Wiktionary
alt. (context nautical English) A compass installed in the cabin so that the captain or other officer may check the course of a ship without going to the deck; often upturned and suspended from the ceiling. n. (context nautical English) A compass installed in the cabin so that the captain or other officer may check the course of a ship without going to the deck; often upturned and suspended from the ceiling.
Usage examples of "telltale compass".
Cromwell paused as the tiller ropes creaked and groaned beneath him, then glanced up at a telltale compass fixed above the bunk.
Just over his head the telltale compass which he had had fitted to the deckbeams was literally carrying out its functions and telling the tale of Hotspur's small alterations of heading as she lay hoveto, and these could be correlated with the play of the beams of sunshine that came in through the stern windows.
Just over his head the telltale compass which he had had fitted to the deckbeams was literally carrying out its functions and telling the tale of Hotspur's small alterations of heading as she lay hove-to, and these could be correlated with the play of the beams of sunshine that came in through the stern windows.