Meaning of drabbler | Babel Free

Definitions

A piece of canvas laced to the bonnet of a sail, to give it a greater depth or more drop.

historical

Examples

“The next day, merrily pursuing our voyage, we came in sight of the island of Chaneph, where Pantagruel's ship could not arrive, the wind chopping about, and then failing us so that we were becalmed, and could hardly get ahead, tacking about from starboard to larboard, and larboard to starboard, though to our sails we added drabblers.”

“Then came the voice of the master, which always his mate echoed, ‘‘Let fall your mainsail!” And the echo, “‘Let fall your mainsail!” “Yea, yea!” “On with your bonnets and drabblers!”’ And again came the echo from the mate, ‘‘On with your bonnets and drabblers!””

CEFR level