▪ I. reef, n.1
(riːf)
Forms: 4, 8 riff, 6 ryft, refe, 7– reef. pl. 8 reeves, 8– reefs.
[ME. riff, refe = Du. reef, rif, LG. reef, reff, G. reff (riff, reef), Sw. ref, Norw. riv, Da. rev, reb: the ultimate source is ON. rif in the same sense (formally identical with rif rib, and perh. only a transferred use of that word: cf. next), but the precise manner in which the word passed into the other tongues is obscure. F. ris (12th c., Wace) is app. a pl. form, for *rifs.]
1. Naut. One of the horizontal portions of a sail which may be successively rolled or folded up in order to diminish the extent of canvas exposed to the wind; they are usually three or four in number, and situated at the top of square sails and at the bottom of fore-and-aft sails. Freq. in phr. to take in a reef (also in fig. context).
| 1390 Gower Conf. III. 341 The wynd was good, the See was plein, Hem nedeth noght a Riff to slake. c 1515 Cocke Lorell's B. 12 Some y⊇ longe bote dyde launce..Mayne corse toke in a refe byforce. a 1547 Surrey in Tottell's Misc. (Arb.) 28 And so wisely, when lucky gale of winde All thy puft sailes shall fil, loke well about: Take in a ryft. 1684 Lond. Gaz. No. 1933/4 Her Main-Sail a Lug Sail with four Reefs at the bottom, and her Fore-Sail three aloft. 1711 W. Sutherland Shipbuild. Assist. 115 Reeves to take up part of the Sail as the Wind rises. 1762 Falconer Shipwr. ii. 158 The folding reefs, in plaits inroll'd, they lay. 1807 Crabbe Par. Reg. i. 328 When tempests plough the deep We take a reef, and to the rocking sleep. 1862 Lond. Rev. 16 Aug. 139 When the morning breaks we [yachtsmen] are beating into Weymouth with two reefs down. |
| transf. 1846 Swell's Night Guide 48 Ruttum turned out a quid as big as a moke's egg, took a reef in his patter trap. 1884 ‘Mark Twain’ Huck. Finn xxxi. 316, I lit out, and shook the reefs out of my hind legs. 1885 Spectator 30 May 715/1 He is wasting away, and is obliged to take in reefs in his waistcoat. 1903 Somerville & ‘Ross’ All on Irish Shore i. 2 ‘I dunno, Master Freddy; it might be 'twas a hare,’ returned Patsey, taking in a hurried reef in the strap that was responsible for the support of his trousers. 1924 E. Pound Let. 3 Dec. (1971) 190 Am also letting out another reef in my long job. Installment of which should soon be inspectable. |
2. † a. The act of reefing.
Obs. rare—0.
| 1704 J. Harris Lex. Techn. I. s.v., This contracting or taking up the Sail, they call a Reef or Reefing the Sail. |
b. A mode of reefing.
| 1829 Marryat F. Mildmay v, We tried a Spanish reef, that is, let the yards come down on the cap. |
3. attrib. and
Comb., as
reef-cringle,
reef-earing;
reef-band (see
quot. 1762);
reef-hank = reef-point;
reef-jig,
-jigger, a tackle sometimes used to pull the reef-band taut before tying the points (
Cent. Dict. 1891);
reef-knot, (
a) a knot made in tying the reef-points; (
b) a certain form of knot used for this and other purposes; hence
reef-knot v. trans., to tie with a reef-knot;
reef-line (see
quot. 1769);
reef net N. Amer., a type of net used for catching salmon; also
attrib.; hence
reef netter, a fisherman who uses a reef net;
reef-pendant (see
quot.);
reef-point, one of a set of short ropes fixed in a line along a reef-band to secure the sail when reefed;
reef-tackle (see
quot. 1769); also
attrib.| 1762 Falconer Shipwr. ii. 153 note, The *reef-band is a long piece of canvas sewed across the sail, for strengthening it in the place where the reef-holes are made. c 1860 H. Stuart Seaman's Catech. 45 The reef bands and bellybands stretch from leech to leech, for strengthening the sail. |
| 1841 R. H. Dana Seaman's Man. 29 Having the head and first *reef cringles..out. |
| Ibid., Fasten the head and *reef earings to their cringles. 1883 Man. Seamanship for Boys' Training Ships R. Navy (Admiralty) (1886) 51 Reef-earrings are pieces of rope, in size according to the size of the leech-rope, as when a topsail is reefed the reef-earring, when passed is supposed to bear the same amount of strain as the leech-rope. 1888 E. J. Mather Nor'ard of Dogger 162 The fourth hand and myself were getting the reef-earings adrift. 1974 P. Wright Lang. Brit. Industry xv. 148 Over the mainsail came, broke all the reef-ear-rings, an' then we'd full sail on. |
| 1823 Crabb Technol. Dict., *Reef-hanks, short pieces of small line sewed at certain distances on the reefs of boom-sails. |
| 1841 R. H. Dana Seaman's Man. 40 This is sometimes called a *Reef-knot. 1859 All Year Round No. 17. 400 The faces of the men, as they lay along the yard, tying the reef knots. 1974 Maclean's Mag. Nov. 10/1 Show the other lads the difference between a reef knot and a granny. |
| 1883 Man. Seamanship for Boys' Training Ships R. Navy (Admiralty) (1886) 87 For a topgallant sail or royal,..[a roband-hitch] is..not clove-hitched, the two nearest robands being *reef-knotted together. 1886 J. M. Caulfeild Seamanship Notes 2 Take your boat's grapnel, and reef-knot it round boat. |
| 1762 Falconer Shipwr. ii. 156 The *reef-lines next..Thro' eye-lid-holes and roband-legs are reev'd. 1769 ― Dict. Marine (1789) H h iv, The courses of large ships are either reefed with points or small cords, which are thence called reef-lines... The line is passed spirally through the eyelet-holes of the reef, and over the head of the sail alternately, and..strained..tight. 1882 Nares Seamanship (ed. 6) 124 In reefing, the end of the becket is passed under the reef line. |
| 1917 Pacific Fisherman Yearbk. 60 (heading) The Siwash *reef net. Ibid., Reef net fishing was confined to the flood tide. 1970 National Fisherman Feb. 21-b/1 In 1969 there were 63 pairs of reefnet vessels registered in Puget Sound. 1974 B. & R. Hill Spirit in Stone iii. 35 A man whom we will call the ritualist and several assistants are fishing for salmon with a reef net. |
| 1939 Pacific Fisherman June 45/2 With the increase in gear, considerable friction arose between purse seiners and *reef netters. |
| 1867 Smyth Sailor's Word-bk., *Reef pendant, a rope..with a tackle attached to its end to bowse the after-leech down to the boom. |
| 1805 Southey Madoc in W. iv, The *reef-points rattled on the shivering sail. 1840 R. H. Dana Bef. Mast iv. 8, I was of some service on a yard, and could knot my reef-point as well as anybody. |
| 1750 T. R. Blanckley Nav. Expos. 129 Reefing..is done with the *Reef Tackle Pendants, Tyes, and Falls. 1769 Falconer Shipwr. ii. 150 note, Reef-tackles are ropes employed to facilitate the operation of reefing, by confining the extremities of the reef close up to the yard. 1840 R. H. Dana Bef. Mast v. 10 We had got..the topsail reef-tackles hauled out. c 1860 H. Stuart Seaman's Catech. 23 Reeve it through the reeftackle block. |
▪ II. reef, n.2 (
riːf)
Forms: 6
riffe, 6–8
riff, 8–
reef.
[= Du. rif (in Kilian also riffe), MLG. rif, ref, G. riff, Sw. ref, Norw. riv, Da. rev (rif), ultimately from ON. rif in the same sense (prob. a transferred use of rif rib: cf. prec.). The immediate source of the Eng. word is prob. Du. or LG.] 1. A narrow ridge or chain of rocks, shingle, or sand, lying at or near the surface of the water.
† Formerly also
reef of rocks.
See also
coral reef,
barrier-reef s.v. barrier n. 5,
fringing-reef s.v. fringing ppl. a.
| 1584 Norman Safegard of Saylers 11 The riffe lyes alongst betweene Bombergen and the holmes west. Ibid. 15 From the northwest corner of Burckum, doth lie a riff of sand. 1695 Phil. Trans. XIX. 35 The Riff or Ridge..descending a little towards the Eastward. 1742 [Richardson] Tour Gt. Brit. (ed. 3) I. 297 Though Portland stands a League from the main Land of Britain, yet it is almost join'd by a prodigious Riff of Beach, that is to say, of small Stones cast up by the Sea. 1748 Anson's Voy. ii. iv. 157 There is also a reef of rocks running off the eastern point of the Island. 1813 Bakewell Introd. Geol. (1815) 88 Islands and reefs of coral rocks are raised from vast depths in the course of a few years. 1864 Tennyson En. Ard. 585 The league-long roller thundering on the reef. 1868 M. E. Braddon Dead Sea Fr. I. i. 2 Leaving it far away across a level waste of reef and sand. 1883 Sir A. Hobhouse in Law Rep. 9 App. Cases 177 A reef of shingle which extends to the right bank of the river. |
| fig. 1875 Longfellow Masque Pandora iv, To the reefs of doom he drifts! 1896 Daily News 4 Nov. 7/1 On this reef the hypothesis..is shattered. |
| transf. 1877 Baring-Gould Myst. Suffering 93 The blackness which was falling reef on reef, over mind and soul. |
2. Gold-mining (
orig. Austral.).
a. A lode or vein of auriferous quartz.
| 1857 in Occasional Papers Univ. Sydney Austral. Lang. Res. Centre (1966) No. 9. 21 On this gold-field the word reef shall be taken to mean any seam of quartz, the average thickness of which..shall exceed three (3) feet. 1858 McCombie Hist. Victoria xiv. 213 A party..discovered gold in the quartz reefs of the Pyrenees. 1873 C. Robinson N.S. Wales 38 Mining and engineering skill, and..powerful machinery are brought to bear on such reefs. 1939 C. W. Towne Her Majesty Montana 114 Even before the end of placer mining, Butte prospectors had located quartz on a black-stained reef. 1955 Times 9 May 18/3 The total development footage driven was 48,295 ft., and of the 21,085 ft. on basal reef and sampled 12,990 ft., or 62 per cent., proved payable. 1966 ‘J. Hackston’ Father clears Out 16 An offshoot from our old reef provided the quartz. |
b. The bed-rock.
| 1869 R. B. Smyth Gold Fields Victoria Gloss. s.v., The term is applied to the up-turned edges of the palæozoic rocks. The reef is composed of slate, sandstone, or mudstone. The bed-rock anywhere is usually called the reef. |
c. S. Afr. (With capital initial.)
= rand n.2 1 b. Also (
usu. with lower-case initial), rock in a mine which is not gold- or diamond-bearing.
| 1893 T. Reunert Diamonds & Gold S. Afr. i. 21 The surface shales and basalt surrounding the pipes are called ‘Reef’. Ibid. 22 In the upper levels of the mines intrusive masses of shale and igneous rock are met with, called ‘Floating Reef’. They are destitute of diamonds. Ibid. 28 The encasing rock of the mine (or the ‘Reef’, as the diggers called it) being exposed by the removal of the diamondiferous ground, began to disintegrate, and fall into the mine... The reef troubles..more than once threatened to involve the whole mine in ruin. 1905 L. Phillips Transvaal Probl. ii. 49 Meetings took place along the Reef from Boksburg to Krugersdorp. 1926 S. G. Millin S. Africans 77 The richest road in the world, whose sixty miles run over the gold-mines of the Reef. 1970 W. Smith Gold Mine xvi. 44 Free gold..rapidly worked its way down..its journey accelerated by the vibration of the conveyor and bin as mine reef was dropped. 1975 ‘D. Jordan’ Black Account xvii. 89 One of the houses with the Reef's pre-war style of flat roofs and enormous bay windows. |
3. Short for
reef-sponge (see 4).
| 1883 Fisheries Exhib. Catal. (ed. 4) 160 The principal varieties [of sponges], in the order of their value, are known as sheep-wool, white reef,..dark reef. |
4. attrib. and
Comb., as (sense 1)
reef-channel,
reef-ground,
reef-mass,
reef-region,
reef-rock, etc.;
reef-building,
reef-forming,
reef-making,
reef-strewn adjs.; (senses 2 a, 2 c)
reef development,
reef-matter,
reef share,
reef town,
reef value;
reef-bass, an American fish;
reef-break Surfing (see
quot. 1970);
reef-builder, a cœlenterate or other marine organism which builds reefs;
reef-drive (see
quot.);
reef-eel, an Australian murænoid eel, as
Muræna tessellata (
Funk's Stand. Dict. 1895);
reef flat, the horizontal upper surface of a reef;
reef-goose, the common N. American wild goose,
Bernicla canadensis (
Cent. Dict. 1891);
reef-heron, an Australian heron of the genus
Demiegretta, as
D. jugularis or
D. sacra (Funk);
reef-knoll, a hillock,
usu. of limestone, formed from ancient coral;
reef-limestone, limestone which was formed in reefs;
reef-oyster, an oyster growing on, or forming, reefs; a coarse oyster (
Cent. Dict.);
reef-sponge, a kind of sponge obtained in the West Indies;
reef-trout, an American species of lake-trout;
reef-wash (see
quot.).
| 1884 Goode Nat. Hist. Aquat. Anim. 372 In the Carolinas, Florida, and the Gulf, we meet with the names ‘Bass’, and its variations, ‘Spotted Bass’, ‘Red Bass’, ‘Sea Bass’, ‘*Reef Bass’, and ‘Channel Bass’. |
| 1966, 1968 *Reef break [see point break s.v. point n.1 B. 14]. 1970 Studies in English (Univ. of Cape Town) I. 26 A reef break, surf breaking over a reef, will provide a good, fast ride. |
| 1869 Amer. Naturalist III. 352 We could find no evidence that the *reef-builders at the present time..are working upon so high a northern line. 1877 Huxley Anat. Inv. Anim. 167 Even within the coral-zone, the distribution of the reef-builders appears to be singularly capricious. 1972 Sci. Amer. June 54/1 The chief animal reef-builders today are the corals, but many other marine invertebrates are important members of the reef community. |
| 1861 J. R. Greene Man. Anim. Kingd., Cœlent. 193 External conditions which seem favourable..to the growth of *reef-building Corals. |
| 1850 Dana Geol. ii. 40 The reef of New Holland has been instanced as affording an example of one of the larger *reef-channels. |
| 1971 Daily Tel. 11 Oct. 17 A limited amount of *reef development in the lower western portion of the mine yielded reasonable values. |
| 1869 R. B. Smyth Gold Fields Victoria Gloss. 619 *Reef-drive—A drive cut or constructed entirely through the bed rock,..or along the face of the reef, or partly in the reef. |
| 1886 Trans. R. Soc. Edin. XXXII. 557, I..came upon the coral rock exposed in flat surfaces resembling those of the ordinary *reef-flat. 1931 J. S. Gardiner Coral Reefs & Atolls ii. 35 Such rock masses as are visible on the reef flat do not stand up above the high tide level. 1976 R. C. Selley Introd. Sedimentol. viii. 297 There are three main morphological elements to a reef: the fore-reef, the reef flat and the back⁓reef. Ibid. 299 Tidal channels..traverse the reef-flat. |
| 1967 Oceanogr. & Marine Biol. V. 330 Tethyan corals include such *reef-forming genera as Stylina, Isastraea, and Thamnastrea. |
| 1850 Dana Geol. ii. 40 The *reef-grounds being in some parts twenty-five miles wide. |
| 1890 R. H. Tiddeman in Rep. Brit. Assoc. Adv. Sci. 1889 602 At the foot of these mounds, or *reef-knolls as I would call them, we have in many places a breccia formed of fragments of the limestone. 1969 Bennison & Wright Geol. Hist. Brit. Isles ix. 211 Extensive sheet reefs, not necessarily primarily organic in origin, as well as reef-knolls are widespread, the reef-knolls occurring on the flanks of massifs. |
| 1893 P. Lake tr. E. Kayser's Textbk. Compar. Geol. iii. 225 In these *reef limestones..the greater part of the rock is formed not by corals, but by the rock-building algae..Gyroporella and Diplopora. 1938 M. Black Hatch & Rastall's Petrol. Sedimentary Rocks (ed. 3) viii. 163 The term ‘reef limestone’ has been used in geological literature with varying significance. In this discussion, shelly or structureless, unbedded limestones which show no clear connection with sessile benthonic organisms will be left out of consideration. 1956 W. Edwards in D. L. Linton Sheffield 6 Shirley and Horsfield..have described the reef-limestones of the northern fringe of the main outcrop near Castleton. |
| 1855 J. Phillips Man. Geol. xvi. 491 The *reef-making madrepores are seldom found below 100 feet. |
| 1876 Page Adv. Text-bk. Geol. iii. 68 The *reef-mass formed by their aggregate labours. |
| 1896 African Critic 24 Oct. 546/2 The mine shows over two and a-half feet of *reef matter. |
| 1872 Dana Corals ii. 129 The cruiser in untried *reef-regions. |
| 1820 Keats Hyperion ii. 306 Sullen waves In the half-glutted hollows of *reef-rocks. |
| 1890 ‘R. Boldrewood’ Miner's Right (1899) 52/1 An agency for the purchase of *reef shares. |
| 1883 W. S. Kent Fisheries Bahamas 45 (Fish. Exh. Publ.) The *reef or glove sponge,..technically known as Spongia officinalis, var. tubulifera. 1885 A. Brassey The Trades 311 There were little black balls of reef-sponges. |
| 1961 Times 14 Dec. 17/5 Ice and *reef-strewn channel. |
| 1938 N. Devitt Spell of S. Afr. 185 At a military court held in a certain *Reef town, a civilian was charged with murder. |
| 1884 Goode Nat. Hist. Aquat. Anim. 488 About Grand Traverse Bay, Lake Michigan, two varieties [of lake trout] are also recognised, one being..known as ‘*Reef Trout’. |
| 1955 Times 3 May 17/2 *Reef values to the south-west of the fault are expected to be similar to those encountered in the President Brand and Western Holdings mines. |
| 1869 R. B. Smyth Gold Fields Victoria Gloss. 620 *Reef-wash—A deposit of washdirt spread over an expanse of flat or undulating reef (i.e., bed-rock), or lodged in a hollow in the reef. |
▪ III. reef, n.3 modernized form of
reaf, mantle.
| 1842 Sir H. Taylor Edwin i. viii, This shaveling's meagre face, With his mass-hackle and his reef and stole. |
▪ IV. reef northern
Sc. form of
roof.
▪ V. reef, v.1 (
riːf)
[f. reef n.1; cf. Du. reven, Da. reve, rebe, Sw. refva, Icel. rifa.] I. 1. a. trans. To reduce the extent of (a sail) by taking in or rolling up a part and securing it.
| 1667 Davenant & Dryden Tempest i. i, Up aloft Lads. Come, reef both Top-sails. 1687 B. Randolph Archipelago 103 We hoised our main-saile, with which and our fore-saile (both reeft) we stood in. 1726 Swift Gulliver ii. i, We reeft the Fore-sail and set him. 1762 Falconer Shipwr. ii. 141 Again to reef the main-sail they repair. 1862 Catal. Internat. Exhib. II. xii. 6/1 By this invention, the topsails can be reefed and unreefed from the deck, without sending any one aloft. 1888 Encycl. Brit. XXIV. 599/2 Mills are exposed to great danger if the sails are not reefed or furled in high winds. |
| absol. 1762 Falconer Shipwr. ii. 12 At ev'ry hatchway, ‘Reef!’ they call again. 1816 ‘Quiz’ Grand Master Pref. 3 He might have call'd them out to reef. 1862 Catal. Internat. Exhib. II. xii. 6/2 Fitted..with reef lines, &c., in the topsail, to reef in the old plan if required for purposes of exercise. |
b. transf. To draw up or gather in, after the manner of reefing. Hence in
Criminals' slang, to pull up (the lining of a pocket) so as to steal the contents; to pick (a pocket); hence, to steal or obtain dishonestly in any fashion; also more
gen. to remove, to take or strip
off, to pull
down.
| 1836 E. Howard R. Reefer xxx, The clues of my hammock were not reefed. 1887 J. Ashby-Sterry Lazy Minstrel (1892) 68 Dear little damsels..Face the salt spray, reef their petticoats pluckily. 1899 [see leather n. 2 e (a)]. 1901 M. Franklin My Brilliant Career xvii. 142 She was the only one who bothered with a bathing-dress. The rest of us reefed off our clothing. 1903 Farmer & Henley Slang VI. 10/1 Reef..(thieves'), to draw up a dress-pocket until the purse is within reach of the fingers. 1926 Variety 29 Dec. 7/4 The cleverest wire who ever reefed an insider would be astonished to hear that a ‘milk man’ was a hambo, who stole more bows than the applause warranted at the finish of his act. 1938 Surg., Gynecol. & Obstetr. LXVI. 200/2 An attempt was made to shorten the quadriceps by reefing the tendon and fastening the aponeurosis of the internal vastus to the patella under tension. 1944 L. Glassop We were Rats xviii. 102 ‘Where'd you get all the smash?’ asked Pat. ‘The Harday organization,’ said Gordon, ‘works fast. I reefed it off a few Parsees like steam.’ 1949 ― Lucky Palmer xiv. 124 Mugs deserve to have their dough reefed off them. 1953 K. Tennant Joyful Condemned xxiii. 223 They vowed it [sc. a magpie] ran squawking to inform on anyone who was reefing down a bit of lightning conductor to make an aerial. 1955 Publ. Amer. Dial. Soc. xxiv. 95 Some careful tools reef every score. 1959 Economist 7 Feb. 505/1 Where public servants..feather their nests when they are not reefing money off honest citizens. 1967 K. Giles Death in Diamonds vi. 104 If I go near the car pool they'll reef it off me. 1976 Courier-Mail (Brisbane) 17 July 24/9 Collins ‘reefed’ his $140 watch from his left hand. 1977 Times 13 July 5/4 As the talent suckers chummy, the wire reefs his leather... A slick pickpocket team has a private language for its dirty work. |
c. transf. To feel the genitals of (a person).
coarse slang.
| 1962 Parker & Allerton Courage of his Convictions i. 33, I enjoyed reefing girls much more than lessons. The girls enjoyed it too. 1972 B. Rodgers Queens' Vernacular 101 Cop a feel..reef (Brit gay sl); take somebody's pulse. |
2. a. To shorten (a topmast) by lowering, or (a bowsprit) by sliding inboard. Also
intr. (see
quot. 1875).
| 1704 [see reefed ppl. a. 1]. 1745 P. Thomas Jrnl. Anson's Voy. 138 We found our own Main-top-mast sprung,..whereupon we reef'd it twenty Inches, that is we lower'd it so much and secured it there. 1867 Smyth Sailor's Word-bk. 565 The lower piece is cut off, and a new fid-hole cut, by which the mast is reefed or shortened. 1875 Knight Dict. Mech. 1904/1 The bowsprit of a cutter or that of a ship-of-war..is said to reef when it is run-in or shortened by sliding in-board. 1883 Harper's Mag. Aug. 449/2 The bowsprit and topmast can be reefed or housed. |
b. To alter (a paddle) by moving the float-boards nearer to the centre of the wheel, in order to diminish the dip when the vessel is deep.
| 1838 Barlow in Tredgold Steam Eng. (ed. Woolhouse) App. 61 This serious loss of speed in a laden vessel..would be more effectually saved by reefing the paddles. 1858 Murray Marine Eng. xii. 143 When the wheels are too deeply immersed, they may sometimes be ‘reefed’ by disconnecting the boards, and securing them near the centre. |
3. intr. (See
quot.)
| 1889 Atlantic Monthly July 115/1 When the driver moves the bit to and fro in his mouth, the effect is to enliven and stimulate the horse... If this motion be performed with an exaggerated movement of the arm, it is called reefing. |
II. Comb. reef-topsail, used
attrib. to designate a breeze of a strength in which topsails are reefed; also
fig. ?
Obs.| 1840 R. H. Dana Two Yrs. before Mast xxxi. 235 We had a steady ‘reef-topsail breeze’ from the westward. 1849 H. Melville Redburn 1648 By night it was a reef-topsail-breeze. 1909 B. Lubbock Deep Sea Warriors 16 The sail-maker's reef-topsail voice drowned my question. |
▪ VI. reef, v.2 [f. reef n.2] intr. To work at a (mining) reef. So
ˈreefing vbl. n.2; also
attrib.| 1861 [see quartz n. 2 b]. 1865 Mining Surveyors' & Registrars' Rep. (Dept. Mines, Victoria) Sept. 46 The southern or Gipps Land slope of the Great Dividing Range..will become one vast reefing district. 1874 A. Bathgate Colonial Experiences viii. 95 Quartz crushing for gold..gives abundant promise for the future, notwithstanding that the interest of the speculating public has been somewhat shaken in ‘reefing’. 1874 C. Holloway Jrnl. Visit N.Z. 1873–75 I. 121 (typescript), These Block's [sic] are distant about 20 miles from the rising reefing district of Lyell. 1890 ‘R. Boldrewood’ Miner's Right (1899) 21/2 Patiently sinking, driving, sluicing, or reefing as the case might be. 1906 J. M. Bell in P. Galvin N.Z. Mining Handbk. 5 Reefing is being carried out at a number of places. |