cathead
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English[edit]
Etymology[edit]
Noun[edit]
cathead (plural catheads)
- (nautical) A heavy piece of timber projecting from each side of the bow of a ship for holding anchors which were fitted with a stock in position for letting go or for securing after weighing.
- Similar rigging on the outside of a building.
- Short for cathead biscuit.
- 1969, Maya Angelou, chapter 6, in I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings[1], New York: Bantam, published 1971, page 30:
- The trick to eating catheads was to get the butter on them before they got cold—then they were delicious. When, unluckily, they were allowed to get cold, they tended to a gooeyness, not unlike a wad of tired gum.
Alternative forms[edit]
Related terms[edit]
Translations[edit]
nautical: heavy piece of timber for holding an anchor in position
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