circle between two points on the surface of the earth,
for the purpose of directing a ship's course as nearly as possible on
such arc; that is, on the curve of shortest distance between the place
from which she sets out, and that at which she is to arrive.

GREAT GUN. The general sea-term for cannons, or officers of great
repute.

GREAT GUNS AND SMALL-ARMS. The general armament of a ship. Also, a slang
term for the blowing and raining of heavy weather.

GREAT-LINE FISHING. That carried on over the deeper banks of the ocean.
(_See_ LINE-FISHING.) It is more applicable to hand-fishing, as on the
banks of Newfoundland, in depths over 60 fathoms.

GREAT OCEAN. The Pacific, so called from its superior extent.

GREAT SHAKES. _See_ SHAKE.

GREAVES. Armour for the legs.

GRECALE. A north-eastern breeze off the coast of Sicily, _Greece_ lying
N.E.

GREEN. Raw and untutored; a metaphor from unripe fruit--thus Shakspeare
makes Pandulph say:

"How green are you and fresh in this old world!"

GREEN-BONE. The trivial name of the viviparous blenny, or guffer, the
backbone of which is green when boiled; also of the gar-fish.

GREEN-FISH. Cod, hake, haddock, herrings, &c., unsalted.

GREEN-HANDS. Those embarked for the first time, and consequently
inexperienced.

GREEN-HORN. A lubberly, uninitiated fellow. A novice of marked
gullibility.

GREENLAND DOVE. The puffinet; called _scraber_ in the Hebrides; about
the size of a pigeon.

GREENLAND WHALE. _See_ RIGHT WHALE.

GREEN-MEN. The five supernumerary seamen who had not been before in the
Arctic Seas, whom vessels in the whale-fishery were obliged to bear, to
get the tonnage bounty.

GREEN SEA. A large body of water shipped on a vessel's deck; it derives
its name from the green colour of a sheet of water between the eye and
the light when its mass is too large to be broken up into spray.

GREEN-SLAKE. The sea-weed otherwise called _lettuce-laver_ (which see).

GREEN TURTLE. The common name for the edible turtle, which does not
yield tortoise-shell.

GREENWICH STARS. Those used for lunar computations in the nautical
ephemeris.

GREEP. The old orthography of _gripe_.

GREGO. A coarse Levantine jacket, with a hood. A cant term for a rough
great-coat.

GRENADE. Now restricted to hand-grenade, weighing about 2 lbs., and the
fuze being previously lit, is conveniently thrown by hand from the tops
of ships on to an enemy's deck, from the parapet into the ditch,