ning into port from stress of foul weather.

BEATING, OR TURNING TO WINDWARD. The operation of making progress by
alternate tacks at sea against the wind, in a zig-zag line, or
transverse courses; beating, however, is generally understood to be
turning to windward in a storm or fresh wind.

BEATING THE BOOBY. The beating of the hands from side to side in cold
weather to create artificial warmth.

BEATING WIND. That which requires the ship to make her way by tacks; a
baffling or contrary wind.

BEATSTER. One who _beats_ or mends the Yarmouth herring-nets.

BEAT TO ARMS. The signal by drum to summon the men to their quarters.

BEAT TO QUARTERS. The order for the drummer to summon every one to his
respective station.

BEAVER. A helmet in general, but particularly that part which lets down
to allow of the wearer's drinking.

BECALM, TO. To intercept the current of the wind in its passage to a
ship, by means of any contiguous object, as a high shore, some other
ship to windward, &c. At this time the sails remain in a sort of rest,
and consequently deprived of their power to govern the motion of the
ship. Thus one sail becalms another.

BECALMED. Implies that from the weather being calm, and not a breath of
wind blowing, the sails hang loose against the mast.

BECHE DE MER. _See_ TREPANG.

BECK [the Anglo-Saxon _becca_]. A small mountain-brook or rivulet,
common to all northern dialects. A Gaelic or Manx term for a thwart or
bench in the boat.

BECKET. A piece of rope placed so as to confine a spar or another rope;
anything used to keep loose ropes, tackles, or spars in a convenient
place; hence, beckets are either large hooks or short pieces of rope
with a knot at one end and an eye in the other; or formed like a
circular wreath for handles; as with cutlass hilts, boarding pikes,
tomahawks, &c.; or they are wooden brackets, and probably from a
corruption and misapplication of this last term arose the word becket,
which seems often to be confounded with bracket. Also, a grummet either
of rope or iron, fixed to the bottom of a block, for making fast the
standing end of the fall.

BECKET, THE TACKS AND SHEETS IN THE. The order to hang up the
weather-main and fore-sheet, and the lee-main and fore-tack, to the
small knot and eye becket on the foremost-main and fore-shrouds, when
the ship is close hauled, to prevent them from hanging in the water. A
kind of large cleat seized on a vessel's fore or main rigging for