weather-gauge

These speeches were uttered in half-tones to allow Oscar to hear them or not hear them as he chose; his countenance was to be the weather-gauge by which the other young traveller could judge how much fun he might be able to get out of the lad during the journey.

A Start in Life 2007

And the long, low, dark-hulled schooner was coming up hand over hand, walking almost up into the wind's eye on the weather-gauge, coming on as if the _Hankow Lin_ was at anchor or becalmed.

The Penang Pirate and, The Lost Pinnace

With ships built and rigged for speed and for manoeuvring, with men who had learnt how to handle them in many a storm, with captains whose seamanship was trusted by every sailor, the Englishmen repeatedly secured the weather-gauge, joining battle or refusing it as they liked; and the final result was never seriously in doubt.

England under the Tudors

Marlin repeaters, the proceedings required wary handling if we were to extricate ourselves successfully, but my long-range sporting Martini usually gave me the weather-gauge.

Pan-Islam

In manoeuvring to recover the weather-gauge, Frobisher, with some other vessels, was for a time cut off, and fought a very valiant fight, till a change in the wind enabled them to extricate themselves, and there was more sharp fighting in which the Spaniards suffered most.

England under the Tudors

The Flight-Sub now began to speed his machine up, climbing in short spirals, so as to gain what was equivalent to the "weather-gauge" in the sea battles of Nelson's days.

The Submarine Hunters A Story of the Naval Patrol Work in the Great War Edward S. [Illustrator] Hodgson 1917

In the morning, therefore, contrary to our expectations, we found they had got the weather-gauge of us, and were coming upon us with full sail.

The World's Greatest Books — Volume 19 — Travel and Adventure Various 1909

Not choosing to give the advantage of the weather-gauge Lord Howe also weighed anchor and stood out to sea.

Life and Times of Washington Schroeder, J. F. 1903

_Trinidad_, and supposed it to be Spanish, but when they perceived that it was a ship of pirates, they tried to obtain the weather-gauge, but the pirates obtained it, and then they began to fire musket-shots, and with the first three shots they killed the captain of the

Privateering and Piracy in the Colonial Period Illustrative Documents 1898

The circular letter of Monge and the speech of Kersaint furnished the weather-gauge for the future.

William Pitt and the Great War John Holland Rose 1898