THODS. An old northern term for sudden gusts of wind.
THOKES. Fish with broken bellies, which are prohibited to be mixed or packed with tale fish.
THOLE, Thole-pin, or Thowel [from the Anglo-Saxon thol]. Certain pins in the gunwale of a boat, instead of the rowlock-poppets, and serving to retain the oars in position when pulling; generally there is only one pin to each oar, which is retained upon the pin by a grommet, or a cleat with a hole through it, nailed on the side of the oar. The principal use is to allow the oar, in case of action, suddenly to lie fore-and-aft over the side, and take care of itself. This was superseded by the swinging thowel, or metal crutch, in 1819, and by admiralty order at Portsmouth Yard in 1830.
THORN-BACK. A well-known fish of the ray kind, Raia clavata.
THOROUGH-PUTS, or Thorough-foots, are kinks or tangles in a rope; or parts of a tackle not leading fair by reason of one of the blocks having been passed round part of the fall, and so getting a turn.
THOUGHT. An old spelling of thwart.
THRASHER, or Thresher. A species of shark with a long tail, Carcharias vulpes. Also applied to a kind of grampus, which was supposed to attack the whale by leaping out of the water and inflicting blows with its powerful tail.
THREAD [Ang.-Sax. thréd]. The middle of a river or stream.—To thread. To run a ship through narrow and intricate channels among islands.
THREE-COCKED HAT. A silly article of sea-wear now happily passing away, retained only by coachmen, lord-mayor's men, and parish beadles.
THREE-DECKERS. Ships with three full batteries.