tophamper

or top-ham·per

[ top-ham-per ]

noun

, Nautical.

1. the light upper sails and their gear and spars, sometimes used to refer to all spars and gear above the deck.
2. any unnecessary weight, either aloft or about the upper decks.

Word History and Origins

Origin of tophamper¹

First recorded in 1785–95; top ¹ + hamper ¹

Example Sentences

More wind; the tophamper creaked.

From Literature

Although the "butcher's bill" was light, and the destroyer had sustained no serious damage to her hull—thanks to the defective German shells—the loss of the tophamper was considerable.

From Project Gutenberg

There was also the continuous scourging of the spray, which stung like the lash of a million whips; and finally, there was the oppression of a very real anxiety, for, as I think I have mentioned, the yacht was as heavily rigged as a frigate, and notwithstanding the relief afforded by sending down her tophamper, she lay down so alarmingly that at length I began seriously to question whether it would not eventually end in her turning turtle.

From Project Gutenberg

“Yes, my man, I see, and I notice, also, she has sent down her topgallants and taken in another reef,” returned Mr Jellaby, proceeding to work his way back amidships to those we had left there, wading through the water and wreckage and tophamper strewing the waist.

From Project Gutenberg

From this point of vantage, it flew out fair above all our sails and tophamper, visible all round the compass and telling the French corvette, still curvetting and prancing abreast of us and showing her bright copper sheathing as she rolled, that we had at last made out her signal and were waiting to learn what she had to say.

From Project Gutenberg