splice



bent on a splice

An older sailing phrase meaning about to or intending to get married. "Bent" in this context means determined or set (on a course of action), and "splice" refers to two ropes that have been joined to create a single, larger one. I can't wait for this voyage to be over, for I'm bent on a splice to my lady as soon as we reach home.
See also: bent, on, splice

splice the mainbrace

nautical To issue and partake in an extra ration of alcoholic spirits, especially rum or grog, amongst members of crew aboard a sea vessel. (The mainbrace, also spelled "main brace," is a brace attached to the main yard on sailing ships. "Splicing the mainbrace" was originally the very difficult job of repairing this brace, one which earned the repairman an extra ration of spirits; eventually, this euphemistic secondary meaning became the primary one.) As part of the celebrations for her Diamond Jubilee, the Queen gave the order to all in the Royal Navy to splice the mainbrace as a gesture of good cheer.
See also: splice

splice something (in)to something

to connect something to something; to cut and join something into something to connect the two. The workers spliced the small wires into the main cable. Let's splice this rope into the larger one at the halfway point.
See also: splice

splice something together

to connect things together, usually by twisting or tying a joint between the two. I spent over an hour splicing the two ends of the ropes together, and it didn't hold for even a minute. He carefully spliced together the two ropes.
See also: splice, together

Common Names:

NameGenderPronouncedUsage
HrÓ&Eth;Valdr-Ancient Scandinavian
Danika-English (Modern)
Adannaya-Western African, Igbo
MonikaMO-ni-kah (German), maw-NEE-kah (Polish)German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Czech, Slovak, Polish, Slovene, Croatian, Lithuanian, Latvian
BrantBRANTEnglish
MarjaanaMAHR-yah:-nahFinnish