n the East
Indies, and supplied to ships for feeding live-stock.

GRAMPUS. A corruption of _gran pisce_. An animal of the cetacean or
whale tribe, distinguished by the large pointed teeth with which both
jaws are armed, and by the high falcate dorsal fin. It generally attains
a length of 20 to 25 feet, and is very active and voracious.

GRAMPUS, BLOWING THE. Sluicing a person with water, especially practised
on him who skulks or sleeps on his watch.

GRAND DIVISION. A division of a battalion composed of two companies, or
ordinary divisions, in line.

GRANDSIRE. The name of a four-oared boat which belonged to Peter the
Great, now carefully preserved at St. Petersburg as the origin of the
Russian fleet.

GRANNY'S BEND. The slippery hitch made by a lubber.

GRANNY'S KNOT. This is a term of derision when a reef-knot is crossed
the wrong way, so as to be insecure. It is the natural knot tied by
women or landsmen, and derided by seamen because it cannot be untied
when it is jammed.

GRAPESHOT. A missile from guns intermediate between case-shot and solid
shot, having much of the destructive spread of the former with somewhat
of the range and penetrative force of the latter. A round of grapeshot
consists of three tiers of cast-iron balls arranged, generally three in
a tier, between four parallel iron discs connected together by a central
wrought-iron pin. For carronades, the grape, not being liable to such a
violent dispersive shock, they are simply packed in canisters with
wooden bottoms.

GRAPNEL, OR GRAPLING. A sort of small anchor for boats, having a ring at
one end, and four palmed claws at the other.--_Fire grapnel._
Resembling the former, but its flukes are furnished with strong
fish-hook barbs on their points, usually fixed by a chain on the
yard-arms of a ship, to grapple any adversary whom she intends to board,
and particularly requisite in fire-ships. Also, used to grapple ships on
fire, in order to tow them away from injuring other vessels.

GRAPNEL-ROPE. That which is bent to the grapnel by which a boat rides,
now substituted by chain.

GRAPPLE, TO. To hook with a grapnel; to lay hold of. First used by
Duilius to prevent the escape of the Carthaginians.

GRASP. The handle of a sword, and of an oar. Also, the small of the butt
of a musket.

GRASS. A term applied to vegetables in general. (_See_ FEED OF GRASS.)

GRASS-COMBERS. A galley-term for all those landsmen who enter the naval
service from farm