LAY, By the. When a man is paid in proportion to the success of the voyage, instead of by the month. This is common in whalers.
LAY, To. To come or go; as, lay aloft, lay forward, lay aft, lay out. This is not the neuter verb lie mispronounced, but the active verb lay. (See [Lie Out!])
LAY A GUN, To. So to direct it as that its shot may be expected to strike a given object; for which purpose its axis must be pointed above the latter, at an angle of elevation increasing according to its distance.
LAY-DAYS. The time allowed for shipping or discharging a cargo; and if not done within the term, fair weather permitting, the vessel comes on demurrage. Thus Captain Cuttle—
"A rough hardy seaman, unus'd to shore ways,
Knew little of ladies, but much of lay-days."
LAY HER COURSE, To. To be able to sail in the direction wished for, however barely the wind permits it.
LAY IN. The opposite of lay out. The order for men to come in from the yards after reefing or furling. It also applies to manning, or laying in, to the capstan-bars.
LAYING or Lying out on a yard. To go out towards the yard-arms.
LAYING OR LYING ALONG. Pressed down sideways by a stiff gale.
LAYING A ROPE. Arranging the yarns for the strands, and then the strands for making a rope, or cable.