whisky plank
n.— «There is, fortunately, a ritual that differs from this wasteful ceremony that is known as the placing of the whisky plank. When the last plank is in place on the hull of a ship which is being built, work is stopped briefly and all hands are poured a tot of whisky to celebrate.» —“Ebb and Flow” by Walter Muhonen Los Angeles Times May 1, 1960. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
Aaron in Los Angeles, California, notes while using public transit in Britain he and other passengers were instructed to alight from the front, meaning “exit the car from the front.” Alight comes from an Old English word alihtan, literally, to...
In a nautical context, the word heave refers to the action of a ship rising or lifting with the waves. The past tense is hove, and if a boat hove into view, it slowly came into sight, as if gradually appearing on the horizon. This is part of a...