Posted by The Murrelets on November 12, 1998 at 19:43:40:
In Reply to: Re: Ropes, Lines and Nautical Terminology posted by Tim on November 11, 1998 at 10:22:37:
Embarrassed not to have known that Knight was on the web! A quick review supports the observation that both the terms "rope" and "line" were in use in the 30s. It would seem that, with reference to the material once it had been given a job to do, the name "rope" was indeed more acceptable at that time; Knight's definitions of "sheet", "guy", etc., refer to "rope" being used for the specific purposes being defined, rather than "line". He doesn't actively exclude "line", but he doesn't use it in these definitions, either. I am not sure that Knight is conclusive authority on this useage...I would love to hear observations from more knowledgeable salts or academics than I...but given that he seems to have been an authority for AR, I will have to accept "ropes" in the context of the AR stories and stop being annoyed by it. Let us move on.
SAAFE
The Murrelets