reef : Idioms & Phrases

Index

Barrier reef

  • noun a long coral reef near and parallel to the shore
WordNet
  • a form of coral reef which runs in the general direction of the shore, and incloses a lagoon channel more or less extensive.
Webster 1913

capitol reef national park

  • noun a national park in Utah having colorful rock formations and desert plants and wildlife
WordNet

Close reef

  • the last reef that can be put in.
Webster 1913

coral reef

  • noun a reef consisting of coral consolidated into limestone
    coral reef.
WordNet

Coral reefs

  • noun a reef consisting of coral consolidated into limestone
    coral reef.
WordNet
  • (Phys. Geog.), reefs, often of great extent, made up chiefly of fragments of corals, coral sands, and the solid limestone resulting from their consolidation. They are classed as fringing reefs, when they border the land; barrier reefs, when separated from the shore by a broad belt of water; atolls, when they constitute separate islands, usually inclosing a lagoon. See Atoll.
Webster 1913

Fringing reef

  • . See Coral reefs, under Coral.
Webster 1913

great barrier reef

  • noun the largest coral reef in the world; in the Coral Sea off the northeastern coast of Australia
WordNet

Irish reef, ∨ Irishman's reef

  • (Naut.), the head of a sail tied up.
Webster 1913

Irishman's reef

  • . (Naut.) See Irish reef, under Irish, a.
Webster 1913

Reef band

  • . See Reef-band in the Vocabulary.
Webster 1913

Reef builder

  • (Zoöl.), any stony coral which contributes material to the formation of coral reefs.
Webster 1913

Reef heron

  • (Zoöl.), any heron of the genus Demigretta; as, the blue reef heron (D.jugularis) of Australia.
Webster 1913

Reef knot

  • noun a square knot used in a reef line
    flat knot.
WordNet
  • the knot which is used in tying reef pointss. See Illust. under Knot.
Webster 1913

Reef line

  • a small rope formerly used to reef the courses by being passed spirally round the yard and through the holes of the reef. Totten.
Webster 1913

Reef pioints

  • pieces of small rope passing through the eyelet holes of a reef-band, and used reefing the sail.
Webster 1913

reef squirrelfish

  • noun on reefs from Bermuda and Florida to northern South America
    Holocentrus coruscus.
WordNet

Reef tackle

  • a tackle by which the reef cringles, or rings, of a sail are hauled up to the yard for reefing. Totten.
Webster 1913

reef whitetip shark

  • noun smooth dogfish of Pacific and Indian Oceans and Red Sea having white-tipped dorsal and caudal fins
    Triaenodon obseus; whitetip shark.
WordNet

reef-band

Reef"-band` noun
Definitions
  1. (Naut.) A piece of canvas sewed across a sail to strengthen it in the part where the eyelet holes for reefing are made. Totten.
Webster 1913

Spanish reef

  • (Naut.), a knot tied in the head of a jib-headed sail.
Webster 1913

To reef the paddles

  • to move the floats of a paddle wheel toward its center so that they will not dip so deeply.
Webster 1913

To shake out a reef

  • (Naut.), to untile the reef points and spread more canvas.
Webster 1913

To take a reef in

  • to reduce the size of (a sail) by folding or rolling up a reef, and lashing it to the spar.
Webster 1913