dutchman

See also: Dutchman

English

Etymology

From Dutchman. Attested mainly in the US from the late 19th century.

Pronunciation

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Audio (UK):

  (file)

Noun

dutchman (plural dutchmen)

1. (carpentry, masonry) A piece of wood or stone used to repair a larger piece, shaped such that it fills as exactly as possible a void or cavity that is to be repaired.
2. A flaw or void repaired with such a piece.
3. (theater) A cloth strip attached to a flat to conceal a joint.
4. (nautical) Ellipsis of Flying Dutchman: a ghost ship

Translations

A piece of wood or stone used to repair a larger piece

• Finnish: korjauspala
• French: romaillet (fr)

References

• Oxford English Dictionary, 1884–1928, and First Supplement, 1933.
• John Russell Bartlett (1884) Dictionary of Americanisms, page 196: “Dutchman. A flaw in a stone or marble slab, filled up by an insertion.”