Crossword clues for brail
The Collaborative International Dictionary
Plaice \Plaice\, n. [F. plaise, plais, prob. fr. L. platessa flatish, plaice. See Place.] (Zo["o]l.)
A European food fish ( Pleuronectes platessa), allied to the flounder, and growing to the weight of eight or ten pounds or more.
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A large American flounder ( Paralichthys dentatus; called also brail, puckermouth, and summer flounder. The name is sometimes applied to other allied species. [Written also plaise.]
Plaice mouth, a mouth like that of a plaice; a small or wry mouth. [R.]
--B. Jonson.
Douglas Harper's Etymology Dictionary
small rope used on ships, mid-15c., from Old French brail, earlier braiel "belt, leather thong," from Latin bracale "waistbelt," from bracæ "breeches" (plural, see breeches).
Wiktionary
n. 1 (context nautical English) A small rope used to truss up sails. 2 (context falconry English) A thong of soft leather to bind up a hawk's wing. 3 A stock at each end of a seine to keep it stretched. vb. To reef, shorten or strike sail using brails.
WordNet
n. a small net used to draw fish into a boat
a small rope (one of several) used to draw a sail in
v. take in a sail with a brail
haul fish aboard with brails
Wikipedia
Brails, in a sailing ship, are small lines used to haul in or up the edges ( leeches) or corners of sails, before furling. On a ship rig, these brails are most often found on the mizzen sail. The command is, hale up the brails, or, brail up the sails. The word brail comes from Middle English brayle, from Anglo-French braiel belt, strap, brail, alteration of Old French braiuel belt, probably ultimately from Latin braca pant.
Usage examples of "brail".
He offered this as a lesson in leading the dukedom, but Brail knew that it applied with equal force to ruling an entire kingdom.
Bistari two days earlier, Brail too would have been busy with the celebration.
It almost seemed to Brail that the god had granted him an extra gift this turn: for this one night, he was surrounded by friends.
He glanced at Brail and then at Tebeo, as if pleading with them to agree.
But Brail, who had never been shy about complimenting himself on his own mtelhgence and foresight, thought Tebeo the wisest leader in Aneira.
Ansis was eyeing him closely, looking young still, but not frightened as Brail might have expected.
He looked first at Brail, then at Tebeo, a small smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.
Wind lashed the shutters again and Brail knelt by the hearth to place another log on the glowing embers.
By siding first with one and then the other, Brail had managed to keep House Orvinti from becoming entangled in the dispute between Solkara and Bistari.
Qirsi conspiracy, Brail had never imagined a single man or woman leading it.
The last Evanthya saw of Fetnalla, she was merely standing beside Brail, gazing back at her and looking lovely in the silver-grey light, her white hair, dampened by the mist, clinging to her brow.
Carden was but a boy then, only a year past his Determining, but already Brail saw in him signs of the quick temper and ruthlessness that would characterize his reign.
More than that, though, Brail also realized that regardless of whether Carden ordered the killing, the king would do nothing to dispel the notion that he had Chago killed.
Fetnalla rode just behind Brail, and eight more soldiers followed her.
After his conversation with the duke of Dantrielle, Brail was afraid to tell her more, lest he make himself a target of the Qirsi as well as of the king.