The Collaborative International Dictionary
Marline \Mar"line\, n. [LG. marlien, marling, or D. marling, marlijn, fr. D. marren to tie, prob. akin to E. moor, v., and lijn line: cf.F. merlin. See Moor, v., Line.] (Naut.) A small line composed of two strands a little twisted, used for winding around ropes and cables, to prevent their being weakened by fretting. Marline spike, Marling spike (Naut.), an iron tool tapering to a point, used to separate the strands of a rope in splicing and in marling. It has an eye in the thick end to which a lanyard is attached. See Fid. Marline-spike bird. [The name alludes to the long middle tail feathers.] (Zo["o]l.)
A tropic bird.
A jager, or skua gull.
Wiktionary
n. (alternative spelling of marlinspike English)
Usage examples of "marlin spike".
The sibilants fall from the lips of the kneeling Cuban as the little fat man brings the marlin spike to the top of its arc and it comes fluting downwards to the Cuban's fragile skull and his executioner grunts with the effort.
While they rummaged through the tools for the pliers, he got the marlin spike wedged between his taped hands.
The Bo'sun went directly to a small wooden cupboard on the bulkhead, produced his knife, opened up the marlin spike and inserted its point just below the cupboard lock.
Bought the green beans, wrapped 'em tight in burlap sacking, hammered 'em up with a marlin spike.
One of the hammership's regular crewmena little man named Garaywas standing on the rail, cleaning the sheaves of a rigging block with a marlin spike.
The seaman in charge was a wizened man with long gray hair that he wore tied in a great bun into which he had stuck a marlin spike.
I doubt they've the strength to lift a marlin spike after being penned up like that.