THREE HALF-HITCHES ARE MORE THAN A KING'S YACHT WANTS. An exclamatory remark to a green hand, meaning that two are enough.
THREE SHEETS IN THE WIND. Unsteady from drink.
THREE SISTERS. Formerly the badge of office of boatswains' mates and masters-at-arms, made of three rattans bound together with waxed twine.
THREE-SQUARE. An odd word applied to staysails, or anything triangular, as was the oblong square to a parallelogram.
THRIFT. Armeria, a genus of handsome plants growing on the sea-coast.
THROAT. The widened and hollowed end of a gaff next the mast; opposed to peak, the outer end. Also, the midship portion of the floor-timbers and transoms. The contrary of breech.
THROAT-BOLTS. Eye-bolts fixed in the lower part of tops, and the jaw-ends of gaffs, for hooking the throat-halliards to.
THROAT-BRAILS. Those which are attached to the gaff for trussing up the sail close to the gaff as well as the mast. (See [Brails], and [Topmast-staysails].) Falconer says:—
"For he who strives the tempest to disarm,
Will never first embrail the lee yard-arm."
Brail thus applies to leech-lines, clue-lines, &c.