamus. Also whale-flea. 
whaleman (hwal'man), II. ; pi. whalemen (-men). 
One who wliales; a whaler; especially, one en- 
gaged in the actiuil capture of whales, as dis- 
tinguished from another indirectly concerned 
in the industry. 
Hundreds of islands in the Pacific Ocean were discov- 
ered and chartered by whaiemen. The Century, XL. 623. 
whale-oil (hwal'oil), n. The oil obtained from 
the blubber of a whale or other cetacean, (a) Com- 
mon oil, or train-oil, is that procured from the Ijlubber of 
any baleen whale ; it has a rank odor, and varies in color 
from honey-yellow to dark brown, according t4) the char- 
acter of the blubber and the method of trjing-out. It 
includes several chemically different substimces, the more 
solidiflable of which may be extracted under pressure and 
cold, and constitute trtiale-tatl'iic, the fluid residuum being 
called premted oil. (6) .Sperm-oil or spermaceti-oil is ob- 
tained fronr the sperm-whale and other toothed cetaceans. 
That from the head of the whale contains the spermaceti, 
which is deposited at ordinary tetnpeiatures on extraction 
from the animal. leaviTig the iicjuid oil. of a clear yellow 
color. (See njierinaceti.) Sperm-oil when refined is much 
uaed as a lubricant for delicate machinery, and that from 
various cetaceans is often named from them, as grampus- 
oil, porpoise-oil, etc.— Black whale-olL (a) Oil from the 
baleen whales, including the rorquals; train-oil. (b) Oil 
discolored in running machinery. — Pressed whale-oil. 
See def. (a). 
whaler! (hwa'ler), n. [< u-hiili'^ -1- -lA.] A 
person or a vessel engaged in tlie business of 
capturing whales. 
Kor a tchaler't wife to have been '"round the tape" 
half a dozen times, or even more, was nothing extraordi- 
nary. The Century, XI.,. 611. 
But o' Thursday t' Resolution, first uhaler back this 
season, came in port. Mr». Oaskell, Sylvia's Ix)Vers, v. 
whaler^ (hwa'ler), H. [< ic7(rt/<'-2 -(- -erl.] Some- 
thing whaling, or big or extraordinary of its 
kind; a whopper; a whacker. [Slang.] 
whale-rind (hwal'rind),/!. The skin of awhale. 
It is thick, tough, and for the most part dark-colored, and 
overlies the blubber somewhat as the rind of a fruit covers 
the pulp. 
Whalery (hwa'ler-i), M.; pi. whaleries (-iz). 
[< whaJe^ + -frj.] 1. The industry of taking 
whales; whaling. 
The whalery not being sufficiently encouraging. 
An/uiU of J'hiia. and I'enii., I. 7. 
2. An establishment for carrying on whale- 
fishery or any of its Vjranches. [Rare.] 
They set up a glass house, a tanyarri, a saw-mill, and a 
whalery. Annals «/ I'hila and I'enn., I. 12. 
Whale's-food(hwalz'f6d), H. Whale-brit. See 
6n(2, 2, whahA, n., 1, and Clionc. 
whale-shark (hwal'shiirk), «. 1. A shark of the 
family Khinodoiitidie, Ilhinodon tjipieus, one of 
the very largest sharks, and native of warm 
6885 
seas. See the technical names. — 2. Thebask- 
ing-shark (which see, with cut). 
whale-ship (hwal'ship), n. A ship built for or 
employed in the business of whale-fishing; a 
whaling-ship or whaler. 
Smeerenbei-g . . . was the grand rendezvous of the 
Dutch whale ships. 
C. M. Scammon, Marine Mammals, p. 190. 
whale-shot (hwal'shot), ii. [< MD. icalschot, 
spermaceti, < wal, whale, -I- schot, what is cast : 
see lohalc^ and shot.'] Spermaceti or matter 
from the liead of the whale : formerly so called 
by the Dutch and English whalers. 
whale's-tongue (hwalz'tung), n. A misnomer 
of the acorn-worms, or species of Balanoglosstis, 
mistranslating the technical generic name. 
whaling! (hwa'ling), ». [Verbal u. of whale'^, 
v.] The act or business of taking whales; the 
pursuit of whales; whale-fishing: much used 
in compounds: as, a tchaliiig-ship; a Khalinij- 
voj'age; ir/(«!(H(/-grounds ; bay-!(;/i«KH;/; shore- 
whaliit/J. — WhaUng company, a company engaged in 
whaling, consisting of a captain, a mate, a cooper, two boat- 
steerers, and eleven men. The stock consists of boats, 
whaling-craft, and whaling-gear, and is divided into six- 
teen equal shares, and the ''lay" of each member of the 
company is the same. The captain and mate are paid a 
bonus of 3*200 or $300 for the term engagement, which is 
one year, and they are also exempt from all expenses of 
the company. C. M. Scaminon. 
whaling- (hwa'ling), p. a. [Ppr. of ifhalc^, v.~\ 
Big, luiusual, or extraordinary of its kind; 
strapping; whopping; whacking: as, a irhaliiiij 
lie. [Slang.] 
whaling-gang (hwa'ling-gang), .'. The crew 
of a whale-boat. 
whaling-gun (hwa'ling-gun), )(. Any me- 
chanical contrivance for killing whales by 
means of an e.xplosive and a projectile, as the 
bomb-gun, swivel-gun, darting-gun, and whale- 
I'oi'kct. 
whalingman (hwa'ling-mau), n. A whaleman. 
whaling-master (hwa'Iing-mas'''ter), n. A cap- 
tain of a whaling-craft, or one who is in com- 
mand of a whaling-station. 
whaling-port (hwa'ling-port), II. A port of 
entry where wlialing-vessels arc owned and 
registered. 
whaling-rocket (hvva'ling-rok"et), )(. A special 
form of I'ockct used in whaling to carry a har- 
poon and line, and an explosive shell, into the 
bodv of a whale. 
whaling-station (hwa'ling-sta'shon), ti. In 
shore-whaling, a place where the try-works are 
located. C. M. Seuniinun. [Western coast of 
U. S.] 
whall (hwal), )i. See icalP. 
whallabee (hwol'a-be), n. Same as wiiUahij. 
whallyt (hwal'i), a. [For "icuUii ; < icaU^^ + -i/l.] 
Having a greenish tinge, as the eye in glaucoma. 
Compare wall-cije. 
A bearded Gote, whose rugged heare 
And tvhallif eies (the signe of gelosy) 
Was like the jjerson selfe whom he did beare. 
Spemer, V. Q., I. iv. 24. 
whaly (hwa'li), u. [< whalc^ + -i/l.] Per- 
taining to or consisting of whales : cetaceous. 
[Rare] 
The ocean's monarch, whom lone did annoint, 
The great controller of the uhaly ranckes. 
Tounu'ur, Transf. iletamorphosis, st. 39. 
whame (hwam), H. [Cf. «■/(»»;;;.] A fly of the 
genus Tahanus; a breeze or burrel-fly. See 
hreezc^. Dcrham. 
whammel (hwam'el). r. t. Same as icheiiimle. 
whamp (hwomi>), II. [Cf. u-hamc and wop, dial. 
var. of ini.sp.'] A wasp. [Prov. Eng.] 
whampee, n. Same as icaiiipee. 
whang' (liwang), n. [A var. of tliicanfi, now 
fhnii(/: see thonij.] 1. A thong, especially a 
leathern thong. 
He's taen four-and-twenty braid arrows, 
And liiced them in a whaiui <•. 
Sweet Willie and Lady ilanjerie (Child's Ballads, II. 54). 
2. A tough leather, such as is used for thongs, 
belt-lacing, etc. It is usually made of calf's hide, but 
sometimes of eelskin or the hide of a dog, woodchuck, 
racoon, etc. 
Whang'-^ (hwang), r. [Cf. Sc. whaiik, beat, flog, 
also cut off large ])ortious; prob. a var. of 
whack, confused with irhaiiij'^.'] I. trann. 1. 
To beat or bang: thwack: whack: flog; also, 
to throw with violence. [Provincial or colloq.] 
— 2. To cut in large slices or strips; slice 
[Scotch.] 
My uncle set it [a cheese] to his breast. 
And whany'd it down. 
W. lleattie. Tales, p. 8. (Jamiesan.) 
II. intrans. To make or give out a banging 
noise. 
wharfing 
Bang, whang, whang, goes the drum. 
Browning, Up at a Villa. 
whang- (liwang), H. [< ic/iaHf/S, I'.] 1. A blow 
or thwack; a whack; a beating or banging; a 
bang. [Colloq.] 
The whang of the bass drum. 
C. D. M'armr, Their Pilgrimage, p. 317. 
2. A cut; apiece; a slice; a chunk. 
Of other men's lether men take large whanges. 
Ray, Proverbs (ed. 1C78), p. 386. 
Wi' sweet-milk cheese, in mony a 2chang. 
Burns, Holy Fair. 
3t. Formerly, in Maine and some other parts of 
New England, a house-cleaning party : a gath- 
ering of neighbors to aid one of their number 
in cleaning house 
whangam (hwang'gam), n. A feigned name 
of some animal (probably meant for whang 
'em). 
A whangam that eats grasshoppers had marked . . . 
[this one] for its prey, and was just stretching forth to de- 
vour it. Goldsmith, Citizen of the World, xcviii. 
whang-leather (hwang'leTH''''er), n. See leather 
and whaiii/^, 2. 
whank (h'wangk), V. and n. Same as ichaiig^. 
[Scotch.] 
whap, whapper, etc. See whop, etc. 
whappetl (liwop'et), II. [< whap -I- -et.'\ A 
blow on the ear. HalUiccU. [Prov. Eng.] 
whappet^ (hwop'et), n. [A var. of wappet, a 
yelping cur.] A snarling, worthless dog: a cur. 
To feare tflSbarking and bawling of a lewe little curres 
and whappets. Dent, Pathway, p. 243. (A'ares.) 
As the sturdy steed dashes out the little whappet's 
brains. liev. S, Ward, Sermons, p. 65. 
wharf (hwarf), II. ; pi. wharves, wharfs (hwarvz. 
liwarfs). [Early mod. E. also irreg. warf; < 
ME. whcrf, a wharf, < AS. "hwcaif, hwerf, a dam 
or bank to keep out water (cf . mere-hu'carf, the 
sea-shore), = D. werf, a wharf, yard, = Icel. 
hvarf, a shelter, = OS'w. hwarf, Sw. rarf, a ship- 
builder's yard, = Dan. VcCift, a wharf, dockyard 
((i. iccrft, a wharf, werf, a bank, wharf, < D. and 
Dan.); prob. orig. a dam or bank to 'turn' or 
keep out water, and partly identical with AS. 
hwearf, hwcif, a turning, exchange, a space, a 
crowd, = OS. hwarf, a crowd, = D. icerf, turn, 
time, = Icel. liraif, a turning, = OSw. hwarf, 
turn, time, order, layer, etc., < AS. hircorfaii = 
Icel. hvcifa = OSw. hrerfra, turn: see whcrre. 
Cf. tt'7(ir/, from the same ult. root.] 1. A plat- 
form of timber, stone, or other material built 
on a support at the margin of a harbor or a 
navigable stream, in order that vessels may 
be moored alongside, as for loading or unload- 
ing, or while at rest. A wharf may be parallel with 
and contiguous to the margin, when it is more espe- 
cially called a quay ; or it may project away from it, with 
openings underneath for the flow of water, when it is dis- 
tinctively called a pier. (Sec cuts uudev pilework.) In 
England wharves are of two kinds: (a) legal wharves, 
certain wharves in all seaports appointed by connnission 
from the Court of Kxchequer, or legalized by act of Par- 
liament; and (fc) sufferance wharves, places where certain 
goods may be landed and shipped by special sufferance 
granted by the Crown for that purpose. In American sea- 
ports wharves generally belong to the municipality, and 
are often leased to their occupants, but some are private 
property. 
The wharves stretched out towards the centre of the 
harbor. Hawtttorne, Seven Gables, xvi. 
Out upon the wharfs they came, 
Knight and burgher, lord and dame. 
Tennyson, Lady of Shalutt, iv. 
2t. The bank of a river, or the shore of the sea. 
Duller shouldst thou t)e than the fat weed 
That roots itself in ease on Lethe wharf. 
Shah., Hamlet, i. 5. 33. 
wharf (hwarf), V. i. [< wharf, v.\ 1. To guard 
or secure by a wharf or linn wall of timber or 
stone. Evclijii. — 2. To place or lodge on a 
wharf. 
wharfage (hwar'faj), «. [< wharf + -age.'] 1. 
Provision of or accommodation at wharves; 
berthage at a wharf: as, the city had aljundani 
wharfage; to find wharfage for a ship. — 2. 
Charge or payment for the use of a wharf; the 
cliarges or receipts foi' accommodation at a 
wharf or at wharves. Ilakltii/t's t'oijagcs, 1. 135. 
wharf-boat (hwarf'bot), «. 1. In the IJnited 
States, a boat supporting a platform sometimes 
used as a wharf in rivers or in otlier situations 
where actual wharves do not exist, or where 
they are imin-actieable from the great variation 
in the height of the watei'. Floating platforms simi- 
larly supported, called floats, are use<l in some Knropean 
and other river-ports for landing goods and passengers. 
2. A boat employed about a wharf or wharves. 
wharfing (hwar'fing), V(. [< H'/(«j;/'-l- -/)/;/!.] 1. 
A structure in the form of a wharf ; materials 
