Posted by Adam Quinan on September 21, 2003 at 13:38:11 from 66.185.85.76 user Adam.
In Reply to: sprit posted by Ed Kiser on September 21, 2003 at 13:21:13:
Surely, Ed, he use of the part to represent the whole is not uncommon in the English language, even in Florida?
It even has a technical term "synecdoche" and an example would be the use of "hands" meaning workers or a crew of sailors
However, looking out down a river lined with boats, the sprits, like the masts, would stand out especially if varnished and shining in the sun and be seen while the hulls would be merged into a somewhat amorphous mass below. Try gazing out over a marina full of sailboats, all the masts stand out distinctly even when you can't separate the hulls.