breast linen.2
/ˈbrɛs(t) lʌɪn/, U.S. /ˈbrɛs(t) ˌlaɪn/ Originally: (Military) a rope used to secure the boats supporting a pontoon bridge parallel to each other. Later: (Nautical) a rope used to secure a vessel parallel to a dock, jetty, another vessel, etc.; cf. breastfast n. at breast n. Compounds 2, breast rope n. 3.
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1792 World 6 Aug. Together with a view of the Troop Horses, Breast Line, Picquet Posts, and other Camp Equipage.
1839 F. A. Griffiths Artillerist's Man. x. 204 Pontoons..Buoy line..Breast line.
1991 J. Barth Last Voy. Somebody the Sailor 565 He quietly orders, ‘Breast line away’, and fetches that fall of it aboard like his own umbilicus.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, December 2020; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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