Does anyone know the origin(s) of the sailor's expression "to splice the mainbrace",which sounds rather antiquated today but I think means to break out the ship's supplies of rum?
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ANSWERS: 2
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Yup, it's a euphemism for having a celebratory drink or issuing your ship's sailors with a drink. Or if you take it literally, it means that you are repairing the mainbrace on a ship (which was a primary target to disable the maneuverability of a ship during sea battles). A difficult task, to say the least.
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I was in the Canadian navy when we still received a daily issue of rum and to celebrate 'splicing the mainbrace' we would be allowed a double issue of grog or a tot. A tot was 2.5 oz. of 150 proof rum. Splicing the mainbrace meant that a member of the royal family had a sprog (baby).
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