Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun The art of carving or incising intricate designs on whalebone or whale ivory.
- noun A decorative article made by this art.
- transitive & intransitive verb To decorate (whale ivory or whalebone) with intricate carvings or designs or make such designs.
from The Century Dictionary.
- To engrave various fanciful designs on (shells, whales' teeth, walrus-tusks, etc.); in general, to execute any piece of ingenious mechanical work.
- noun A shell or a piece of ivory scrimshawed or fancifully carved.
- Made by scrimshawing.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- noun Sailor's cant, U.S. A shell, a whale's tooth, or the like, that is scrimshawed.
- transitive verb Sailor's cant. U.S. To ornament, as shells, ivory, etc., by engraving, and (usually) rubbing pigments into the incised lines.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun uncountable The manufacture of handicrafts by
sailors on long voyages, especially as whittled fromwood orbone . - noun countable An item produced by scrimshaw.
- verb To make an item of scrimshaw.
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun a carving (or engraving) on whalebone, whale ivory, walrus tusk, etc., usually by American whalers
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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Hey guys if any of you are interested in scrimshaw I found a guy down in GA that does beautiful work.
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To ensure Quaiche's best efforts his lover is being held captive in a torturous device called a scrimshaw suit.
Absolution Gap - Alastair Reynolds Val 2009
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Such work done on shipboard is called scrimshaw work.
Stories of American Life and Adventure Edward Eggleston 1869
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The style of engraving on it looks like what is called "scrimshaw", and is considered a folk art form, practiced by whalers and other sailors in the age of wooden ships.
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The great jaw-pans were sawn off, and placed at the disposal of anybody who wanted pieces of bone for "scrimshaw," or carved work.
The Cruise of the Cachalot Round the World After Sperm Whales Frank T. Bullen 1886
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But our carpenter was a famous workman at "scrimshaw," and he started half a dozen walking-sticks forthwith.
The Cruise of the Cachalot Round the World After Sperm Whales Frank T. Bullen 1886
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Oh wow, Space Marine - gay super-warriors lusting after each other while doing intricate scrimshaw carvings?
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Reince Priebus carves scrimshaw of his notable stool.
Reince Priebus erik wennermark 2011
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Why it's still going The fusion of history, knowledge and manners speaks of gentler times and nobler ways, of humility, tweed, bicycle bells and feigned interest in the provenance of one's scrimshaw.
Top Gear, New Tricks, Lewis … the television shows that won't die 2011
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By 1960, a half-million visitors came annually to goggle at the life-size model of a 312-pound sea bass, scrimshaw, a model of HMS Bounty and 40,000 other objects.
California Showman Pioneered Whale Watching as a Pastime Stephen Miller 2011
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