Marlinespike (Noun)
Meaning
A pointed iron hand tool that is used to separate strands of a rope or cable (as in splicing).
Classification
Nouns denoting man-made objects.
Examples
- The sailor carefully used his marlinespike to separate the tangled fibers of the rope.
- She had finally found her marlinespike among the tools and now she could start repairing the frayed cable.
- With the marlinespike he teased apart the soggy and knotted threads of the old rope to make a splice.
- Using her marlinespike she very carefully worked her way along the twisted rope, gently teasing out the strands.
- The crew used their marlinespikes to separate the tightly wound fibers of the rope before splicing it back together.