gaff topsail
Americannoun
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Also called fore-and-aft topsail. a jib-headed fore-and-aft sail set above a gaff.
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a quadrilateral fore-and-aft sail set above the spanker of a bark, between the gaff of the spanker and an upper gaff.
noun
Etymology
Origin of gaff topsail
First recorded in 1785–95
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
"Has this sail been kept on the yacht all night?" said I, looking up at the wide spread of mainsail and gaff topsail.
From A Marriage at Sea by Russell, W. Clark (William Clark)
The cutter at the time was reefed, but when she saw the lugger's topsail going up she shook out her reefs and set her gaff topsail.
From King's Cutters and Smugglers 1700-1855 by Chatterton, E. Keble (Edward Keble)
A belt of smoky red spread swiftly along the horizon, he heard the high gaff topsail flap, booms rattled and then the yacht got quiet.
From Wyndham's Pal by Bindloss, Harold
The jib, mainsail, and gaff topsail are hauled up to their very tautest; finally, the cable is slipped, and then old Sandy for the first time looks around.
From Lippincott's Magazine, October 1885 by Various
It was a fine, clear, frosty morning, and the Badger quickly sent up his gaff topsail and began to overhaul the other, so that by nine o'clock the two vessels were only a mile apart.
From King's Cutters and Smugglers 1700-1855 by Chatterton, E. Keble (Edward Keble)
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
