Fisher - Phoebes Light

Language of 18th-Century Nantucket

ambergris : a waxy, grayish substance found in the stomachs of sperm whales and once used in perfume to make the scent last longer

baleen : the comblike plates of cartilage in a whales mouth to strain plankton and other food from the water; very valuable for its strength and flexibility

boatsteerer/harpooner : crew at the bow of the whaling boat whose job is to spear the whale

broken voyage : a whaling ship that returns home with less than a full load of oil

cat-o-nine (or cat-o-nine-tails ): a multi-tailed whip used to flog sailors

cooper : barrel maker

cooperage : workplace of the cooper

crosstree or crows nest : the part of the ship, near the top of the mast, where the sailor on lookout duty watches for whales

cuddy : a small room or compartment on a boat

disowned : under church discipline

elders : historically, those appointed to foster the vocal ministry of the meeting for worship and the spiritual condition of its members

Facing B enches : the benches or seats in the front of the meeting room, facing the body of the meeting, on which Friends ministers and elders generally sat

fin up : dead

First Day : Sunday (Quakers did not use names for days of the week, nor for the months, as these had pagan origins)

First Month : January

flensing : butchering of the whale

Friends and Society of Friends : Quaker church members

gam : to visit or talk with the crew of another whaling ship while at sea

gangplank : a movable bridge used to board or leave a ship

greenhand or greenie : an inexperienced sailor making his first whaling voyage

hold in the Light : to ask for Gods presence to illuminate a situation or problem or person

idler : a crewman whose tasks require daylight hours (cook, cooper, cabin boy)

lay : the percentage of a ships profit that each crew member receives; a sailors lay usually depends upon his experience and rank

lookout : the sailor stationed in the crosstree to watch for whales

Meeting : church

minding the Light : an expression used to remind Quakers that there is an Inward Light in each of them that can reveal Gods will if its direction is listened to and followed

mortgage button : a Nantucket tradition of drilling a hole in the newel post of a households banister, filling it with the ashes of the paid-off mortgage, and capping the hole with a button made of scrimshaw (called a Brag Button in the South)

moved to speak : an experience, in the quietness of the meeting, of feeling led by God to speak

mutiny : an uprising or rebellion of a ships crew against the captain

Nantucket sleigh ride : a term used to describe the pulling of a whaleboat by a whale that has been harpooned and is running

Quaker : the unofficial name of a member of the Religious Society of Friends; originally the use was pejorative, but the word was reclaimed by Friends in recognition of the physical sensation that many feel when being moved by the Spirit

quarterboard : a wooden sign with carved name displayed on each ship