reef
verbEtymology From Middle English reef, from Old Norse rif, Middle Dutch rif, rēve, and/or Middle Low German ref. Possibly a figurative use of the word for “rib” in etymology 1 above, in which case all forms must, again, be borrowings from Old Norse. Alternatively it may be a different word related to Old English rift (“curtain, veil”), ārāfian (“to uncoil, wind off”).
Nautical, Transport To take in part of a sail in order to adapt the size of the sail to the force of the wind.
- "When the day arrived that the boy was to be skipper, the weather was calm and fine, but he called all men to reef sails, so the ship had scarcely any sail on her."1886, Peter Christen Asbjørnsen, translated by H.L. Brækstad, Folk and Fairy Tales, page 188:
- 1970 July–December, Margaret Quilty, Roller Reefing Made Easy, Boating, page 63, Be sure the blocks are securely mounted—they carry a fairish load when the sail is reefed. If both reefing line and main halyard are led to the cockpit, even singlehanded reefing is a breeze.
2 more examples
- Mains are made smaller by reefing. This can be done by rolling up the sail around the boom, or by the more traditional method of tying down a panel along the foot.1995, David Seidman, The Complete Sailor: Learning the Art of Sailing, page 104:
- The reefing system for a mainsail must be designed to operate efficiently under adverse conditions and to provide proper sail shape when reefed.2004, Charlie Wing, How Boat Things Work, page 108:
Australia To pull or yank strongly, especially in relation to horse riding.
- And when the Cup came on he stirred them up ′round the barrier and he flew out of the barrier and he pulled and reefed and pulled and reefed and Lewis didn′t let him settle down until about three furlongs from home and when he did settle the horse was all out of stride and he went back through the field a fair bit.1986, Jan Wositzky, Me and Phar Lap: The Remarkable Life of Tommy Woodcock, published 2011, page 49:
- Alf told me that one young white stockman, eager to impress the girls, went outside and mounted his horse, then began showing off his prowess, racing past the pub, wheeling and reefing his horse up and down the street, yackeyeing and whooping, flogging his horse with a battered old hat and always turning towards the pub to see if the girls were watching these feats of horsemanship.1994, Herb Wharton, Cattle Camp: Murrie Drovers and Their Stories, published 2010, page 73:
2 more examples
- He reefed on the handbrake and sat smoking his cigarette, gazing out through the windscreen at the driveway.2002, Alex Miller, Journey to the Stone Country, Allen & Unwin, published 2003, page 76:
- […]head stockman would say ‘Cut one out but take him at a walk.′ And if you could get that beast out without reefing your horse around, the head stockman – he′d be a pretty cluey old coot - he′s watching that horse′s ears more than what you were doing.2007, Marion Houldsworth, Maybe It′ll Rain Tomorrow, published 2012, page 104:
Nautical, Transport Of paddles To move the floats of a paddle wheel toward its center so that they will not dip so deeply.
- Reef the paddles.
Slang To manipulate the lining of a person's pocket in order to steal the contents unnoticed.
- This was done by "reefing." He put two fingers just inside the opening and lifted the lining a trifle. Although I watched his hands, I could feel nothing, so gently did his fingers work. Reefing a couple of times, he lifted my handkerchief, as he might have taken out anything else.Myron M. Stearns, So You Lost Your Pocketbook?, in 1940, The Rotarian (volume 56, number 2, page 39)