E. Cobham Brewer 1810–1897. Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 1898.
Warp (To).
A sea term, meaning to shift the position of a vessel. This is done by means of a rope called a warp. Kedging is when the warp is bent to a kedge, which is let go, and the vessel is hove ahead by the capstan.
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“The potent rod
Of Amram’s son [Moses], in Egypt’s evil day,
Waved round the coast, up-called a pitchy cloud
Of locusts, warping [shifting about] in the eastern wind.”
Milton: Paradise Lost, i. 338.
In Lancashire, warping means laying eggs; and boys, on finding a bird’s nest, will ask—“And how many eggs has she warped?”
In Lancashire, warping means laying eggs; and boys, on finding a bird’s nest, will ask—“And how many eggs has she warped?”
