Glossary of Knotting and Nautical Terms Used

Bight - the part of the rope that is used while forming a knot

Boom - a type of spar that a sail is attached or fixed to. A boom is usually in a runner so that it can be raised or lowered.

End - as the name implies the end of the rope

Fid - a tool used to split apart the strands of rope.

Fray - ends of rope or parts of rope that have become damaged through use.

Furl - to secure sails around a boom, spar or mast. Also the act of lowering or lifting a sail ready for securing to a mast or spar.

Hitch - a knot used to attach a rope to another rope or object

Lay - the direction in which a rope twists. This can be right or left handed. There is also another lay called water laid.

Open the Lay - to split apart the strands of a rope with fingers or fid.

Snood - also known as snell, snooding, snead, sid and tippet - it is a line that attaches a pot, hook, fly or any other article to a line that is larger in diameter than itself.

Spar - a crossways boom on a mast for holding a sail.

Splice - a method of attaching either two rope's or two parts of the same rope by weaving the strands together.

Standing part - is the inactive rope after the bight or working part of the rope

Whip - binding the ends of rope to stop them from fraying.

Whipping - a thin thread wound around the end of a rope to hold it together. Whipping has a number of variations, American, Cable, Crown, French, Linesman's, Palm & Needle, Portuguese, Sinnet, Sailors, West Country & Wire.

Work or Working - the act of pulling a knot into shape.

Working Part - the portion of rope that you are using to tie a knot into.

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