Oar

(or.) (Naut.) A long piece of timber, flat at one end and round at the other, used to propel a boat or barge on the water. The flat part is called the blade; and the round end the loom, which terminates in the handle. The fulcrum is the hole in the gunwale called the row lock, or the space between the pins called tholepins. To boat the oars is to lay them in after rowing. To feather the oar is to hold the blade horizontally, so as not to catch wind. To lie on the oars is to suspend rowing for a short time; this is done also as a salute to persons of distinction when pa ing. To ship the oars is to fix them in the row locks; and to un ship the oars is to throw them out of the row locks. [s. 656]