Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
- n. A bar used as a lever.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
- n. A bar or lever, generally of wood, used in a windlass or capstan, for heaving anchor, and, in modified forms, for various purposes.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English
- n. A bar or lever, generally of wood, used in a windlass or capstan, for heaving anchor, and, in modified forms, for various purposes.
from The Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- n. A bar, commonly of wood, used with the hand as a lever for various purposes, as in raising weights, moving guns, heaving about a windlass, etc.
- To move by means of a handspike: as, to handspike a cannon into place.
- To strike with a handspike.
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- n. a metal bar (or length of pipe) used as a lever
Etymologies
Examples
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It was a rude handspike and hardly equal to the work, for when she threw her weight upon the free end it bent and crackled.
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Hyped by the manufacturer as a "monstrous handspike" -- paging Dr. Freud -- that "will send your foes running in the other direction," the 17-inch gauntlet retails for $67.
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At his order, she threw her weight on the end of a quickly extemporized handspike, easing the pressure and listening to her husband's groans, while Malemute Kid attacked the tree with his axe.
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He thrust a finger like a handspike towards Washington.
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With his left hand — for he was as ambidexter as a brave writer of this age requires — he caught up a handspike, and hurled it so truly along the line of torches that only two were left to blink; with his right he flung the last bale upon the shelf; then leaped out after it, and hurried it away.
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Porter, whose courage was none of the fiercest, and who had been for years given over to that terror of discipline which servitude induces, made but a feeble attempt at resistance, and forcing the handspike from him, the sentry, Jones, rushed aft to help the pilot.
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The prisoner, however, shortly detailed the real facts of the case, making use of his hands and fingers to show the relative positions of the log, branch and handspike.
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All the gang, having now arrived at the scene of action, were quickly distributed to their several tasks; and Ralph and some others each obtained a wooden handspike, with which to roll out the trunks of trees or carry them upon to the fires for which they were designed.
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Captain: You did not see this man throw a handspike at his overseer.
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Not long after, the superintendent made his appearance on the ground, and having demanded what Rashleigh had done, was informed by the overseer that he had thrown a handspike at him and attempted to take his life, showing his mutilated shirt and tom straw hat in proof of what he alleged.
chained_bear commented on the word handspike
"Be handy, boys, or it's handspike hash."
—sea chanty whose title I forget right now
See also hand-spike and/or merlin.
October 9, 2008