cathead

cathead

English

Etymology

cat +‎ head

Noun

cathead (plural catheads)

1. (nautical) A heavy piece of timber projecting from each side of the bow of a ship for holding anchors which were fitted with a stock in position for letting go or for securing after weighing.
2. Similar rigging on the outside of a building.
3. Short for cathead biscuit.
   • 1969, Maya Angelou, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, New York: Bantam, 1971, Chapter 6, p. 30,

     The trick to eating catheads was to get the butter on them before they got cold—then they were delicious. When, unluckily, they were allowed to get cold, they tended to a gooeyness, not unlike a wad of tired gum.

Alternative forms

• cat-head

Related terms

• cathead biscuit

Translations

nautical: heavy piece of timber for holding an anchor in position

Catalan: serviola (ca) f Finnish: ranapalkki German: Kranbalken m Italian: ceppo (it) m Portuguese: serviola f Russian: кат-ба́лка f (kat-bálka) Swedish: kranbalk c

See also

• katkop