buoy-rope
(ˈb(w)ɔɪrəʊp)
[f. buoy n. + rope.]
The rope by which the buoy is fastened to the anchor. † Also transf. (quot. 1562 used for a woman's pig-tail).
| 1562 J. Heywood Prov. & Epigr. (1867) 64 Except hir maide shewe a fayre paire of heeles, She haleth her by the boy rope, tyll her braines ake. 1630 J. Taylor (Water P.) Wks. iii. 65 a/2 Cleere, cleere the boighrope, steddy, well steered. 1723 Ibid. No. 6129/3 Twelve Fathom of a Buoy Rope of six Inches and an half. 1860 H. Stuart Seaman's Catech. 56 If the cable should be slipped or parted, the buoy-rope is used for weighing. |