What is "coast guard"

Guard \Guard\, n. [OF. guarde, F. garde; of German origin; cf. OHG. wart, warto, one who watches, warta a watching, Goth. wardja watchman. See Guard, v. t.]

1. One who, or that which, guards from injury, danger, exposure, or attack; defense; protection.

   His greatness was no guard to bar heaven's shaft.
   --Shak.

2. A man, or body of men, stationed to protect or control a person or position; a watch; a sentinel.

   The guard which kept the door of the king's house.
   --Kings xiv. 27.

3. One who has charge of a mail coach or a railway train; a conductor. [Eng.]

4. Any fixture or attachment designed to protect or secure against injury, soiling, or defacement, theft or loss; as:

   1. That part of a sword hilt which protects the hand.

   2. Ornamental lace or hem protecting the edge of a garment.

   3. A chain or cord for fastening a watch to one's person or dress.

   4. A fence or rail to prevent falling from the deck of a vessel.

   5. An extension of the deck of a vessel beyond the hull; esp., in side-wheel steam vessels, the framework of strong timbers, which curves out on each side beyond the paddle wheel, and protects it and the shaft against collision.

   6. A plate of metal, beneath the stock, or the lock frame, of a gun or pistol, having a loop, called a bow, to protect the trigger.

   7. (Bookbinding) An interleaved strip at the back, as in a scrap book, to guard against its breaking when filled.

5. A posture of defense in fencing, and in bayonet and saber exercise.

6. An expression or admission intended to secure against objections or censure.

   They have expressed themselves with as few guards and restrictions as I.
   --Atterbury.

7. Watch; heed; care; attention; as, to keep guard.

8. (Zo["o]l.) The fibrous sheath which covers the phragmacone of the Belemnites. Note: Guard is often used adjectively or in combination; as, guard boat or guardboat; guardroom or guard room; guard duty. Advanced guard, Coast guard, etc. See under Advanced, Coast, etc. Grand guard (Mil.), one of the posts of the second line belonging to a system of advance posts of an army. --Mahan. Guard boat.

   1. A boat appointed to row the rounds among ships of war in a harbor, to see that their officers keep a good lookout.

   2. A boat used by harbor authorities to enforce the observance of quarantine regulations.

      Guard cells (Bot.), the bordering cells of stomates; they are crescent-shaped and contain chlorophyll.

      Guard chamber, a guardroom.

      Guard detail (Mil.), men from a company regiment etc., detailed for guard duty.

      Guard duty (Mil.), the duty of watching patrolling, etc., performed by a sentinel or sentinels.

      Guard lock (Engin.), a tide lock at the mouth of a dock or basin.

      Guard of honor (Mil.), a guard appointed to receive or to accompany eminent persons.

      Guard rail (Railroads), a rail placed on the inside of a main rail, on bridges, at switches, etc., as a safeguard against derailment.

      Guard ship, a war vessel appointed to superintend the marine affairs in a harbor, and also, in the English service, to receive seamen till they can be distributed among their respective ships.

      Life guard (Mil.), a body of select troops attending the person of a prince or high officer.

      Off one's guard, in a careless state; inattentive; unsuspicious of danger.

      On guard, serving in the capacity of a guard; doing duty as a guard or sentinel; watching.

      On one's guard, in a watchful state; alert; vigilant.

      To mount guard (Mil.), to go on duty as a guard or sentinel.

      To run the guard, to pass the watch or sentinel without leave.

      Syn: Defense; shield; protection; safeguard; convoy; escort; care; attention; watch; heed.

Coast \Coast\ (k[=o]st), n. [OF. coste, F. c[^o]te, rib, hill, shore, coast, L. costa rib, side. Cf. Accost, v. t., Cutlet.]

1. The side of a thing. [Obs.]
   --Sir I. Newton.

2. The exterior line, limit, or border of a country; frontier border. [Obs.]

   From the river, the river Euphrates, even to the uttermost sea, shall your coast be.
   --Deut. xi. 24.

3. The seashore, or land near it. He sees in English ships the Holland coast. --Dryden. We the Arabian coast do know At distance, when the species blow. --Waller. The coast is clear, the danger is over; no enemy in sight. --Dryden. Fig.: There are no obstacles. ``Seeing that the coast was clear, Zelmane dismissed Musidorus.'' --Sir P. Sidney. Coast guard.

   1. A body of men originally employed along the coast to prevent smuggling; now, under the control of the admiralty, drilled as a naval reserve. [Eng.]

   2. The force employed in life-saving stations along the seacoast. [U. S.]

      Coast rat (Zo["o]l.), a South African mammal ( Bathyergus suillus), about the size of a rabbit, remarkable for its extensive burrows; -- called also sand mole.

      Coast waiter, a customhouse officer who superintends the landing or shipping of goods for the coast trade. [Eng.]

n. (alternative spelling of coastguard English)

A coast guard or coastguard is a maritime security organization of a particular country. The term implies widely different responsibilities in different countries, from being a heavily armed military force with customs and security duties to being a volunteer organization tasked with search and rescue functions and lacking any law enforcement powers. However, a typical coast guard's functions are distinct from typical functions of both the navy (a pure military force) and a transportation police (a civilian law enforcement agency).

The Coast Guard of the Border Service of the FSB (, Beregovaya okhrana Pogranichnoy sluzhby FSB Rossii), previously known as the Maritime Units of the KGB Border Troops , is the coast guard of the Russian Federation. The Coast Guard is part of the Border Guard Service of Russia under the Federal Security Service of Russia .

Coast Guard is a 1939 American adventure film released by Columbia Pictures, directed by Edward Ludwig and starring Randolph Scott, Frances Dee and Ralph Bellamy. It is set before World War II.

The Hollywood Reporter indicated that Frances Dee replaced Gene Tierney in the role of Nancy Bliss. Coast Guard was the first film of actor Michael Gale, who changed his name in 1941 to Craig Stevens.