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Strike Sail

.

To acknowledge oneself beaten; to eat umble pie. A mari-time expression. When a ship in fight or on meeting another ship, lets down her topsails at least half-mast high, she is said to strike, meaning that she submits or pays respect to the other.

“Now Margaret


Must strike her sail, and learn a while to serve

When kings command.”


Shakespeare: 3 Henry VI., iii. 3.

 

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Entry taken from Dictionary of Phrase and Fable, edited by the Rev. E. Cobham Brewer, LL.D. and revised in 1895.

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Straw
Strawberry
Strawberry Preachers
Streak of Silver (The)
Street and Walker (Messrs.)
Stretcher
Strike (A)
Strike
Strike Amain
Strike a Bargain (To)
Strike Sail
Strike while the Iron is Hot
String
Stripes
Strode
Stroke
Stromkarl
Strong
Strong-back
Strong-bow
Strontian